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Nonprofits · head to head

GiveSmart vs Salesforce for Nonprofits

GiveSmart logo

GiveSmart

Nonprofits

Mobile bidding and event fundraising for charity auctions and galas

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Salesforce for Nonprofits logo

Salesforce for Nonprofits

Nonprofits

Enterprise CRM for nonprofit organizations

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Salesforce for Nonprofits has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Salesforce for Nonprofits the Power of Us free grant covers only 10 Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud or Sales/Service Cloud licences; every licence beyond that is paid
  • They diverge on capability: GiveSmart covers Mobile bidding, Salesforce for Nonprofits covers Donor management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GiveSmart and Salesforce for Nonprofits actually diverge.

Attributes where GiveSmart and Salesforce for Nonprofits differ
AttributeGiveSmartSalesforce for Nonprofits
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
FoundedUnknown1999

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 Salesforce for Nonprofits

  • Donor management
  • Campaign tracking
  • Volunteer management
  • Program tracking
  • Advanced reporting
  • Stripe
  • Google Analytics
  • Slack

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 Salesforce for Nonprofits
  • An organisation losing revenue to uncollected pledges after event nightnot Salesforce for Nonprofits
  • A charity running several auction events a year that can amortise an annual licencenot Salesforce for Nonprofits
  • A team wanting bidding, check in and payment settlement handled by one system on the nightnot Salesforce for Nonprofits

Salesforce for Nonprofits

  • Nonprofit constituent CRM covering fundraising, programs, outcomes and volunteersnot GiveSmart
  • Consolidating donor, grant and program data on the Salesforce platformnot 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.

Salesforce for Nonprofits

  • The Power of Us free grant covers only 10 Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud or Sales/Service Cloud licences; every licence beyond that is paid
  • Nonprofit Cloud Enterprise is $60 per user per month billed annually and Nonprofit Cloud Unlimited is $100 per user per month billed annually
  • The free licences require passing Salesforce eligibility criteria for the Power of Us program
  • Most Salesforce products are sold on annual contracts
  • Some products must scale together when you add or upgrade, which requires going through an Account Executive

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

Salesforce for Nonprofits

Free
  • Nonprofit CloudFree
    • Donor management
    • Campaign tracking
    • Volunteer management
  • Professional$150/month
    • Advanced reporting
    • API integrations
    • Customization

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 Salesforce for Nonprofits if

  • You need donor management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want campaign tracking.
Salesforce for Nonprofits review

Questions people ask

Is GiveSmart or Salesforce for Nonprofits better?
Neither clearly leads. GiveSmart starts at On request and Salesforce for Nonprofits at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GiveSmart or Salesforce for Nonprofits?
Salesforce for Nonprofits has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for GiveSmart and Free for Salesforce for Nonprofits.
Does GiveSmart or Salesforce for Nonprofits run on more platforms?
GiveSmart runs on Web, iOS, Android. Salesforce for Nonprofits runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use Salesforce for Nonprofits for free?
Yes. Salesforce for Nonprofits has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GiveSmart starts at On request.
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 Salesforce for Nonprofits is typically brought in for.
What can GiveSmart do that Salesforce for Nonprofits cannot?
GiveSmart covers Mobile bidding, Auction management, Ticketing and check in, Text to give. Salesforce for Nonprofits covers Donor management, Campaign tracking, Volunteer management, Program tracking.

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.

GiveSmart: Who owns GiveSmart?

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

GiveSmart: Does it replace our donor database?

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

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.

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Related pages

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