[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":368},["ShallowReactive",2],{"compare-communal-vs-zeffy":3},{"_path":4,"_dir":5,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"title":8,"description":9,"h1":10,"a":11,"b":12,"verdict":13,"published":14,"modified":14,"faqs":15,"body":34,"_type":361,"_id":362,"_source":363,"_file":364,"_stem":365,"_extension":366,"sitemap":367},"/compare/communal-vs-zeffy","compare",false,"","Communal vs Zeffy (2026): Free Forms or Flat-Priced Membership Operations","Communal and Zeffy compared on the tip-funded free model, payment fees, memberships, events, volunteers, facility booking and tax receipts, with a plain answer on which one fits which nonprofit.","Communal vs Zeffy: when free is enough and when it is not","communal","zeffy","Zeffy ($0, funded by optional donor tips) wins for small US or Canadian nonprofits whose needs are donation forms, event tickets, raffles and simple memberships, and who accept a tip ask at every checkout. Communal ($75/mo flat to 250 members) wins when you run programs with waitlists, book courts or rooms, schedule volunteer shifts, or operate chapters, and want payments in your own Stripe account. Communal is the author's product.","2026-08-19",[16,19,22,25,28,31],{"question":17,"answer":18},"Is Zeffy really free?","Yes, to the nonprofit. Zeffy charges no subscription, no platform fee and no processing fee, and you receive 100% of each donation. It covers Stripe costs from an optional contribution shown to donors at checkout, which Zeffy says roughly 2 in 3 donors pay. It is available to US and Canadian nonprofits only. Communal charges $75/mo to 250 members plus a card-processing application fee, often about 2%.",{"question":20,"answer":21},"Does Zeffy do membership management?","Yes, at a basic level: membership forms with auto-renewal and free scannable digital membership cards emailed on signup. It does not have household memberships, resident vs non-resident pricing, member-only program prices, facility booking or volunteer shifts, which is where Communal's membership tooling is deeper.",{"question":23,"answer":24},"Does Communal charge fees on donations?","There is no platform fee on donations. Payments settle to your own Stripe Connect account with a card-processing application fee set in your agreement, often about 2%, no monthly minimums and weekly deposits. Donors can choose to cover the fee at checkout. Automatic numbered tax receipts use separate Canadian (CRA) and US templates.",{"question":26,"answer":27},"Can Zeffy schedule volunteers or book rooms?","No. Zeffy's own help center routes volunteer signups through its Event form type and recommends POINT or SignUpGenius for shifts; it has no facility or room booking. Communal includes volunteer opportunities, shifts, clock in/out hours and automatic volunteer discounts at $75/mo, and adds facility booking with approvals and invoices from +$50/mo.",{"question":29,"answer":30},"Which has better event and program registration?","Zeffy covers ticketed events, raffles, auctions and peer-to-peer pages well, all free. Communal's programs and events add-on (+$50/mo) is built for recurring sessions: parent programs with sessions, capacity, age gates, priority waitlists with auto backfill, attendance sheets, registration transfers and member, public and volunteer price tiers. Zeffy wins for one-off fundraising events; Communal wins for a season of classes.",{"question":32,"answer":33},"Can I move from Zeffy to Communal later?","Yes. Export members and donors from Zeffy to CSV, and Communal's importer maps fields, validates rows and runs a dry run before writing. Migration is free and scoped with you, there is no contract, and the 30-day trial needs no credit card.",{"type":35,"children":36,"toc":352},"root",[37,46,52,58,124,130,173,179,184,190,307,313,318],{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":40,"children":42},"element","h2",{"id":41},"the-short-version",[43],{"type":44,"value":45},"text","The short version",{"type":38,"tag":47,"props":48,"children":49},"p",{},[50],{"type":44,"value":51},"Zeffy costs you nothing and covers a surprising amount of fundraising ground. If your organization is a small charity that collects donations, sells event tickets and runs a simple membership, use it and keep the money. Communal costs $75/mo and earns that fee only if your week includes things Zeffy does not do: program sessions with waitlists, court and room bookings, volunteer shifts with hours, resident pricing, or a federation of chapters. The honest test is your calendar, not your budget.",{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":53,"children":55},{"id":54},"where-communal-wins",[56],{"type":44,"value":57},"Where Communal wins",{"type":38,"tag":59,"props":60,"children":61},"ul",{},[62,74,84,94,104,114],{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":64,"children":65},"li",{},[66,72],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":68,"children":69},"strong",{},[70],{"type":44,"value":71},"Programs built for seasons.",{"type":44,"value":73}," Parent programs with sessions, capacity, age gates, recurrence, priority waitlists with expiry and auto backfill, attendance sheets, pre-session reminders and registration transfers (+$50/mo). Zeffy's event form is built for tickets, not a 10-week class.