Discover the key differences between WeGive and Classy, two top fundraising platforms. Compare features, pricing, and support to find the best fit for your nonprofit's needs.
If your nonprofit is looking to change fundraising platforms, you know this decision is important—and you want to get it right. You want to use your resources wisely and make it easy for donors to give, so your mission can thrive.
We want to help you make an informed choice. With so many options out there, it’s good to understand the key differences between platforms. This article will help you in your decision to find the one that fits your nonprofit’s needs best.
In this blog, we’ll compare WeGive and Classy to help you decide which one is the best fit for your nonprofit.
Both WeGive and Classy are tools designed to work with your existing CRM to enhance your fundraising efforts, but they do have different focuses.
Classy, owned by GoFundMe, centers on digital fundraising. It’s designed to engage donors with a smooth and shareable online giving process.
WeGive focuses on creating meaningful, ongoing relationships with donors. It's intent is to go beyond providing a great donation experience by helping donors see the impact of their gifts. With personalized donor portals and communication tools that connect directly to donor data, WeGive encourages repeat donations and lasting support.
WeGive is also friendly to faith-based nonprofits. It works with multiple payment processors, protecting your funding if you face challenges related to your organization’s beliefs.
Both platforms offer features like customizable giving pages and peer-to-peer fundraising tools. However, But WeGive stands out with more advanced checkout options. This flexibility is great for nonprofits with unique branding, needing custom object fields, or those who often A/B test ways to improve giving.
WeGive also lets repeat donors check out with just one click, boosting conversions. It syncs donor data directly with your CRM for faster, easier giving (and donor communication, if you use their engagement tools). These two features involve the newest technology and are unique to WeGive.
When it comes to new donors, Classy's conversion rates are comparable to WeGive's. Organizations that rely heavily on recurring donors may find WeGive's CRM integration particularly beneficial, since returning donors are recognized without needing to login, and can more easily make gifts, update contact info, and engage with the nonprofit.
Both WeGive and Classy allow embedded donation forms, so donors stay on your website. This helps keep donors connected to your brand, not the fundraising platform, and is a high-quality experience.
Both Classy and WeGive offer the options of using their payment processing, or using third-party payment processors like Stripe. They both offer modern payment options.
If you choose Classy, you have two options for payment processing:
If you choose WeGive, you’ll also have two options for processing:
Classy offers a “donor dashboard” where supporters can manage their online giving history, adjust recurring plans, and access receipts. It provides a basic set of self-serve tools for donors. When donors support multiple organizations that use Classy, they see information from all of those organizations when they log in.
WeGive's “donor portal”, however, offers a much more personalized and branded experience, so the donor feels they are engaging directly with your nonprofit when they log in. WeGive's donor portal is a key feature of their platform that they have clearly invested in.
Some of the unique features of the donor portal include:
- Dozens of customized engagement features nonprofits can add or remove as desired
- A household view of both online and offline gifts
- Impact stories related to the campaigns they support.
This personalized approach can help donors feel more connected to the causes they support, enhancing their overall experience and loyalty.
Classy offers a couple of features to enhance donor engagement and communication, but the product does not center on providing these tools. Their focus is on creating visually appealing campaigns that are easy for donors to share. It's peer-to-peer tools are strong.
Donor communication and engagement are somewhat limited to pre-set automations, which may lack a more personalized touch, and nonprofits will need to use Classy alongside other tools to communicate effectively with their donors.
WeGive, on the other hand, focuses it's platform primarily on the donor experience, and it has included robust communication tools within its platform. The benefit of this for nonprofits is being able to communicate with donors in more meaningful ways like integrating personalized messaging, automated handwritten notes, and regular updates on the impact of their contributions, all without having to sort through data from another system.
WeGive’s platform emphasizes maintaining long-term donor relationships through direct, ongoing engagement, and seamless interaction. This level of personalization could be especially appealing to faith-based nonprofits looking to build strong, lasting donor connections, though the platform is designed to serve all types of organizations.
WeGive’s commitment to personalized communication may appeal more to nonprofits seeking deeper, more consistent donor relationships.
Fundraising platform costs can be complex, and Classy and WeGive are no exception. They both use structures with various fees that depend on the plan and usage. Below is an overview. It's essential to consult directly with each company for a tailored quote based on your nonprofit's needs.
Classy (pricing page here)
Classy does not offer transparent pricing on their website, but their pricing structure is similar to many fundraising platforms in that it consists of:
Annual subscription fee + Monthly platform fees + transaction fees + CRM integration fee
Note: Classy does utilize multi-year contracts, which is a commitment that nonprofits should be aware of.
WeGive (pricing page here)
WeGive's pricing page is transparent yet complex. This can make it helpful when comparing quotes, but you will also want to get a personalized quote. Their pricing structure consists of:
One-time setup fee + Monthly Platform Fees + transaction fees + engagement credits (optional)
Note: Give does not require long-term contracts, offering flexibility for nonprofits.
“Engagement credits” are usage fees for its optional marketing automation tools (email, text, & handwritten notes). Nonprofits may be able to eliminate other tools by wrapping their communications into WeGive with at-cost, wholesale pricing on those optional features.
Classy is known for being a fairly productized platform, meaning that if your organization's needs align well with its design, it can be a quick and simple solution to implement. However, this also means that it may lack the customization and flexibility needed for some nonprofits, especially larger ones. Additionally, some users have reported issues with CRM integrations, which could be a drawback for organizations relying heavily on its CRM.
Classy also offers Classy Academy, which has a large amount of courses, live trainings, and written content related to helping users succeed on its platform.
WeGive offers a broader range of customizable features, which can mean that onboarding time can vary based on a nonprofit's needs. Smaller orgs who want to use the platform "out of the box" can implement quickly. WeGive offers robust support during the onboarding process. This includes assistance with data migration and access to a customer service team, which can be critical for nonprofits navigating the complexities of setting up a new fundraising platform. However, WeGive’s self-serve customer support content is currently less robust than Classy’s.
When evaluating WeGive vs. Classy, the decision ultimately hinges on the specific needs of your nonprofit. If your primary focus is on providing a straightforward digital giving tools and you don't need customization, Classy may be the right choice. It offers a solid set of tools for to help donors give donors digitally and share campaigns with others.
On the other hand, if your organization prioritizes a personalization-at-scale approach to donor engagement and seeks to enhance the overall donor experience, WeGive presents a more comprehensive solution. It's unique features include a one-click checkout, robust donor portal, the most affordable payment processing options, and a bi-directional CRM sync that effectively manages duplicate donor records and offline data. This synchronization helps save significant time and ensures your donor information remains accurate and up-to-date.
Ultimately, nonprofits should evaluate not just the number of features offered by each platform but also how well those features align with their goals. Whether focusing on digital fundraising efficiency or maximizing donor impact, choosing the right platform involves considering which option best supports your mission and long-term objectives.
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