Most "best nonprofit event software" lists compare feature grids. Two questions decide the choice faster: what does each platform take from a ticket, and does the registration land in the same database as your members and donors? This guide answers both for nine tools. Fee models were checked on 2026-08-19 against each vendor's pricing page or help center, or a listing site where the vendor's page could not be read.
The short answer. For free community events, Eventbrite and Zeffy both cost nothing. For ticketed fundraisers, Zeffy and Givebutter (with donor tips on) take no fee from the ticket, and Eventbrite takes the most per ticket of the self-serve tools. For member-priced programs and events, Communal sets each member's price from their active membership, and Wild Apricot and Neon CRM (Impact tier) also run events inside a membership database. For multi-day conferences, Cvent is the enterprise pick, and Neon CRM or Bloomerang fit fundraising-led organizations that want events inside their donor CRM.
Related event software guides:
- Nonprofit event registration software
- Program registration software
- Membership and event management software
- Eventbrite alternatives
How each tool charges a nonprofit
Most platforms below also let you pass fees on to the buyer.
| Platform | How it charges | Contract |
|---|---|---|
| Eventbrite | Free events cost nothing; paid tickets carry a per-ticket service fee plus card processing | None; optional Pro add-on |
| Givebutter | Free with donor tips on; a platform fee plus card processing with tips off | None on the free plan |
| Zeffy | Free to the nonprofit, funded by an optional contribution attendees see at checkout | None |
| RSVPify | Monthly tiers capped by registrations; ticketed events pay a per-ticket fee plus Stripe processing instead | Monthly or annual |
| Cvent | Annual license plus per-registrant fees, by quote | Annual |
| Neon CRM | Tiered subscription; events need the Impact tier | Typically annual |
| Bloomerang | Priced by record count | Annual |
| Wild Apricot | Priced by contact count; a surcharge if you use your own payment gateway | Month-to-month or prepaid |
| Communal | Monthly subscription by member count; programs and events are an add-on; card fee set in your agreement | None |
Two things stand out. A flat per-ticket fee takes a bigger share of a small ticket, so a community supper loses more of each dollar than a gala does. And the free platforms are free because attendees see a tip prompt at checkout. If that does not suit your audience, Givebutter can turn tips off and charge a platform fee instead. A subscription tool pays off when the same system also runs your memberships and donations.
The 9 nonprofit event management tools, reviewed
1. Eventbrite
How it charges (verified 2026-08-19): Free events are free with no attendee cap. Paid tickets carry a per-ticket service fee plus payment processing on each order. Eventbrite Pro, the email marketing add-on, is a monthly subscription, and nonprofits can apply for a discount on it. No contract.
What it does well: Unlimited free events, a large consumer marketplace that can sell tickets to people outside your list, mature mobile check-in and scanning, and a public REST API.
Where it falls short: Per-ticket fees add up fast on paid events. No membership, dues, renewal, volunteer or facility tools. A donation ticket type exists but there are no year-end or consolidated tax receipts.
Who it fits: Mostly free or public-facing ticketed events that benefit from marketplace discovery and do not need member records. If the fees are the problem, see Eventbrite alternatives.
2. Givebutter
How it charges (verified 2026-08-19): Free plan with donation forms, fundraising pages, events, auctions, a CRM with unlimited contacts and payment processing. With donor tips on (the default) there is no platform fee and Givebutter covers processing; it says most donors cover the fees. With tips off, a platform fee plus card processing applies. Givebutter Plus is a monthly subscription priced by contact count and adds workflows, texting, custom reports and QuickBooks Online sync.
What it does well: A free core with modern fundraising tools (campaign pages, peer-to-peer, auctions, text-to-donate) and events that land in the same CRM as your donors.
Where it falls short: Membership is recurring payment forms plus CRM tags, not tiers, renewals, directories or cards. No volunteer management, room booking or full website builder. Turning tips off adds a platform fee on top of processing.
