Selecting the ideal CRM solution for your nonprofit can be complex, considering the array of options available. This task is further complicated by the choice between specialized nonprofit solutions and general CRM platforms like HubSpot, which some nonprofits might consider during their search.
HubSpot is a powerful CRM with strong marketing, sales, and CMS tools, known for its user-friendly interface. If your nonprofit operates like a for-profit and fundraising isn’t a primary focus, HubSpot may be a good fit. CharityEngine, on the other hand, is designed specifically for nonprofits, providing a comprehensive fundraising platform with powerful tools to help engage donors and raise more.
We encourage nonprofits to evaluate their unique needs and find the best-fitting technology. To that end, this article compares HubSpot and CharityEngine, highlighting key differences and HubSpot's pros and cons.
HubSpot Pros
- Ease of Use: HubSpot is widely recognized for its intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it easy for teams to learn and use without extensive training.
- Robust Marketing and Sales Tools: HubSpot offers robust marketing, sales, and CMS tools, providing organizations with advanced features for outreach and engagement.
HubSpot Cons
- Not Designed for Nonprofits: Built for businesses, HubSpot's features, functionality, and terminology are tailored to commercial needs, not the specific requirements of nonprofits.
- Fundraising Limitations: HubSpot does not provide essential tools for nonprofit fundraising, such as gift processing, moves management, or ready-to-use fundraising reports and donation forms. Organizations often must retrofit the platform to meet their fundraising needs.
- Pricing: HubSpot can be expensive for nonprofits, with additional features often requiring costly upgrades that can quickly add up.
Feature Highlights
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| Best For | Sophisticated fundraisers who want a comprehensive fundraising platform to help them scale. | Nonprofits where fundraising isn’t a primary focus. |
| Pricing | $$ to $$$$ | $$ to $$$$ |
| Differentiators | A complete fundraising platform that puts all your data in one place. | User-friendly CRM with robust marketing, sales, and CMS functionality. |
| CRM & Donor Management | ||
| Membership Management | Yes | No |
| Major Gift Management | Yes | No |
| Donor Pipelines | Yes | Yes (Deal Pipelines) |
| Sustainer Management | Yes | No |
| SustainerIQ - Subscription Billing Technology | Yes | Limited |
| Fundraising | ||
| Custom Donation Forms | Yes | Limited |
| Payment Processing | Yes | Yes |
| Multichannel Marketing | ||
| Advanced Email Automation | Yes | Yes |
| Text-to-Give | Yes | Yes |
| Direct Mail | Yes | No |
| Multichannel Attribution Tracking (including DRTV) | Yes | Yes |
| CMS | Yes | Yes |
| Events & Volunteers | ||
| Event Management | Yes | No |
| Volunteer Management | Yes | No |
| Auctions | Yes | No |
| Peer-to-Peer | Yes | No |
| Reporting & Analytics | ||
| Out-of-the-Box Reports | Yes (90+) | Not Fundraising Specific |
| Custom Dashboards | Yes | Yes |
| Query Builder | Yes | Yes |
| Other | ||
| Multi-Organization & Chapter Management | Yes | No |
| Case Management | Yes | Yes |
| Shopping Cart | Yes | No |
| Grant Management | Yes | No |
| 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.” | "HubSpot Sales has really transformed our nonprofit's sales and customer engagement. Our staff members have the tools and resources now to work smarter, not harder.” |
| 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.” | “Not great data reports from sequences compared to other platforms I have used in the past. I would like to see better data analysis and to be able to export sequence lists with data.” |
*Reviews from G2
Here’s a list of questions you can ask vendors to dive into some features that might matter to your nonprofit:
- Is your payment processing in-house or outsourced?
- What are your payment processing fees?
- Which fundraising modules are native, and which are accomplished through integrations? If more of your data stays in one system, it's easier and faster to leverage and mine it.
- You have text-to-give capabilities, but do you offer blast texting?
- What does your support look like? Is there a help center, a dedicated account manager, or an online academy?
- Are you PCI-certified or compliant? Are you SOC 2 certified or compliant?
- Do you offer advanced fraud protection?
Your CRM is more than software. When selected carefully, it’s the engine that runs your nonprofit. Shop around, consider the ROI over the cost, and don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to determine the best fit for your nonprofit.
If you’ve seen anything that makes you think CharityEngine might be a good fit, give us a ring, and we can show you the software in action.
