Nonprofit software: 25+ best tools for your organization
Fulfilling your purpose is the reason your nonprofit exists, but doing so often comes with a variety of challenges. To overcome these challenges and work as efficiently and effectively as possible, your organization needs to invest in the right tools.
Specialized nonprofit software helps organizations like yours launch programs, raise funds, manage day-to-day tasks, and make an impact in your community. In this guide, we’ll look at 25 of the best nonprofit software platforms and how they can help your organization advance its purpose:
- EveryAction: best all-in-one nonprofit software
- Salsa: top nonprofit software for small and mid-sized organizations
- Mobilize: best nonprofit software for volunteer management
- GiveGab: top nonprofit software for giving days
- NGP VAN: top organizational software for electoral activism
- ActionKit: best nonprofit software for online organizing
- CyberGrants: top nonprofit software for corporate philanthropy
- Social Solutions: best nonprofit software for case management
- Network for Good: best nonprofit software for auction events
- Direct Mail Processors: top nonprofit software for direct mail marketing
- WealthEngine: best nonprofit software for wealth screening
- DonorSearch: top nonprofit software for donor prospecting
- Boardable: best nonprofit software for board relations
- Foundation Directory by Candid: top nonprofit software for grant seeking
- GuideStar by Candid: top nonprofit software for ensuring transparency
- BallotReady: top organizational software for voter education
- Sage Intacct: best nonprofit software for accounting
- TargetSmart: top nonprofit software for personalized communication
- PayPal: best nonprofit software for mobile payment processing
- Vidyard: best nonprofit software for creative donation acknowledgments
- Doodle: top nonprofit software for scheduling meetings
- Google Chat: best nonprofit software for internal communications
- Google Analytics: top nonprofit software for website data tracking
- Asana: best nonprofit software for project management
- Twitch: top nonprofit software for livestreaming
With support from the right nonprofit software, you can increase your staff’s bandwidth. Especially in small to mid-sized organizations, nonprofit staff often have to juggle a wide range of responsibilities. Software can help you streamline your operations, freeing up your staff’s time and letting them focus on what matters. Let’s get started.
1. EveryAction: best all-in-one nonprofit software
We at EveryAction are proud to offer a purpose-built, unified solution serving a variety of nonprofit software functions. Our all-in-one system includes volunteer management capabilities, digital communication features, predictive analytics tools, a unified CRM, and more. Combining these tools makes nonprofits’ work more efficient—after all, engaging more supporters across more communication channels through more programs shouldn’t require more work.
2. Salsa: top nonprofit software for small and mid-sized organizations
SalsaLabs’ SmartEngagement Technology combines donor management and nonprofit engagement software to provide a customer-driven solution that can be particularly helpful for small and mid-sized organizations. The Salsa Engage platform delivers nonprofit fundraising, advocacy, event management, and marketing automation tools. By also investing in Salsa CRM, data from Salsa Engage can easily be stored in one place.
3. Mobilize: best nonprofit software for volunteer management
Mobilize helps nonprofits, advocacy groups, and other mission-driven organizations efficiently manage events and recruit volunteers to support their cause. Organizations that use Mobilize to power supporter engagement increase their volunteer signups, streamline operations, and bring in more donations from their supporter network.
4. GiveGab: top nonprofit software for giving days
GiveGab offers the best digital solution for running giving days. With features such as crowdfunding tools, peer-to-peer fundraising, online donation forms, and a community giving website builder, the platform extends nonprofits’ fundraising potential to support their year-round efforts. Thousands of nonprofits use GiveGab to raise awareness, engage with their supporters, and bring in revenue for their cause.
5. NGP VAN: top organizational software for electoral activism
NGP VAN is the leading technology provider to Democratic and progressive campaigns, in addition to serving nonprofits and advocacy groups with integrated fundraising, compliance reporting, organizing, supporter engagement, and social networking features. NGP VAN has not only been the preferred platform for nearly all Democratic presidential and congressional campaigns, but it has also powered thousands of state and local initiatives.
6. ActionKit: best nonprofit software for online organizing
ActionKit offers tools to nonprofits and other progressive organizations to empower them in online organizing, advocacy, and fundraising. ActionKit’s easy-to-use, flexible platform allows organizations to launch digital petitions, raise funds, alert supporters about actions they can take, and customize the software to fit their unique needs.
7. CyberGrants: top nonprofit software for corporate philanthropy
CyberGrants provides a top-of-the-line solution to power corporate social responsibility efforts. This philanthropy software allows companies to respond quickly to emerging needs, put resources into the hands of nonprofits, and have the tools to efficiently fund the causes their employees care about. By supporting grants management, employee giving, and team volunteering, CyberGrants allows some of the world’s most generous companies to deliver maximum impact.
8. Social Solutions: best nonprofit software for case management
Social Solutions is the leading cloud-based software provider for public sector and nonprofit social service organizations. When organizations collect, organize, and interpret their data using the right technology, service providers can better understand and communicate their impact. Through their case management and effort-to-outcomes platforms, Social Solutions provides support at every step of the way.
9. Network for Good: best nonprofit software for auction events
Network for Good helps nonprofits plan and run events to raise more for your cause. In particular, Network for Good allows event managers and fundraisers to seamlessly manage silent auctions, live auctions, and online auctions, creating the best possible experience for participants in these popular events.
10. Direct Mail Processors: top nonprofit software for direct mail marketing
Direct Mail Processors manages nonprofits’ direct mail outreach by combining customer-focused service with advanced technology to deliver solutions specific to each organization’s needs. While many nonprofits focus on growing their digital marketing methods, direct mail plays an important role in an omni-channel fundraising strategy by increasing donations and building stronger donor relationships.