Who it fits: Small and mid-size nonprofits focused on online fundraising and events that are comfortable with donor tipping. See Eventbrite vs Givebutter.
3. Zeffy
How it charges (verified 2026-08-19): No subscription, platform fee or processing fee to the nonprofit. Attendees see an optional contribution to Zeffy at checkout, and you receive the full payment. US and Canadian nonprofits only.
What it does well: Free including processing, which no paid tool matches. Event ticketing, raffles, auctions, peer-to-peer, donation forms, memberships with auto-renewal, Tap to Pay, automated tax receipts, QuickBooks and Zapier.
Where it falls short: Volunteer signups use the event form type with no shift scheduling. No website builder or room booking. The tip prompt sits in front of every attendee, the public API is read-only, and it is US and Canada only.
Who it fits: Small US or Canadian nonprofits that want ticketing and donation forms with no software cost and an audience that will not mind the tip prompt.
4. RSVPify
How it charges (verified 2026-08-19): Free plan for small events. Business & Nonprofit plans are monthly tiers capped by registrations per month (tiers from Capterra; RSVPify's pricing page could not be read). An event that sells tickets gets the Professional tier's features with no subscription and pays a per-ticket fee plus Stripe processing instead. Free trial, no credit card.
What it does well: Invitation-style RSVP flows with seating charts, guest lists, +1s and QR check-in. A public API plus Zapier, Salesforce and HubSpot integrations.
Where it falls short: Monthly registration caps push busy organizations up the tiers. No member database, dues, renewals, volunteers or facility booking. Donations only inside ticketed flows, with no tax receipting.
Who it fits: Galas and invite-only events where seating and guest-list management matter more than ongoing member records.
5. Cvent
How it charges (verified 2026-08-19): Quote only. Quotes combine an annual platform license with per-registrant fees; Attendee Hub, OnArrival check-in and venue sourcing are priced separately. Annual contract, no free trial.
What it does well: Enterprise registration, branded event websites, a mobile event app and on-site badging in one suite, venue sourcing through the Cvent Supplier Network, and a documented developer API.
Where it falls short: Quote-only pricing with annual contracts and per-registrant fees is out of reach for most small nonprofits. Built for conferences, not memberships, volunteers or facility rentals. Administration is heavy enough that many customers rely on Cvent services or dedicated staff.
Who it fits: Large associations and enterprises running multi-day conferences with sessions, housing and on-site needs.
6. Neon CRM (events on the Impact tier)
How it charges (verified 2026-08-19): Tiered monthly subscription with unlimited records on every plan. The entry tier covers constituent management, donation forms and reporting; events, membership, volunteers and the open API need the Impact tier or higher. Neon Pay charges per card and ACH transaction, with donor-covered fees. No free trial; contracts are typically annual.
What it does well: Events sit in the same CRM as donors, members and volunteers, with unlimited records, users and forms so growth does not trigger per-record price jumps, plus workflow automation.
Where it falls short: Events need the Impact tier because the entry tier is fundraising-only. No website builder, facility booking or free trial.
Who it fits: Growing nonprofits and membership associations that want one CRM for donors, members, events and volunteers and can justify Impact.
7. Bloomerang
How it charges (verified 2026-08-19): Bloomerang CRM and the Giving Platform bundle are billed annually and scale with record count. Unlimited users. Bloomerang Payments rates are not published on the pricing page. No free trial.
What it does well: Event registration with ticketing, QR check-in and table management inside a donor CRM built around retention, with a public REST API and easy exports. The separate volunteer product adds scheduling and a mobile app.
Where it falls short: Separate products and record-based tiers make the full stack expensive, and annual contracts are required. Membership is basic, with no digital cards, website builder or facility booking.
Who it fits: Small and mid-size US nonprofits focused on donor retention that want events inside a polished fundraising CRM.
8. Wild Apricot (events)
How it charges (verified 2026-08-19): Priced by contact count in tiers, month-to-month, with prepay discounts. Events are included at every tier. No per-transaction fee from Wild Apricot on its Personify Payments processor; using a third-party gateway (Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.Net) adds a Payment System Servicing Fee on top of the subscription. 60-day free trial, no credit card.
