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Nonprofits · head to head

CharityEngine vs Facebook Fundraisers

CharityEngine logo

CharityEngine

Nonprofits

Nonprofit CRM with its own in-house payment processing rather than a third-party gateway

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Facebook Fundraisers logo

Facebook Fundraisers

Nonprofits

Integrated fundraising on Facebook

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Facebook Fundraisers has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CharityEngine payment processing rates are negotiated and never published, so the total cost cannot be compared to a licence-only CRM without getting a quote and modelling your own volume in basis points.; Facebook Fundraisers no donor email collection unless donor explicitly opts in, limiting donor stewardship and relationship-building
  • They diverge on capability: CharityEngine covers In-house payment processing, Facebook Fundraisers covers Campaign creation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CharityEngine and Facebook Fundraisers actually diverge.

Attributes where CharityEngine and Facebook Fundraisers differ
AttributeCharityEngineFacebook Fundraisers
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2004

Identical on both: 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 CharityEngine

  • In-house payment processing
  • Recurring giving recovery
  • Direct mail segmentation
  • Peer-to-peer and events
  • Advocacy and membership
  • Marketing automation

Only in Facebook Fundraisers

  • Campaign creation
  • Donation collection
  • Social sharing
  • Donation tracking
  • Team fundraising
  • Facebook Pages
  • Instagram
  • Messenger

What people use each for

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

CharityEngine

  • A nonprofit processing high recurring gift volume that wants card updater and dunning built into the CRM rather than bought separatelynot Facebook Fundraisers
  • Replacing a stack of a CRM, an email tool and a separate donation gateway with one contract and one reconciliationnot Facebook Fundraisers
  • A direct mail heavy organisation that needs offline gift entry and mail file segmentation as first-class features, not add-onsnot Facebook Fundraisers
  • An organisation whose finance team wants a single settlement file that already reconciles to donor recordsnot Facebook Fundraisers

Facebook Fundraisers

  • Business operationsnot CharityEngine
  • Productivitynot CharityEngine
  • Automationnot CharityEngine

Where each one falls short

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

CharityEngine

  • Payment processing rates are negotiated and never published, so the total cost cannot be compared to a licence-only CRM without getting a quote and modelling your own volume in basis points.
  • Because the vendor is both the software provider and the merchant processor, switching CRM also means re-papering merchant services and re-tokenising every recurring donor, which is a far larger project than a normal migration.
  • Subscription pricing is quote-only and reported entry points come from third parties rather than the vendor, so small organisations often discover the floor is well above what they budgeted.
  • The interface is dense and configuration-heavy, and organisations without a dedicated database administrator tend to use a fraction of what they pay for.
  • Implementation and data migration are billed on top of the subscription and are commonly the largest first-year line item, which is easy to miss when comparing monthly figures.

Facebook Fundraisers

  • No donor email collection unless donor explicitly opts in, limiting donor stewardship and relationship-building
  • Slow payouts of 15-45 days for enrolled nonprofits, up to 90 days for unenrolled organizations
  • No recurring giving option after discontinuation in 2023, limiting lifetime donor value
  • Limited customization and branding control compared to dedicated fundraising platforms
  • Not available in European Economic Area countries as of July 1, 2024

Pricing, plan by plan

CharityEngine

On request
  • CharityEngine$undefined/year
    • Donor CRM and gift processing
    • In-house payment processing at a negotiated rate
    • Email, SMS and direct mail tools

Facebook Fundraisers

Free
  • Standard$undefined/mo
    • Donation collection
    • Birthday fundraisers
    • Matching donations on Instagram

Which should you pick?

Choose CharityEngine if

  • You need in-house payment processing.
  • You also want recurring giving recovery.
CharityEngine review

Choose Facebook Fundraisers if

  • You need campaign creation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want donation collection.
Facebook Fundraisers review

Questions people ask

Is CharityEngine or Facebook Fundraisers better?
Neither clearly leads. CharityEngine starts at On request and Facebook Fundraisers at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CharityEngine or Facebook Fundraisers?
Facebook Fundraisers has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CharityEngine and Free for Facebook Fundraisers.
Does CharityEngine or Facebook Fundraisers run on more platforms?
CharityEngine runs on Web. Facebook Fundraisers runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Facebook Fundraisers for free?
Yes. Facebook Fundraisers has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CharityEngine starts at On request.
What is CharityEngine best used for?
CharityEngine is most often used for a nonprofit processing high recurring gift volume that wants card updater and dunning built into the crm rather than bought separately, replacing a stack of a crm, an email tool and a separate donation gateway with one contract and one reconciliation, a direct mail heavy organisation that needs offline gift entry and mail file segmentation as first-class features, not add-ons, an organisation whose finance team wants a single settlement file that already reconciles to donor records. Of those, a nonprofit processing high recurring gift volume that wants card updater and dunning built into the crm rather than bought separately and replacing a stack of a crm, an email tool and a separate donation gateway with one contract and one reconciliation are not what Facebook Fundraisers is typically brought in for.
What can CharityEngine do that Facebook Fundraisers cannot?
CharityEngine covers In-house payment processing, Recurring giving recovery, Direct mail segmentation, Peer-to-peer and events. Facebook Fundraisers covers Campaign creation, Donation collection, Social sharing, Donation tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CharityEngine: Does CharityEngine publish pricing?

No. Both the subscription and the payment processing rate are quoted. Third-party sites report a starter tier around 550 US dollars a month, but the vendor does not confirm this.

Facebook Fundraisers: Are there any fees for Facebook Fundraisers for nonprofits?

Meta covers payment processing fees for 501(c)(3) nonprofits in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. However, PayPal Giving Fund, which processes all donations, applies 1.99% + $0.49 per donation in the US. For eligible nonprofits, Meta covers these fees, so the nonprofit keeps 100% of donations.

Source
CharityEngine: Is the payment processing optional?

In practice no. The processing is the product. Using an external gateway removes most of what distinguishes CharityEngine from cheaper CRMs.

Facebook Fundraisers: When will I receive my donations?

Enrolled nonprofits receive donations within 15-45 days. Unenrolled organizations wait up to 90 days. Payouts go through PayPal Giving Fund.

Source
CharityEngine: Is there a nonprofit discount?

Every customer is a nonprofit, so there is no separate discount; pricing is tiered by contact count and gift volume instead.

Facebook Fundraisers: Can I collect donor email addresses?

No. Facebook only provides the donor's name and donation amount unless the donor explicitly opts in to share their email during the donation process.

Source
CharityEngine: How long is the contract?

Annual terms are standard, and multi-year commitments are used to buy down the rate.

Facebook Fundraisers: Does Facebook Fundraisers support recurring monthly donations?

No. Native recurring giving was discontinued in October 2023. Donors can only make one-time contributions.

Source
Facebook Fundraisers: What platforms can I use to fundraise on?

Facebook Fundraisers are available on Facebook Pages, Instagram, and WhatsApp for verified 501(c)(3) nonprofits in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Donors can contribute via donation buttons on posts, stories, live streams, and matching donation features on Instagram.

Source
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