CharityEngine vs. Fundraise Up

Comparing CharityEngine and Fundraise Up isn’t comparing apples to apples. While they are both fundraising platforms designed to help nonprofits manage donations and improve donor engagement, that’s where the similarities end.

Fundraise Up appeals to nonprofits primarily concerned with online donations, or forms. The company offers fast giving with AI-optimized ask amounts and opportunities to upgrade donors. It is integrated with Stripe for payment processing. Nonprofits also appreciate the absence of lengthy contracts and the low cost of getting started.

It’s important to understand that Fundraise Up is not a CRM and does not include donor management. If your nonprofit is building or has a donor base, you must integrate with a CRM.

CharityEngine is different. It’s a complete fundraising platform and CRM with all core tools, including payment processing, built into the system. Your data stays in one central place, allowing you a 360-degree view of all donor interactions in real time. 

CharityEngine also offers SustainerIQ, a specialized billing technology built for nonprofits. No one else offers this, which means only CharityEngine clients retain almost 100% of their sustained-giving fundraising dollars. Everyone else loses at least 15% due to failed payments…including nonprofits relying on Fundraise Up and Stripe.

But which is best for your nonprofit? Here are some comparison points to consider.

Fundraise Up Pros

• AI-Powered Donation Optimization: Fundraise Up leans on artificial intelligence to right-size ask amounts and flag opportunities to upsell donors.
• Fast Giving Options: Streamlined donation processes facilitate quick and easy payment paths for donors.
• Ease of Use: Fundraise Up offers a simple user interface and a short learning curve.

Fundraise Up Cons

• Cost-per-Donation Fee Model: While low fees seem like a great deal to smaller nonprofits, the way the cost is structured can become a big barrier as donations increase.
• Limited Depth with CRM Integrations: While the platform’s ability to integrate with CRMs might feel flexible, users report limited customization abilities and a lack of depth in integrations compared to a dedicated fundraising CRM.
• Focus on Forms: Fundraise Up is primarily tailored to online donations, so it lacks features for managing offline or in-person fundraising activities like events. 

Feature Highlights 

Best For	Sophisticated fundraisers who want a comprehensive fundraising platform to help them scale.	Small to medium-sized nonprofits focused solely on online giving.
Pricing	$$ to $$$$	$ to $$$$ (the more you raise, the higher the cost)
Differentiators	A complete fundraising platform that puts all your data in one place.	Focused on online giving.
CRM & Donor Management
Membership Management	Yes	No
Major Gift Management	Yes	No
Donor Pipelines	Yes	No
Sustainer Management	Yes	Yes
SustainerIQ - Subscription Billing Technology	Yes	No
Fundraising
Custom Donation Forms	Yes	Limited
Payment Processing	Yes	Yes, via Stripe
Multichannel Marketing
Advanced Email  Automation	Yes	Limited
Text-to-Give	Yes	No
Direct Mail	Yes	Limited
Multichannel Attribution  Tracking (including DRTV)	Yes	No
CMS	Yes	No
Events & Volunteers
Event Management	Yes	No
Volunteer Management	Yes	No
Auctions	Yes	No
Peer-to-Peer	Yes	Yes
Reporting & Analytics
Out-of-the-Box Reports	Yes (200+)	Yes
Custom Dashboards	Yes	Limited
Query Builder	Yes	No
Other
Multi-Organization &  Chapter Management	Yes	Limited
Case Management	Yes	No
Shopping Cart/Online Store	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.”	“Fundraise Up is very easy for staff with minimal IT knowledge to learn and use quickly.”
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.”	“One of the main challenges we've encountered is with some of the out-of-the-box features. Although these features are generally well-designed, we've found that they often have limited ability for customization. This can be frustrating when we're trying to tailor the platform to better fit our specific needs and branding requirements.”

*Customer quotes from G2

The Best Fundraising Software for Your Nonprofit

Because CharityEngine and Fundraise Up are so different, it’s likely that you will quickly identify the right software for your nonprofit. Fundraise Up might be the best solution if you’re a smaller organization primarily focused on online giving.

If you’re a growing nonprofit that wants data and tools in one place, and you want to leverage built-in tools for comprehensive multichannel campaigns, CharityEngine might work well for you. And if it's donation forms you're looking for, we offer conversion rates that beat industry averages.

If you have a sustainer program, CharityEngine will undoubtedly help you retain fundraising dollars you cannot capture using another platform.

To choose the best system for your nonprofit, think about your goals and how you intend to achieve them. Perhaps a comprehensive platform will power your fundraising efforts, or perhaps a more singular focus on online giving will help. Either way, you are now armed with the knowledge you need to make an educated decision about your fundraising future.