What it does well: Event registration forms tied to a member database, plus a website builder, email, store and mobile apps on every plan. Public API, WordPress widgets, Zapier, Make and QuickBooks.
Where it falls short: Pricing counts every contact, including lapsed members and registrants you keep. The surcharge for using your own gateway is unusual. No native volunteer management or room booking.
Who it fits: Small to mid-size clubs and associations that want events, a member database and a website in one tool and accept the in-house processor.
9. Communal
How it charges (verified 2026-08-19): A monthly subscription by member count that includes member CRM, volunteer, donor and POS software. Programs and events are an add-on module, and facilities are priced by bookable spaces. No contracts, prorated billing, cancel any module any time. The card-processing fee is set in your agreement with no monthly minimums, and payouts go to your organization's own Stripe account. Free trial, no credit card. Current prices are on the pricing page.
What it does well: Programs and events are one module: a parent program with sessions, capacity limits, age limits and repeating schedules. Each event can have a price per membership type, a public price, a volunteer price for members who signed up to volunteer on that program, a free option or a recurring payment. With the waitlist on, a full event takes a waitlist, and the priority waitlist offers an open spot to one person at a time in the order they joined. Registration can ask your own questions, take file uploads and require a waiver, and staff can move a registration to another session. People can pay by card or by cash at the desk. Attendance sheets, a reminder email before each session, public iCal feeds, guest checkout and coupon codes are included. If you issue tax receipts, a donation made with a registration gets a numbered receipt automatically. Details are on the nonprofit event registration software page.
Where it falls short: No public marketplace, so it will not put your event in front of strangers. No ticket scanning at the door; staff mark attendance from the registration list. No website builder, native member app, SMS, auctions or peer-to-peer pages. Waivers are an uploaded file plus a recorded acceptance, not an e-signature.
Who it fits: Community associations, recreation centers, clubs, leagues and cultural organizations running member-priced programs that want registrations, memberships, volunteers and donations in one database. Comparing with Eventbrite? Read Communal vs Eventbrite.
Comparison table
| Platform | Pricing model | Fees on each paid ticket | Events tied to member records | Tax receipts | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eventbrite | Free for free events; pay per paid ticket | Service fee plus processing | No member records | No | 2026-08-19 |
| Givebutter | Free core; Plus priced by contacts | None with tips on; platform fee plus processing with tips off | Partial (recurring payment forms and tags) | Yes | 2026-08-19 |
| Zeffy | Free, funded by donor tips | None | Basic memberships with auto-renewal | Yes | 2026-08-19 |
| RSVPify | Free plan; monthly tiers by registrations | Per-ticket fee plus Stripe processing | No member records | No | 2026-08-19 |
| Cvent | Quote only, annual license | Per-registrant fees in the quote | No | No | 2026-08-19 |
| Neon CRM | Tiered subscription; events on Impact | Neon Pay processing | Yes (membership module, Impact tier) | Yes | 2026-08-19 |
| Bloomerang | Priced by record count, annual | Processing rate not published | Basic (membership levels on records) | Yes | 2026-08-19 |
| Wild Apricot | Priced by contact count | None from vendor on Personify Payments | Yes | Basic | 2026-08-19 |
| Communal | Priced by member count; programs and events add-on | Card fee set in your agreement | Yes, with member, public and volunteer prices | Yes, automatic and numbered | 2026-08-19 |
Which to pick
Free community events. Eventbrite costs nothing for free events and adds marketplace discovery. Zeffy is also free and adds donation forms and tax receipts if you want to ask for a gift at registration. If the attendees are your members and you need attendance, waitlists and reminders on a recurring program, Communal's programs and events module covers it.