11. WealthEngine: best nonprofit software for wealth screening
WealthEngine helps streamline nonprofits’ major giving programs by delivering insights to find top giving prospects. This online and mobile wealth screening tool gives fundraisers detailed information about an individual’s capacity to make a major gift based on their net income, stock holdings, assets, and other wealth indicators.
12. DonorSearch: top nonprofit software for donor prospecting
While wealth screening tools focus on donors’ ability to give, DonorSearch’s prospect research database allows your nonprofit to connect giving capacity with affinity for your cause. Your organization’s major gifts officer can expand your prospect list with a philanthropy-focused database, predict giving capacity using secure data, and connect with donors to secure major contributions for your nonprofit.
13. Boardable: best nonprofit software for board relations
Boardable helps nonprofits make the most of their boards by running more streamlined and effective meetings. Nonprofit boards of directors are not only critical to operations, but they’re also an important resource for fundraising, advocacy, and program decisions. Boardable’s purpose is to increase board member engagement with a software platform that serves those who serve their communities.
14. Foundation Directory by Candid: top nonprofit software for grant seeking
Foundation Directory helps nonprofit fundraisers find the right foundations and grantmakers to support your organization, making you more likely to secure more grants and make a stronger impact. Put Candid’s extraordinary database and fundraising expertise to work for your nonprofit, and find information on more than 240,000 grantmakers, even those that don’t have public websites but might still want to invest in your cause.
15. GuideStar by Candid: top nonprofit software for ensuring transparency
Claiming and updating your nonprofit’s profile on GuideStar by Candid provides a trusted way to amplify your voice and demonstrate your impact transparently. Transparency is an important aspect of nonprofit management that helps build trust with supporters and grantmakers, allowing your nonprofit to create long-term relationships that can lead to securing necessary funding for your cause.
16. BallotReady: top organizational software for voter education
For groups doing advocacy and political organizing work, BallotReady allows you to educate supporters across every state about voting issues that matter for your cause. You can help supporters check their registrations, research every name and measure on their ballot, and make a plan to vote to allow their voices to be heard.
17. Sage Intacct: best nonprofit software for accounting
Sage Intacct offers nonprofits timely financial reporting, intuitive dashboards, and data visualization in a cloud-based system. Efficient and trustworthy nonprofit accounting is critical for filing tax forms correctly, ensuring transparency with stakeholders, and budgeting for projects and programs that advance your purpose.
18. TargetSmart: top nonprofit software for personalized communication
TargetSmart can help your nonprofit educate and mobilize supporters by targeting communications to the right individuals quickly and accurately. Their solutions provide a way to identify and activate the most receptive potential supporters, so you can increase membership numbers, recruit volunteers, and educate advocates for your cause.
19. PayPal: best nonprofit software for mobile payment processing
PayPal offers a quick and secure option for online and mobile giving. Offering PayPal as a choice on your online donation page allows donors more flexibility when they give. Plus, if you want to collect donations through a fundraising flyer or during an event, you can create a PayPal-specific QR code to provide an easy-to-use, cashless option for donors.
20. Vidyard: best nonprofit software for creative donation acknowledgments
Vidyard allows nonprofits and other organizations to go above and beyond standard thank-you emails when showing gratitude to donors. With Vidyard, your nonprofit can easily record personalized videos as creative donation acknowledgments. When donors know their gifts are valued, they’re more likely to stay involved with your organization long-term.
21. Doodle: top nonprofit software for scheduling meetings
Doodle helps nonprofits plan meetings with staff and outside stakeholders more efficiently by easily finding the best opportunities for everyone to meet. Automated reminders, streamlined meeting updates, and integrations with major calendar systems like Outlook and Google mean you can spend less time scheduling meetings and more time preparing for them.
22. Google Chat: best nonprofit software for internal communications
Formerly known as Google Hangouts, Google Chat is an instant messaging tool that nonprofits often use for internal communication. Email isn’t the best channel for every situation, especially when it comes to communicating quickly with your staff. Google Chat is useful for asking quick questions of coworkers and collaborating on projects when writing and reading long email chains isn’t necessary.
23. Google Analytics: top nonprofit software for website data tracking
Google Analytics can help you make the most of a vital resource: your nonprofit website. Your website is the main hub of information about your organization and a place where supporters can take actions like donating or signing up to volunteer. Google Analytics helps you understand how your site works and what impression users get from it. The dashboards can provide insight into where your website traffic is coming from, how long supporters stay on your site, and which pages are visited most to let you know what is working and what could be improved.
24. Asana: best nonprofit software for project management
Asana can help nonprofits manage a wide range of projects by tracking which steps in the process are being completed and by whom. Using Asana’s reporting features, automations, and multiple project views, your staff can streamline logistical tasks and focus on the creative work that furthers your purpose.
25. Twitch: top nonprofit software for livestreaming
Used by nonprofits, for-profits, and individuals alike, Twitch is a platform designed specifically for livestreaming. As hybrid events and virtual giving campaigns have grown in popularity, livestreaming has become essential for many organizations. Twitch provides the ability to easily go live at any time, so you can have conversations with your supporters whenever they’re most active and build stronger relationships with them over your cause.
Wrapping up
With support from the right nonprofit software, your organization can make the most of limited resources and advance your purpose. Do your research, weigh your options, and invest in the solutions that would be most beneficial for your nonprofit long-term.
