MemberDrive vs. Zeffy
Zeffy is genuinely free for your organization. We're not going to pretend otherwise. The real question is: what happens to your donors at checkout?
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?
Two reasons: what happens to your donors, and what features you get.
The Tip Prompt
Zeffy asks donors to leave an optional tip when they give. The default tip amount is pre-selected. Most donors leave it. That's how Zeffy makes money — and it's a reasonable trade for the nonprofit getting zero fees.
But consider what that means in practice. Every donor who gives to your organization sees a prompt asking them to also give to Zeffy. The amount isn't small — review data suggests typical tips run 10–15% of the donation amount. A donor who intends to give $100 may end up giving $115 to complete the transaction.
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% off every donation processed. No tip prompt. No ask made of your donors. $100 donated means $99 to your mission (before standard Stripe processing fees), with no surprise at checkout.
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 may tip ~$1,000–1,500) |
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 | ✗Not offered |
| Pledge tracking | ✓Multi-year | ✗Not offered |
| Donor self-service portal | ✓ | ✗Not prominently listed |
| Member content / posts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bitcoin (non-custodial) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Non-custodial funds | ✓ | ✗ |
| Donor CRM | ✓ | ✓ |
| Event ticketing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Raffles & auctions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Online store / merch | ✗ | ✓ |
| In-person / Tap to Pay | ✗ | ✓ |
| Built-in email newsletter | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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, conducts raffles, or needs a built-in email newsletter, 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
Matching gifts. Zeffy doesn't offer matching gift campaigns. MemberDrive has a full engine: lead donor sets a multiplier and time window, progress tracks publicly in real time, and we automatically generate the lead donor invoice when the window closes. For capital campaigns and annual fund drives, this is a significant fundraising lever.
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 additional ask.
Non-custodial model. Donations go directly to your Stripe account — MemberDrive never holds your funds. No platform freeze risk, no waiting on payouts, no middleman.
Bitcoin. Native on-chain Bitcoin and Lightning 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 that need a built-in email/newsletter tool
- →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, pledge drives, or matching gift programs
- →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
Clean pricing. Powerful tools. No donor surprises.
MemberDrive charges 1% — that's it. No monthly fees, no tip prompts, no complicated tiers. Get started in minutes.
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