MemberDrive vs. Zeffy
Is Zeffy really free? For your organization, yes. We're not going to pretend otherwise. The cost moves to two other places: your donors, who see a tip prompt at checkout, and your cash flow, because Zeffy decides when you get paid.
The honest comparison
Zeffy's model is clever: they charge nonprofits nothing and cover all credit card fees. Their revenue comes from an optional tip donors see at checkout. It works — 100,000+ nonprofits use them, and the platform is legitimately good.
So why consider MemberDrive?
Three reasons: what happens to your donors, who holds your money, and what features you get.
The Tip Prompt
Zeffy asks every donor for an optional "contribution" to Zeffy at checkout. The amount is pre-filled as a percentage of the gift. To give less, or nothing, the donor opens a dropdown and changes it. Zeffy says the suggested percentage goes down as the gift goes up, and that about 60% of donors leave a contribution, averaging about 4% of the gift. Independent reviews report pre-filled defaults of 15–17%, so a donor who leaves the default pays much more than the average. That's how Zeffy makes money, and it's how Zeffy can charge your organization nothing.
Three details from Zeffy's own documents matter here:
- You can't change the prompt. Zeffy's help center says the wording and suggested amounts "cannot be customized."
- You can't warn donors about it. Zeffy's nonprofit terms list "systematic warnings, custom disclaimers, or messaging designed to unfairly discourage donors from tipping" as prohibited conduct.
- Donors notice it later. Zeffy's help center has an article titled "Why was I charged extra?" that tells donors how to ask for the contribution back.
A donor who means to give $100 and leaves a 15% default pays $115. The extra $15 goes to Zeffy, a company, not to your organization, so it is not part of the tax-deductible gift. Their receipt says $100. Their card statement says $115. When they see that their gift cost more than they expected, they think of your organization, not Zeffy.
This isn't a deal-breaker for every organization. But for churches, classical schools, and mission-driven nonprofits that care deeply about the donor relationship and the integrity of every interaction, it's worth knowing.
MemberDrive's model: We charge 1% of every card or bank donation processed, and nothing on Bitcoin. No tip prompt, and nothing for MemberDrive at checkout. $100 donated means $99 to your mission (before standard Stripe processing fees), with no surprise at checkout.
What about "cover the fees"? MemberDrive does let donors cover the processing and platform fees. It's one checkbox, labeled "Cover estimated fees," that shows the exact amount. The money goes to your organization, not to us, and one click turns it off. It starts checked unless your organization turns that off in the campaign settings. Because the extra amount goes to your organization, it is part of the gift: a donor who gives $100 and covers about $5 in fees gets a receipt for the full amount, and the full amount is tax-deductible. A donor who doesn't cover fees can still deduct the full $100. The fees are your cost, not a reduction of their gift.
Who holds the money
Zeffy and MemberDrive both run on Stripe. The difference is who controls the Stripe account.
Zeffy: Zeffy creates a Stripe connected account for your organization and runs it for you through the Zeffy dashboard. Every payment goes through a 1–3 business day anti-fraud review. Then Zeffy pays out on its schedule: every Monday by default, or the first Monday of the month. Some organizations qualify for next-day payouts. A gift made on a Friday can miss Monday's payout and wait for the next one. Zeffy's terms also let it require a reserve from organizations with chargebacks. If an account closes with a balance, Zeffy can choose, "at its sole discretion," to pay it out or to refund the gifts to donors.
MemberDrive: you connect your own Stripe account. You log in to Stripe directly, you own the account, and you set the payout schedule in your Stripe dashboard. Gifts are charged on your account, and MemberDrive's 1% comes out as a Stripe application fee. MemberDrive cannot hold, delay, or redirect your payouts. If you leave, your Stripe account, your balance, and your payment history stay with you.
Stripe can still review or hold a payment, as it can for any business. The difference is that there is no second company between you and your money.
Pricing Comparison
| MemberDrive | Zeffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | 1% | 0% |
| Monthly fee | None | None |
| Credit card processing | Stripe standard (~2.9% + $0.30) | Covered by Zeffy |
| Donor tip prompt | ✗ | ✓Opt-out, pre-selected |
| Effective cost on $10K raised | ~$100 platform fee + processing | $0 to org (donors add ~$240 more, by Zeffy's own averages) |
| Payouts | Your Stripe schedule | Weekly by default, after a 1–3 day review |
Honest take: If donor-facing tip prompts don't concern you, Zeffy is the lower-cost option for your organization. If you care about what your donors experience — and many mission-driven organizations do — MemberDrive is the cleaner model.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | MemberDrive | Zeffy |
|---|---|---|
| Online donation forms | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recurring donations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Peer-to-peer / leaderboards | ✓ | ✓ |
| Matching gifts | ✓Full engine | ✓Sponsor matching |
| Pledge tracking | ✓Multi-year | ✗Not offered |
| Donor self-service portal | ✓ | ✓ |
| Member content / posts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bitcoin (non-custodial) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Your own Stripe account and payouts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Donor CRM | ✓ | ✓ |
| Event ticketing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Raffles & auctions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Online store / merch | ✗ | ✓ |
| In-person / Tap to Pay | ✗ | ✓ |
| Built-in email newsletter | ✓Posts emailed to subscribers | ✓ |
| No 501(c)(3) required | ✓ | ✓ |
Where Zeffy wins
We'll be direct: Zeffy has a broader feature set. If your organization runs events, sells tickets, or conducts raffles, Zeffy covers more ground than we do today. They also have significantly more social proof — 100,000+ nonprofits and $2B raised.
If breadth and zero stated fees are your primary criteria, Zeffy is a legitimate choice.
Where MemberDrive wins
Pledges. Multi-year pledge tracking isn't listed anywhere on Zeffy's platform. For churches and schools running building campaigns or endowment drives, pledges are essential — donors commit the full amount upfront, which counts toward your goal immediately, and pay over time.
No donor tip prompt. MemberDrive charges 1% directly. Donors see a clean checkout with no ask on our behalf.
Non-custodial model. Donations go directly to your own Stripe account, on your payout schedule. MemberDrive never holds your funds, and no second company sits between you and Stripe.
Bitcoin. Native on-chain Bitcoin support with non-custodial wallets. Zeffy has no crypto story.
Family-owned and independent. Zeffy is VC-backed and scaling fast toward an eventual exit or monetization shift. MemberDrive is independently operated. For mission-aligned organizations that value long-term stability and alignment over growth-at-all-costs, that identity matters.
Who should choose Zeffy
- →Organizations that run events, raffles, or auctions and need an all-in-one tool
- →Organizations comfortable with donor tip prompts
- →Organizations where absolute zero stated fees is the overriding priority
Who should choose MemberDrive
- →Churches, classical schools, and faith communities that prioritize a clean donor experience
- →Organizations running capital campaigns or multi-year pledge drives
- →Organizations that accept or want to accept Bitcoin
- →Organizations that want their funds non-custodially, direct to their own Stripe account
- →Organizations that value a founder-operated, independent platform
See MemberDrive for school fundraising · Online giving for churches
Clean pricing. Powerful tools. No donor surprises.
MemberDrive charges 1% on card and bank gifts and nothing on Bitcoin — that's it. No monthly fees, no tip prompts, no complicated tiers. Get started in minutes.
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