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Nonprofits · head to head

GiveSmart vs Instrumentl

GiveSmart logo

GiveSmart

Nonprofits

Mobile bidding and event fundraising for charity auctions and galas

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Instrumentl logo

Instrumentl

Nonprofits

Grant prospecting and pipeline tracking for nonprofits, priced per organisation with published tiers

From
$299/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: GiveSmart licensing is annual while many buyers run a single event a year, so the effective cost per event is far higher than the annual figure makes it look.; Instrumentl the funder database is built largely from IRS 990 filings, which are filed months to years after the grants they describe, so matches reflect what a funder did rather than what it is doing now.
  • They diverge on capability: GiveSmart covers Mobile bidding, Instrumentl covers Funder matching.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GiveSmart and Instrumentl actually diverge.

Attributes where GiveSmart and Instrumentl differ
AttributeGiveSmartInstrumentl
Starting priceOn request$299/month
Pricing modelquotePer organisation per month by seat band
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 GiveSmart

  • Mobile bidding
  • Auction management
  • Ticketing and check in
  • Text to give
  • Paddle raise and appeals
  • Payment settlement

Only in Instrumentl

  • Funder matching
  • 990-derived funder profiles
  • Pipeline and deadlines
  • AI application drafting
  • Post-award budget tracking
  • Team collaboration

What people use each for

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

GiveSmart

  • A hospital or school foundation running an annual gala with a live and silent auctionnot Instrumentl
  • An organisation losing revenue to uncollected pledges after event nightnot Instrumentl
  • A charity running several auction events a year that can amortise an annual licencenot Instrumentl
  • A team wanting bidding, check in and payment settlement handled by one system on the nightnot Instrumentl

Instrumentl

  • A development director building a grant pipeline for the coming year without hiring a prospect researchernot GiveSmart
  • A grants consultant running searches and deadline calendars for several nonprofit clients from one loginnot GiveSmart
  • A nonprofit that keeps missing report deadlines and needs award requirements on the same calendar as applicationsnot GiveSmart
  • Justifying a grants budget to a board with a documented pipeline and expected value rather than a list of hopesnot GiveSmart

Where each one falls short

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

GiveSmart

  • Licensing is annual while many buyers run a single event a year, so the effective cost per event is far higher than the annual figure makes it look.
  • Pricing is not published, and quotes commonly separate the licence, payment processing, hardware and event night staffing, so the first number a buyer sees is rarely the total.
  • On site technical support and equipment are usually extra, and organisations that decline them discover that event night is the worst possible time to be self supporting.
  • It is event software rather than a donor CRM, so guest and bidder data has to be pushed into the CRM afterwards or the relationship built at the gala is not retained.
  • Consolidation under Community Brands means several nominally competing products share an owner, which reduces the negotiating leverage a buyer thinks a shortlist gives them.

Instrumentl

  • The funder database is built largely from IRS 990 filings, which are filed months to years after the grants they describe, so matches reflect what a funder did rather than what it is doing now.
  • Coverage is strongly US-focused and weakest on federal and state government funding, so organisations whose income is mostly government contracts pay database prices for data they mostly cannot use.
  • Seat bands are hard limits, and a team of six on the five-seat Pre-Award tier must move to the 999 dollar tier, doubling cost for one extra person.
  • The annual discount requires paying twelve months up front, which is a real cash flow problem for the small nonprofits the entry tier targets.
  • AI drafting produces serviceable first drafts but funders increasingly screen for generic applications, so the time saved on writing tends to be spent on rewriting.

Pricing, plan by plan

GiveSmart

On request
  • GiveSmart$undefined/year
    • Quoted as an annual licence rather than per event
    • Payment processing charged separately on funds raised
    • On site staffing, hardware and additional event support quoted as add ons

Instrumentl

$299/month
  • Discover$299/month
    • Up to 3 users
    • Funder matching and search
    • Funder profiles from 990 data
  • Pre-Award$499/month
    • Up to 5 users
    • Everything in Discover
    • AI-assisted application drafting
  • Full Lifecycle$999/month
    • Up to 15 users
    • Everything in Pre-Award
    • Post-award budget and spend tracking
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Unlimited users
    • Multi-department administration
    • API access

Which should you pick?

Choose GiveSmart if

  • You need mobile bidding.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want auction management.
GiveSmart review

Choose Instrumentl if

  • You need funder matching.
  • You also want 990-derived funder profiles.
Instrumentl review

Questions people ask

Is GiveSmart or Instrumentl better?
Neither clearly leads. GiveSmart starts at On request and Instrumentl at $299/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GiveSmart or Instrumentl?
GiveSmart starts at On request and Instrumentl at $299/month.
Does GiveSmart or Instrumentl run on more platforms?
GiveSmart runs on Web, iOS, Android. Instrumentl runs on Web.
What is GiveSmart best used for?
GiveSmart is most often used for a hospital or school foundation running an annual gala with a live and silent auction, an organisation losing revenue to uncollected pledges after event night, a charity running several auction events a year that can amortise an annual licence, a team wanting bidding, check in and payment settlement handled by one system on the night. Of those, a hospital or school foundation running an annual gala with a live and silent auction and an organisation losing revenue to uncollected pledges after event night are not what Instrumentl is typically brought in for.
What can GiveSmart do that Instrumentl cannot?
GiveSmart covers Mobile bidding, Auction management, Ticketing and check in, Text to give. Instrumentl covers Funder matching, 990-derived funder profiles, Pipeline and deadlines, AI application drafting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GiveSmart: Is GiveSmart priced per event?

It is normally an annual licence, so organisations running one event a year carry the full cost against one night.

Instrumentl: Does Instrumentl publish pricing?

Yes, which is rare in this sector. Discover is 299 USD a month annually, Pre-Award 499 and Full Lifecycle 999, with monthly billing about 16 percent higher.

GiveSmart: Who owns GiveSmart?

Community Brands, the private equity backed nonprofit and association software group that also owns MemberClicks.

Instrumentl: Is there a free trial?

Yes, a time-limited trial is offered, and it is worth using to test coverage of your specific cause area before committing.

GiveSmart: Does it replace our donor database?

No. It captures bidders and guests at an event and needs to feed a CRM afterwards.

Instrumentl: Does it cover government grants?

Some federal opportunities are included, but the database is strongest on private and community foundation funding. Grants.gov remains the primary source for federal.

GiveSmart: What is the actual benefit over paper bid sheets?

Bidding continues across the room and payment settles before guests leave, which is where paper auctions lose money.

Instrumentl: Is there a nonprofit discount?

No. Every customer is a nonprofit, so the published price is the price.

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