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Nonprofits · head to head

GiveSmart vs Virtuous

GiveSmart logo

GiveSmart

Nonprofits

Mobile bidding and event fundraising for charity auctions and galas

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Virtuous logo

Virtuous

Nonprofits

CRM designed for faith-based and mission-driven organizations

From
On request
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.; Virtuous the pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no cost driver for any product; every tier says Request Pricing
  • They diverge on capability: GiveSmart covers Mobile bidding, Virtuous covers Donor management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GiveSmart and Virtuous actually diverge.

Attributes where GiveSmart and Virtuous differ
AttributeGiveSmartVirtuous
Pricing modelquotesubscription
FoundedUnknown2013

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 Virtuous

  • Donor management
  • Volunteer tracking
  • Giving analysis
  • Ministry management
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Mailchimp
  • 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 Virtuous
  • An organisation losing revenue to uncollected pledges after event nightnot Virtuous
  • A charity running several auction events a year that can amortise an annual licencenot Virtuous
  • A team wanting bidding, check in and payment settlement handled by one system on the nightnot Virtuous

Virtuous

  • Donor management and pipeline tracking for mid-sized and large nonprofitsnot GiveSmart
  • Marketing automation and supporter journeys tied to giving datanot GiveSmart
  • Online donation forms and giving pages connected to the CRMnot 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.

Virtuous

  • The pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no cost driver for any product; every tier says Request Pricing
  • Tier eligibility is set by the nonprofit's own annual fundraising revenue, with a $5 million threshold separating Platform from Enterprise
  • CRM+, Raise, Insights, Analytics, Volunteer and Momentum are packaged as separate products, each with its own Request Pricing button
  • Momentum, the AI fundraising agent, is sold separately from the CRM rather than included

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

Virtuous

On request
  • Starter$99/month
    • Donor management
    • Volunteer tracking
  • Advanced$199/month
    • Giving analysis
    • Ministry management
    • Email campaigns

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 Virtuous if

  • You need donor management.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want volunteer tracking.
Virtuous review

Questions people ask

Is GiveSmart or Virtuous better?
Neither clearly leads. GiveSmart starts at On request and Virtuous at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GiveSmart or Virtuous?
GiveSmart starts at On request and Virtuous at On request.
Does GiveSmart or Virtuous run on more platforms?
GiveSmart runs on Web, iOS, Android. Virtuous runs on Web, IOS, Android.
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 Virtuous is typically brought in for.
What can GiveSmart do that Virtuous cannot?
GiveSmart covers Mobile bidding, Auction management, Ticketing and check in, Text to give. Virtuous covers Donor management, Volunteer tracking, Giving analysis, Ministry management.

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.

Virtuous: How are Virtuous tiers defined?

Virtuous offers a Platform Tier for nonprofits with fundraising revenue up to $5 million annually and an Enterprise Tier for organizations over $5 million. Specific pricing requires a demo request.

Source
GiveSmart: Who owns GiveSmart?

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

Virtuous: What products are included in Virtuous?

Virtuous offers CRM+, Raise (donation forms and pages), Momentum (AI-powered donor outreach), Insights (donor segmentation), Analytics (business intelligence), and Volunteer (recruitment and scheduling).

Source
GiveSmart: Does it replace our donor database?

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

Virtuous: How do I get a Virtuous pricing quote?

Virtuous does not publish pricing online. Visit their pricing page to request pricing or schedule a demo with their sales team.

Source
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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