CharityEngine vs. Bloomerang (Updated)

If you're looking for a nonprofit fundraising CRM, you'll likely come across Bloomerang, a well-regarded name in the nonprofit sector. 

Bloomerang provides a user-friendly donor management solution tailored for small to mid-sized nonprofits. In contrast, CharityEngine offers a comprehensive fundraising platform designed to help any nonprofit scale their growth. 

Whether you want to boost fundraising or streamline operations, both CharityEngine and Bloomerang are strong choices. However, this article explores the key advantages and disadvantages of Bloomerang and provides a detailed feature comparison with CharityEngine, helping you understand how each platform aligns with your needs. 

Bloomerang Pros

• Ease of Use: Bloomerang is known for its intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface, simplifying donor management and reducing users' learning curve.

• Brand Recognition: Bloomerang is well-known in the nonprofit sector, serving over 23,000 organizations. Its involvement in industry conferences, events, and partnerships enhances its visibility and brand recognition among nonprofit professionals.

• Affordability: Bloomerang aims to offer a cost-effective solution that provides essential donor management features. 

Bloomerang Cons  

• Oversimplification and Limited Functionality: Bloomerang’s focus on simplicity often comes at the expense of essential functionality. For instance, its event management tool lacks key features such as promo codes and scheduled ticket pricing.

• Limited Customization: Bloomerang offers limited customization options. For example, forms have limited custom fields, and surveys cannot be modified.

• Data Syncs Required: Bloomerang relies on third-party products and integration patches with its core CRM, which often requires data syncing. For example, its volunteer management tool requires manual syncing of constituent and volunteer information.

Feature Highlights 

Best For	Sophisticated fundraisers who want a comprehensive fundraising platform to help them scale.	Smaller nonprofits focused on donor management.
Pricing	$$ to $$$$	$ to $$$
Differentiators	A complete fundraising platform that puts all your data in one place.	Donor management software that is easy to use
CRM & Donor Management
Membership Management	Yes	Yes
Major Gift Management	Yes	Limited
Donor Pipelines	Yes	No
Sustainer Management	Yes	Yes
SustainerIQ - Subscription Billing Technology	Yes	No
Fundraising
Custom Donation Forms	Yes	Limited
Payment Processing	Yes	Third-party integration with Stripe
Multichannel Marketing
Advanced Email   Automation	Yes	Yes
Text-to-Give	Yes	Yes
Direct Mail	Yes	Yes
Multichannel Attribution  Tracking (including DRTV)	Yes	No
CMS	Yes	No
Events & Volunteers
Event Management	Yes	Yes
Volunteer Management	Yes	Yes (Integrated)
Auctions	Yes	Third-party integration  (Qgiv)
Peer-to-Peer	Yes	Third-party integration (Qgiv)
Reporting & Analytics
Out-of-the-Box Reports	Yes (90+)	Yes (20+)
Custom Dashboards	Yes	Yes
Query Builder	Yes	Yes
Other
Multi-Organization &   Chapter Management	Yes	No
Case Management	Yes	No
Shopping Cart	Yes	No
Grant Management	Yes	Yes
Advocacy	Yes	No
Open API	Yes	Yes
Customers Say*
Pros	“The ability to generate custom reports and create custom dashboards allows us to easily compile relevant data and reports to share with our staff in a way that is easy for them to access and understand. Overall, CharityEngine makes it easy to streamline our work and lightens the workload of both our frequent and in-frequent CharityEngine users.”	"I like that Bloomerang has a very short learning curve: you do not need to have a member of your staff dedicated to learning the platform as you do with other CRMs like Salesforce.”
Cons	“As expected with a product as robust as CharityEngine, training new employees on the software can take some time. That said, their Client Services team is always available to help out when needed.”	“There are limitations in dashboard views and reporting. The dashboard cannot be customized per user, which is unfortunate. Their integrations with other platforms are iffy. I've used several and have continued issues with them.”

*Customer quotes from G2

Choosing the right CRM for your nonprofit depends on your organization’s needs and goals. Bloomerang stands out for its user-friendly design, strong brand recognition, and affordability, making it a solid choice for smaller nonprofits focused on essential donor management. However, its limited functionality, customization options, and data syncing requirements may be a drawback for organizations needing more advanced features. 

On the other hand, CharityEngine offers a comprehensive, unified platform that supports sophisticated fundraising strategies and is well-suited for organizations aiming to scale their operations. Its extensive features, including advanced reporting, multichannel marketing, and built-in fundraising tools, make it a scalable solution.  

Both platforms have strengths, so evaluating your nonprofit’s requirements will help you determine which CRM best aligns with your objectives.