Galas and charity fundraisers. Fees decide this one. Zeffy and Givebutter (tips on) take nothing from the ticket, at the cost of a tip prompt at checkout. RSVPify charges a per-ticket fee instead, and its seating charts suit galas. Eventbrite takes the most per ticket, but its marketplace can put your event in front of people outside your list. For auctions, look at Givebutter or Zeffy; Communal does not run them.
Member-priced programs. Communal, Wild Apricot and Neon CRM (Impact tier) all run events inside a membership database. Communal sets the price from each member's active membership and adds volunteer pricing, waitlists, attendance sheets and recurring sessions, priced by member count with volunteer and donor tools included. Wild Apricot is the pick if you also want the website builder. Neon CRM fits when the donor CRM is the center of gravity and events are secondary.
Conferences. Cvent is the enterprise answer for multi-day conferences with sessions, housing and on-site badging, priced by quote. Glue Up and the association management systems cover mid-size association conferences; for most community nonprofits, a conference is a one-off and Eventbrite or RSVPify is enough.
Questions to ask before you pick one
Ask these before you sign up, because a demo rarely shows where the work lands after launch:
- Do members get their price automatically, or do you hand out a promo code?
- Can a parent register the whole family in one checkout?
- Can each event ask its own questions and attach a waiver?
- Can one registration cover an event that repeats weekly?
- When an event fills, does a waitlist take over, and who hears when a spot opens?
- Can staff take attendance from the registration list on the night?
- Does each registration show on the person's record, next to their membership and donations?
- If you leave, can you export registrations and attendance?
Frequently asked questions
What is nonprofit event management software?
Software that takes registrations and payments for a nonprofit's events and tracks attendance afterward. What makes it nonprofit software is what it connects to: member pricing, donation receipts, and the member and donor records your staff already keep. Ticketing tools like Eventbrite handle the sale but keep no member records.
What is the best event management software for nonprofits?
It depends on what breaks first. Zeffy or Givebutter (tips on) if fees are eating your ticket revenue, RSVPify for galas with seating, Cvent for multi-day conferences, and Communal, Wild Apricot or Neon CRM if your events are for members and belong in the member database. The comparison table above shows how each one charges.
Is there free event management software for nonprofits?
Yes. Eventbrite is free for free events. Zeffy is free for paid events too, funded by an optional tip attendees see at checkout, and Givebutter is free with donor tips on. Before you use a free tool for member events, check whether it can price an event by membership status.
Which nonprofit event software connects events to memberships?
Communal, Wild Apricot and Neon CRM (Impact tier) run events inside a membership database. Communal sets each registrant's price from their active membership and adds volunteer pricing, waitlists and attendance sheets. Eventbrite, RSVPify and Cvent keep no member records.
What is the best software for a fundraising gala?
If your guests will accept a tip prompt, Zeffy or Givebutter (tips on) take no fee from the ticket, and both run auctions. If not, RSVPify has seating charts and charges a per-ticket fee instead. Bloomerang adds ticketing, QR check-in and table management inside a donor CRM.
Can I check people in at the door?
Eventbrite, RSVPify and Bloomerang scan QR codes at check-in, and Cvent sells on-site check-in as OnArrival. Communal has no ticket scanning; staff mark attendance on a phone or laptop from the registration list.
Do any of these tools issue tax receipts for event donations?
Zeffy, Givebutter, Neon CRM and Bloomerang issue receipts. Communal issues automatic numbered receipts with separate Canadian (CRA) and US templates, including for donations made with a registration. Eventbrite has a donation ticket type but no consolidated receipts; RSVPify and Cvent do not receipt donations.
The bottom line
Pick by what breaks first. Fees eating your events: go free (Zeffy, or Givebutter with tips on) and test the tip prompt on one low-stakes event. A registration form that embarrasses you at a gala: RSVPify. Events for members, with registrations, memberships, volunteers and donations in four places: Communal's nonprofit event registration software puts them in one database. A 2,000-person conference: talk to Cvent.
No tool runs the event for you, but the right one means fewer late-night messages about whether the confirmation emails went out.