MemberDrive vs. Funraise
Funraise and MemberDrive are both aimed at small and mid-sized nonprofits. The difference is pricing, focus, and what features you can access without paying more.
A note on names
Funraise (funraise.org) and Fundraise Up (fundraiseup.com) are completely different companies with confusingly similar names. This page compares MemberDrive with Funraise. See our separate comparison for Fundraise Up →.
The honest comparison
Funraise is a serious, feature-rich platform — donation forms, peer-to-peer, events, auctions, virtual events, AI-powered ask amounts, and a real CRM with wealth screening. They've built more breadth than most platforms in this comparison.
Their commercial model is where things get complicated. The free tier carries a 5% platform fee, and Funraise's processing costs 2.9% + $0.60 per gift, twice the fixed fee Stripe charges. Peer-to-peer fundraising — one of their signature strengths — is locked behind the custom-quote Premium plan.
MemberDrive charges 1% flat on card and bank gifts, and nothing on Bitcoin. Peer-to-peer is included. There are no paid tiers.
Pricing Comparison
| MemberDrive | Funraise Free | Funraise Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | 1% | 5% | 0%–3% (custom quote) |
| Monthly fee | None | $0 | Custom (contact sales) |
| Fixed fee per gift | $0.30 (Stripe) | $0.60 | $0.60 |
| Card processing | Stripe: 2.2%–2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.60 | 2.9% + $0.60 |
| Annual cost on $25K raised | ~$250 + processing | ~$1,250 + processing | Custom pricing + 0–3% platform fee + processing |
| Annual cost on $100K raised | ~$1,000 + processing | ~$5,000 + processing | Custom pricing + 0–3% platform fee + processing |
At 5%, Funraise's free tier is the highest platform fee in our entire competitive set. MemberDrive's platform fee is one-fifth of Funraise Free's. Their counter-argument: ~90% of Funraise donors cover fees, so the effective cost to the organization drops dramatically. That's a meaningful claim — and one we can't independently verify. Worth asking them for the methodology.
Note on the $0.60 fixed fee: On small recurring donations, the fixed fee adds up. A $20 monthly gift pays $7.20 a year in fixed fees on Funraise, against $3.60 with Stripe on MemberDrive — before percentage fees.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | MemberDrive | Funraise |
|---|---|---|
| Online donation forms | ✓ | ✓ AI-powered |
| Recurring donations | ✓ | ✓ With upsell prompts |
| Peer-to-peer / leaderboards | ✓ Included | ◐ Premium plan only (custom quote) |
| Matching gifts | ✓ Native lead-donor engine | ◐ Via Double the Donation (employer-match) |
| Pledge tracking | ✓ Multi-year | ✗ Not prominent |
| Memberships | ✓ | ✗ Not core |
| Donor self-service portal | ✓ | ✓ |
| Member CRM | ✓ Basic | ✓ Full — with wealth screening |
| Member content / posts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Email newsletter | ✓ Double opt-in | ◐ Via automation, not standalone |
| Bitcoin (non-custodial) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Gifts go to your own Stripe account | ✓ | ✗ |
| Event ticketing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Auctions | ✗ | ✓ Silent auction with SMS bidding |
| Virtual events / livestream | ✗ | ✓ |
| Text-to-give | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI-suggested donation amounts | ✗ | ✓ |
| Salesforce / QuickBooks integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
| No 501(c)(3) required | ✓ | ◐ Primarily for nonprofits |
| Family-owned / independent | ✓ | ✗ |
◐ = partial support
Where Funraise wins
Funraise has built genuine product depth. Their CRM has real capabilities — wealth screening, dynamic donor lists, task management, and LYBUNT/SYBUNT reporting that serious fundraising teams rely on. Their event platform (ticketing, silent auctions, virtual events with embedded livestreams) covers ground we don't touch. Text-to-give and an AI-powered ask amount engine round out a feature set that meaningfully exceeds ours in breadth.
Their P2P platform (on the Premium plan) also has a strong reputation — they claim peer-to-peer fundraisers on their platform raise 2× the industry average, which, if accurate, is a real differentiator for walk/run/ride campaigns.
Where MemberDrive wins
Price — at every tier. Funraise Free's 5% is the highest platform fee in this comparison set. Even on Funraise Premium (custom-quoted, 0%–3% platform fee), MemberDrive's flat 1% is competitive or cheaper across most giving volumes. The 90% donor-coverage claim is their best rebuttal — but it's self-reported and worth scrutinizing before you stake your org's fundraising economics on it.
No feature gating. Funraise puts peer-to-peer behind the custom-quoted Premium plan. MemberDrive includes it from day one. There's no tier to upgrade into.
Pledge tracking. Not a Funraise feature. For churches, schools, and nonprofits running capital campaigns with multi-year donor commitments, this is a genuine gap.
Native matching gifts (lead-donor model). Funraise's matching gift integration is employer-match via Double the Donation — useful but a different product than our lead-donor multiplier. Our model lets a major donor commit a match, set a multiplier and time window, and watch real-time progress toward closure. Capital campaigns need this.
Half the fixed fee per gift. Stripe charges $0.30 per gift on MemberDrive. Funraise's processing charges $0.60, which adds up on small recurring donations.
Bitcoin. Funraise has no crypto story. MemberDrive offers native, non-custodial Bitcoin support.
Pricing transparency. Funraise's Premium plan lists a 0%–3% platform fee range but requires a sales call for actual pricing. MemberDrive is 1%, published, with no quote required.
Who should choose
Who should choose Funraise
- →Organizations that need wealth screening, advanced CRM, and donor automation
- →Organizations running events, silent auctions, or virtual fundraisers
- →Organizations with active walk/run/ride P2P campaigns willing to pay for the custom-quoted Premium plan
- →Organizations that want text-to-give or AI-powered ask amounts
Who should choose MemberDrive
- →Organizations where cost clarity matters — 1% vs. 5%, and half the fixed fee on every recurring gift
- →Organizations running capital campaigns with multi-year pledges
- →Organizations that need peer-to-peer without a custom-quoted gating fee
- →Organizations that want Bitcoin (non-custodially)
- →Faith communities, classical schools, and mission-driven organizations that want simple, independent software without a feature upgrade ladder
1% platform fee. No feature gating. Half the fixed fee per gift.
MemberDrive includes peer-to-peer fundraising, matching gifts, pledges, and Bitcoin at 1% — with no monthly fee and no paid tier to unlock core features.
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