In the current economic climate, I see non-profits struggling with falling donations and shrinking budgets for campaigning and fundraising.
Having worked with a wide range of UK charities for more than twenty years, I’ve seen both the victories and the challenges of running a non-profit. Through it all, one thing has stood out is that when everything else feels uncertain, it’s the donor relationships that endure. Because, after all, a charity is all about people helping people, and CRMs have helped charity managers like me tremendously.
In my experience, non-profit CRMs are enablers of non-profit contributor relationships. With the right CRM, you can organise fundraising and encourage donations while communicating with donors and supporters about what your charity is all about and where their money is going.
That said, in this article, I compare the top 5 non-profit CRMs and their benefits, drawbacks, and pricing plans, and my experience of working with them.
The Top 5 Non-Profit CRMs – My Recommendations as a Charity Manager
1. KindLink
Benefits
All-in-one CRM Software
KindLink is #1 on my list of the top non-profit CRMs, and for good reason too! This non-profit CRM comes with all features rolled into one. You get donor CRM, online fundraising, storytelling, and volunteer management. From an IT perspective, this is a great choice, as you just need one software for managing practically everything.
Clear and Transparent Pricing
KindLink has displayed its pricing plans front and centre on its website, so you know what to expect. We started with KindLink’s free features after registering our charity, which covered most core functionalities to get us started. They do have a premium plan with advanced features, which we upgraded to as our organisation grew.
Gift Aid Features
The premium version allowed us to upgrade Gift Aid recording to reporting submission. It allowed our donors to sign the Gift Aid declaration online with an option to increase their contributions on the spot.
Corporate Integration
KindLink also offers a corporate solution for corporates for CSR activities. Through their marketplace, we could easily find the volunteers for our campaigns.
Drawbacks
Comprehensive Solution for Small Teams
At first, the breadth of the tool and its vast features felt like a lot on day one for our small team. But the intuitive interface quickly became easy for us to adapt to.
Pricing
Free, with paid premium and expert tiers. A great option if you want to try before upgrading to a paid subscription.
My Overall Rating
4.5/5
KindLink CRM ranks at the top of the list because in my experience, there are few CRMs that offer value-to-capability for UK charities that need CRM, fundraising, and volunteering in one platform.
2. DonorPerfect
Benefits
Fundraising
We used DonorPerfect for fundraising for some of our campaigns, which I feel is its core technical strength. My team also found it easy to track campaign progress through its intuitive dashboard.
Deep Integrations
DonorPerfect offers a deep integration ecosystem that’s great for large non-profit teams. With a little understanding and training, our team could integrate various finance, wealth screening, email, and payment systems.
Drawbacks
Learning Curve
Your team may need time to standardise processes and may require additional support and training.
Limited UK-Specific Features
It supports Gift Aid and GDPR compliance, but I still had to tune forms, fields, and donation flows to match UK practices.
Pricing
No free tier for trial.
My Overall Rating
4 / 5
A good choice, especially if your non-profit is fundraising-focused.
3. Donorfy
Benefits
Clean Interface
I found Donorfy to have sensible pay layouts with a clean and intuitive interface, especially for teams who are just getting started with a CRM. For our UK team, the vocabulary and default just made a lot of sense.
Community Support
Donorfy has a supportive community that helps with practical knowledge and tips.
Drawbacks
Scaled Pricing
Pricing scales up according to the number of supporters, which our team had to keep a close eye on.
Pricing
Transparent pricing brackets, but costs increase as your supporters increase.
My Overall Rating
3.5 / 5
My small charity found its UK-centric interface the best.
4. BeaconCRM
Benefits
User Interface
Beacon has one of the cleanest user experiences I’ve used.
Easy Update
My team found it easy to update everyday tasks like updating records, building lists, and taking payments fairly quickly and easily.
Drawbacks
Support Dependent
We discovered a need for support for specialised extensions and nice workflows.
Pricing
Quote-based
My Overall Rating
3/5
Clean and speedy user experiences are key highlights for Beacon.
5. AccesscharityCRM
Benefits
Unlimited contacts
This charity CRM’s unlimited contacts promise across its packages is useful for large audiences.
Drawbacks
User Experience
In my opinion, the UX could be improved for day-to-day tasks. It’s not as simple as the lighter CRMs.
Pricing
Access Charity CRM has four packages to choose from, with quote-based pricing depending on the modules.
My Overall Rating
3 / 5
If you’re keen on a CRM with the wider Access ecosystem, this is a good choice for you.
To Sum Up
From my two decades of experience working with various UK charities, I can confidently say that no CRM system is perfect. It’s not about the cheapest subscription or the one with the best user experience. It’s about choosing the one that adds value and simplifies your tasks.
That said, I hope my experience and reviews of having lived with and implemented each of these five charity CRMs help you make your decision.
My pro tip for charities: Assess your organisation’s needs carefully and go for the choice that can give you the best value.