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Nonprofits · head to head

CharityEngine vs Microsoft Nonprofit Program

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
Microsoft Nonprofit Program logo

Microsoft Nonprofit Program

Nonprofits

Free Microsoft tools for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Nonprofit Program 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.; Microsoft Nonprofit Program schools, universities, government agencies, banks, insurers, professional associations, sports bodies and political and labour groups are all ineligible
  • They diverge on capability: CharityEngine covers In-house payment processing, Microsoft Nonprofit Program covers Office Suite.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CharityEngine and Microsoft Nonprofit Program actually diverge.

Attributes where CharityEngine and Microsoft Nonprofit Program differ
AttributeCharityEngineMicrosoft Nonprofit Program
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, IOS, Android, Desktop
FoundedUnknown1975

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 Microsoft Nonprofit Program

  • Office Suite
  • Cloud storage
  • Email and collaboration
  • Analytics
  • CRM
  • Data analytics
  • Teams
  • SharePoint

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 Microsoft Nonprofit Program
  • Replacing a stack of a CRM, an email tool and a separate donation gateway with one contract and one reconciliationnot Microsoft Nonprofit Program
  • A direct mail heavy organisation that needs offline gift entry and mail file segmentation as first-class features, not add-onsnot Microsoft Nonprofit Program
  • An organisation whose finance team wants a single settlement file that already reconciles to donor recordsnot Microsoft Nonprofit Program

Microsoft Nonprofit Program

  • Nonprofit organization technology needsnot CharityEngine
  • Educational institutionsnot CharityEngine
  • Charitable organizationsnot CharityEngine
  • Eligible 501(c)(3) organizationsnot 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.

Microsoft Nonprofit Program

  • Schools, universities, government agencies, banks, insurers, professional associations, sports bodies and political and labour groups are all ineligible
  • Free granted licences cover paid employees and unpaid executive staff only; volunteers and temporary staff get discounts rather than grants
  • Organisations must keep at least 85 percent of granted licences actively used
  • Licence counts vary by country and a group of organisations can hold only one grant account

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

Microsoft Nonprofit Program

Free
  • Nonprofit ProgramFree
    • Office 365
    • Azure
    • Dynamics 365

Which should you pick?

Choose CharityEngine if

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

Choose Microsoft Nonprofit Program if

  • You need office suite.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android, Desktop.
  • You also want cloud storage.
Microsoft Nonprofit Program review

Questions people ask

Is CharityEngine or Microsoft Nonprofit Program better?
Neither clearly leads. CharityEngine starts at On request and Microsoft Nonprofit Program at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CharityEngine or Microsoft Nonprofit Program?
Microsoft Nonprofit Program has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CharityEngine and Free for Microsoft Nonprofit Program.
Does CharityEngine or Microsoft Nonprofit Program run on more platforms?
CharityEngine runs on Web. Microsoft Nonprofit Program runs on Web, IOS, Android, Desktop.
Can I use Microsoft Nonprofit Program for free?
Yes. Microsoft Nonprofit Program 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 Microsoft Nonprofit Program is typically brought in for.
What can CharityEngine do that Microsoft Nonprofit Program cannot?
CharityEngine covers In-house payment processing, Recurring giving recovery, Direct mail segmentation, Peer-to-peer and events. Microsoft Nonprofit Program covers Office Suite, Cloud storage, Email and collaboration, Analytics.

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.

Microsoft Nonprofit Program: How much does Microsoft 365 cost for nonprofits?

Microsoft offers 75% discount on Microsoft 365 Business Premium for eligible nonprofits, with exact pricing depending on organization verification. Additional nonprofit discounts include 15% on Microsoft 365 Copilot and 60% on Dynamics 365 Business Central.

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.

Microsoft Nonprofit Program: What Azure benefits do nonprofits receive?

Eligible nonprofits receive $2,000 USD in annual Azure services credits with access to the complete Azure product portfolio. Exact annual allocation depends on nonprofit verification and registration status.

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.

Microsoft Nonprofit Program: How do I verify my organization is eligible for nonprofit discounts?

Organizations must register through Microsoft's nonprofit portal and confirm eligibility to access published discounts. Nonprofits typically include 501(c)(3) organizations and other government-recognized charitable entities, requiring verification before accessing discount rates.

Source
CharityEngine: How long is the contract?

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

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