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Nonprofits · head to head

Canva for Nonprofits vs Give Lively

Canva for Nonprofits logo

Canva for Nonprofits

Nonprofits

Design tool for nonprofit marketing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Give Lively logo

Give Lively

Nonprofits

Fundraising software given free to nonprofits, funded by its founders rather than by fees

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Canva for Nonprofits free access covers up to 50 users; further seats are charged at 50 percent of Canva Enterprise pricing; Give Lively eligibility is limited to US 501(c)(3) organisations, so charities registered in the UK, Canada, Australia or the EU cannot use it at all regardless of fit.
  • They diverge on capability: Canva for Nonprofits covers Design templates, Give Lively covers Branded donation pages.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Canva for Nonprofits and Give Lively actually diverge.

Attributes where Canva for Nonprofits and Give Lively differ
AttributeCanva for NonprofitsGive Lively
Pricing modelfreemiumFree to nonprofits, card processing charged by the processor
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofits).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Canva for Nonprofits

  • Design templates
  • Drag-and-drop editor
  • Stock images
  • Brand kit
  • Team collaboration
  • Google Drive
  • Dropbox
  • Slack

Only in Give Lively

  • Branded donation pages
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising
  • Text-to-donate
  • Event ticketing
  • Donor database
  • DAFpay
  • Multiple processors

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Canva for Nonprofits

  • Design work for a registered charity at no costnot Give Lively
  • Team collaboration on branded materials across up to 50 usersnot Give Lively
  • Access to Canva Pro premium photo, video and graphics librariesnot Give Lively
  • Brand kit management for consistent nonprofit communicationsnot Give Lively

Give Lively

  • A US nonprofit currently paying a percentage platform fee on every gift and wanting that money back in programme budgetnot Canva for Nonprofits
  • Running a peer-to-peer campaign where thin margins make a per-donation platform cut painfulnot Canva for Nonprofits
  • A small organisation with no software budget that still needs branded, mobile-ready donation pagesnot Canva for Nonprofits
  • Adding donor advised fund giving at checkout without paying for a separate DAF integrationnot Canva for Nonprofits

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Canva for Nonprofits

  • Free access covers up to 50 users; further seats are charged at 50 percent of Canva Enterprise pricing
  • Government agencies, political groups, educational institutions and grant-making foundations are all excluded
  • Most 501(c) categories other than 501(c)(3) do not qualify
  • Eligibility requires registered charitable status and country-specific documentation

Give Lively

  • Eligibility is limited to US 501(c)(3) organisations, so charities registered in the UK, Canada, Australia or the EU cannot use it at all regardless of fit.
  • The platform is funded by its founders' personal philanthropy rather than by revenue, so there is no contractual commitment to a roadmap or a service level and no paying customer base to keep it alive if that funding stops.
  • Support is email based with no paid escalation tier, so an organisation mid-campaign with a broken form has no way to buy faster attention.
  • The donor database is adequate for gift tracking but thin compared with a real CRM, so most organisations still pay for Bloomerang, DonorPerfect or Salesforce alongside it and maintain a sync.
  • Optional donor tips appear at checkout to fund the platform, which some boards object to because it puts a second ask in front of a donor who has already decided what to give.

Pricing, plan by plan

Canva for Nonprofits

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Design templates
    • Basic elements
  • Canva Pro Nonprofit$1/month
    • Premium templates
    • Brand kit
    • Team collaboration

Give Lively

Free
  • Give LivelyFree
    • All fundraising products included
    • No platform fee on donations
    • No setup or subscription charge

Which should you pick?

Choose Canva for Nonprofits if

  • You need design templates.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want drag-and-drop editor.
Canva for Nonprofits review

Choose Give Lively if

  • You need branded donation pages.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want peer-to-peer fundraising.
Give Lively review

Questions people ask

Is Canva for Nonprofits or Give Lively better?
Neither clearly leads. Canva for Nonprofits starts at Free and Give Lively at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Canva for Nonprofits or Give Lively?
Canva for Nonprofits starts at Free and Give Lively at Free.
Does Canva for Nonprofits or Give Lively run on more platforms?
Canva for Nonprofits runs on Web, IOS, Android. Give Lively runs on Web.
Can I use Canva for Nonprofits for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Canva for Nonprofits best used for?
Canva for Nonprofits is most often used for design work for a registered charity at no cost, team collaboration on branded materials across up to 50 users, access to canva pro premium photo, video and graphics libraries, brand kit management for consistent nonprofit communications. Of those, design work for a registered charity at no cost and team collaboration on branded materials across up to 50 users are not what Give Lively is typically brought in for.
What can Canva for Nonprofits do that Give Lively cannot?
Canva for Nonprofits covers Design templates, Drag-and-drop editor, Stock images, Brand kit. Give Lively covers Branded donation pages, Peer-to-peer fundraising, Text-to-donate, Event ticketing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Give Lively: Is it genuinely free, or free with a percentage taken?

Genuinely free. Give Lively takes no cut of donations and charges no subscription. You pay only the card processing fee, which goes to Stripe, Shift4 or PayPal, starting around 1.99% plus $0.25.

Give Lively: How does the company make money?

It does not, in the ordinary sense. Operating costs are covered by its founders as a philanthropic commitment, plus voluntary tips donors can add at checkout.

Give Lively: Can a UK or Canadian charity use it?

No. Give Lively requires US 501(c)(3) status.

Give Lively: Does it replace a donor CRM?

Not for most organisations. It stores donors and gift history, but fundraisers running major gift or grant pipelines usually keep a dedicated CRM and sync to it.

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