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":75,"children":76},{},[77,82],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":78,"children":79},{},[80],{"type":44,"value":81},"Facility booking.",{"type":44,"value":83}," Bookable spaces with instant or request/approval booking, membership-gated slots, member-type pricing, recurring seasonal blocks, block-offs and booking-to-invoice, from +$50/mo. Zeffy has none.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":85,"children":86},{},[87,92],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":88,"children":89},{},[90],{"type":44,"value":91},"Volunteers with shifts and hours.",{"type":44,"value":93}," Opportunities, shifts, capacity, clock in/out, shift reminders and automatic volunteer discounts on programs, included. Zeffy's volunteer workaround uses the Event form and has no hours tracking.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":95,"children":96},{},[97,102],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":98,"children":99},{},[100],{"type":44,"value":101},"Membership depth.",{"type":44,"value":103}," Household memberships with dependents, resident vs non-resident plans by map boundary, fixed-date or anniversary renewals, Apple and Google Wallet passes, member directory, audiences and a portal in 11 locales.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":105,"children":106},{},[107,112],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":108,"children":109},{},[110],{"type":44,"value":111},"Your own Stripe account and POS.",{"type":44,"value":113}," Weekly deposits to your Stripe Connect account, CAD, USD, GBP and EUR, Canadian pre-authorized debit, and Stripe Terminal readers with Interac for in-person sales.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":115,"children":116},{},[117,122],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":118,"children":119},{},[120],{"type":44,"value":121},"No tip ask in front of your donors.",{"type":44,"value":123}," Donors see your form and an optional donor-covers-fees choice, not a contribution request for the software vendor.",{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":125,"children":127},{"id":126},"where-zeffy-wins",[128],{"type":44,"value":129},"Where Zeffy wins",{"type":38,"tag":59,"props":131,"children":132},{},[133,143,153,163],{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":134,"children":135},{},[136,141],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":137,"children":138},{},[139],{"type":44,"value":140},"Price.",{"type":44,"value":142}," $0 subscription, 0% platform fee, 0% processing fee to the nonprofit. Nothing paid matches that.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":144,"children":145},{},[146,151],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":147,"children":148},{},[149],{"type":44,"value":150},"Fundraising breadth.",{"type":44,"value":152}," Donation forms, ticketing, raffles, auctions, peer-to-peer pages, e-commerce and Tap to Pay in one free product. Communal does not do auctions or peer-to-peer.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":154,"children":155},{},[156,161],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":157,"children":158},{},[159],{"type":44,"value":160},"Free digital membership cards and tax receipts.",{"type":44,"value":162}," Branded scannable cards emailed on signup and automated receipts, at no cost.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":164,"children":165},{},[166,171],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":167,"children":168},{},[169],{"type":44,"value":170},"Integrations for the bookkeeper.",{"type":44,"value":172}," QuickBooks sync and Zapier. Communal exports CSV and XLSX with GL codes and has Zapier webhooks, but no QuickBooks connector.",{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":174,"children":176},{"id":175},"pricing-in-practice",[177],{"type":44,"value":178},"Pricing in practice",{"type":38,"tag":47,"props":180,"children":181},{},[182],{"type":44,"value":183},"On Zeffy the nonprofit pays nothing and the donor is asked for an optional tip at checkout. Your cost is indirect: some supporters dislike the ask, and you are limited to US and Canadian entities. On Communal a 250-member organization pays $75/mo ($900/yr) with volunteers, donations and POS included, $125/mo with programs, and from $175/mo with programs and 2 bookable spaces, plus a card fee often about 2% that donors can cover. If your only activity is fundraising, Zeffy's $0 wins outright. If you would otherwise pay a second vendor for registration, bookings or volunteer scheduling, Communal's flat price usually replaces that bill.",{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":185,"children":187},{"id":186},"who-should-pick-which",[188],{"type":44,"value":189},"Who should pick which",{"type":38,"tag":191,"props":192,"children":193},"table",{},[194,213],{"type":38,"tag":195,"props":196,"children":197},"thead",{},[198],{"type":38,"tag":199,"props":200,"children":201},"tr",{},[202,208],{"type":38,"tag":203,"props":204,"children":205},"th",{},[206],{"type":44,"value":207},"If you are...",{"type":38,"tag":203,"props":209,"children":210},{},[211],{"type":44,"value":212},"Lean towards",{"type":38,"tag":214,"props":215,"children":216},"tbody",{},[217,231,244,256,269,282,295],{"type":38,"tag":199,"props":218,"children":219},{},[220,226],{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":222,"children":223},"td",{},[224],{"type":44,"value":225},"A small charity running donation forms, galas, raffles or auctions",{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":227,"children":228},{},[229],{"type":44,"value":230},"Zeffy (free)",{"type":38,"tag":199,"props":232,"children":233},{},[234,239],{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":235,"children":236},{},[237],{"type":44,"value":238},"A nonprofit with a simple membership and no programs or spaces",{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":240,"children":241},{},[242],{"type":44,"value":243},"Zeffy",{"type":38,"tag":199,"props":245,"children":246},{},[247,252],{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":248,"children":249},{},[250],{"type":44,"value":251},"A group that needs peer-to-peer or team fundraising pages",{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":253,"children":254},{},[255],{"type":44,"value":243},{"type":38,"tag":199,"props":257,"children":258},{},[259,264],{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":260,"children":261},{},[262],{"type":44,"value":263},"A community league or association running seasonal programs",{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":265,"children":266},{},[267],{"type":44,"value":268},"Communal (programs +$50/mo)",{"type":38,"tag":199,"props":270,"children":271},{},[272,277],{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":273,"children":274},{},[275],{"type":44,"value":276},"A community or recreation center booking rooms and courts",{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":278,"children":279},{},[280],{"type":44,"value":281},"Communal (facilities from +$50/mo)",{"type":38,"tag":199,"props":283,"children":284},{},[285,290],{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":286,"children":287},{},[288],{"type":44,"value":289},"An organization scheduling volunteer shifts and tracking hours",{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":291,"children":292},{},[293],{"type":44,"value":294},"Communal",{"type":38,"tag":199,"props":296,"children":297},{},[298,303],{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":299,"children":300},{},[301],{"type":44,"value":302},"A federation of chapters, or a group outside the US and Canada",{"type":38,"tag":221,"props":304,"children":305},{},[306],{"type":44,"value":294},{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":308,"children":310},{"id":309},"switching-from-zeffy",[311],{"type":44,"value":312},"Switching from Zeffy",{"type":38,"tag":47,"props":314,"children":315},{},[316],{"type":44,"value":317},"Migration is free and scoped with you, there is no contract, and the 30-day trial needs no credit card, so the import can be tested before you commit.",{"type":38,"tag":319,"props":320,"children":321},"ol",{},[322,332,342],{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":323,"children":324},{},[325,330],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":326,"children":327},{},[328],{"type":44,"value":329},"Export from Zeffy.",{"type":44,"value":331}," Pull your contacts, membership records with renewal dates, and donation history with receipt numbers to CSV. Note which contacts are members and which are donors only.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":333,"children":334},{},[335,340],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":336,"children":337},{},[338],{"type":44,"value":339},"Map and dry-run the import.",{"type":44,"value":341}," Communal's CSV importer maps Zeffy columns to membership types and plans, custom profile fields and tags, validates every row and runs a dry run. Past memberships load as historical records.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":343,"children":344},{},[345,350],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":346,"children":347},{},[348],{"type":44,"value":349},"Go live.",{"type":44,"value":351}," Connect your Stripe account, rebuild donation forms with CRA or US receipt templates and a donor-covers-fees option, set renewal reminders and wallet cards, then add programs or facilities as needed. Keep Zeffy running in parallel until your first renewals clear.",{"title":7,"searchDepth":353,"depth":353,"links":354},2,[355,356,357,358,359,360],{"id":41,"depth":353,"text":45},{"id":54,"depth":353,"text":57},{"id":126,"depth":353,"text":129},{"id":175,"depth":353,"text":178},{"id":186,"depth":353,"text":189},{"id":309,"depth":353,"text":312},"markdown","content:compare:communal-vs-zeffy.md","content","compare/communal-vs-zeffy.md","compare/communal-vs-zeffy","md",{"loc":4},1787618718022]