Give Lively vs Donately:
Which is better for small nonprofits
Looking for a Give Lively alternative? Donately gives growing nonprofits the customization, control, and support they need—without the limits of a one-size-fits-all “free forever” platform. *
When Donately wins and when Give Lively might
Every platform has its sweet spot. Here’s when Donately makes the most sense and when Give Lively might be the better fit based on your fundraising needs and team setup.
When “free forever” isn’t fully custom
Many platforms offer “free forever,” but often limit how much you can truly customize. From branding restrictions to rigid designs, the trade-offs can add up.
“Free forever.”
But the reality? You still pay payment processing fees, and options like branding, deep integrations, or donor journeys are limited.
Donately says: Transparent pricing. Full customization. Real support.
“We don’t charge nonprofits.”
But the reality? Tools are limited in flexibility and control. Setup support is self-serve, and integrations are light.
Donately says: We give you every tool, plus human guidance when you need it.
“Tipping helps cover our costs.”
But the reality? That puts cost decisions on the donor—and may affect trust.
Donately says: No manditory tips. Just tools that convert—with costs you control.
Donately vs Give Lively:
feature comparison
Fundraising platforms can look similar—until you dig in. From native integrations to transparent pricing and real support, Donately gives small teams everything upfront. Here’s how we compare:
Donately
Give Lively
For $10,000 monthly donation volume
Give Lively is free—but donor tipping may not be reliable or sustainable. With Donately, you get consistent pricing, powerful tools like text messaging, and real support, all without compromising on branding or integrations.
Give Lively
Standard (4%) = $400
Lower Fee (2%) = $200
No Fee (0%) = $0
Give Lively is free to use with optional donor tipping to sustain the platform
Stripe (2.2–2.9% + $0.30)
Stripe (2.2–2.9% + $0.30)
Ask yourself before choosing Give Lively
If you answered “no” to any of these, Donately gives you what Give Lively can’t.
Are you okay with limited customization, branding, and form flexibility?
Can your team work around a platform that doesn’t offer CRM, segmentation, or robust reporting?
Do you need integrations beyond Stripe and PayPal—or plan to build your own?
Why nonprofits choose Donately instead
Donately offers branded peer-to-peer, recurring, and text-to-donate campaigns with extensive integrations (HubSpot, Webflow, Zapier, etc.), human support during business hours, and transparent pricing without feature paywalls or hidden costs.
Designed for teams
Not just donor-facing. Donately works with how your team actually fundraises.
Full customization
Form fields, branding, workflows—all editable, no enterprise plan required.
Stack-friendly
Native integrations with Hubspot, Salesforce, Zapier, Constant Contact, GA4, Webflow, and more.
Real support
Fast answers from real humans—not just a help center or community thread.
Clarity as you grow
No limits. No gating. Just reliable tools that scale with your impact.
Donately vs Give Lively — frequently asked questions
Is Give Lively really free?
Yes—for nonprofits. But you still pay Stripe or PayPal fees, and tipping is encouraged to fund the platform. Some donors may find that confusing.
What is Donately and who is it for?
Donately is a contemporary platform for fundraising that is intended for nonprofits, educational institutions, and other organizations that wish to conduct extensive campaigns that include text-to-donate, recurring giving, and peer-to-peer sharing. For businesses looking for clear pricing and genuine human assistance without the hassles of enterprise-level platforms, it's perfect.
How does Give Lively work?
Give Lively is a fundraising platform for 501(c)(3) nonprofits with no setup, platform, or subscription fees. The platform offers Campaign Pages, embeddable Donation Widgets, Text-to-Donate, Event Ticketing, and Peer-to-Peer Fundraising.
What integrations does Donately offer?
Donately makes it easy to combine your fundraising efforts with your current tech stack by integrating with well-known business platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, Webflow, Constant Contact, Google Analytics 4, and Zapier.
What types of fundraising campaigns can I create on Donately?
Donately supports multiple campaign types including peer-to-peer fundraising, recurring giving programs, text-to-donate campaigns, team fundraising, and mobile-optimized donation forms. All campaigns can be fully customized to match your organization's branding and messaging.
Does Donately's lack of a free plan make it less accessible for small nonprofits?
While Donately doesn't have a free tier, its transparent pricing eliminates hidden fees and feature limitations that make "free" platforms expensive as you scale.
BEST IN CLASS SOFTWARE FOR BEST IN CLASS ORGANIZATIONS
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Trusted by thousands of schools, churches and organizations
Secure, high-converting donation forms
Platform fees as low as 0%
Built-in campaign templates and marketplace
Sign up and launch in 5 minutes
Fully customizable to your brand
No feature limits—everything included
No setup fees. No surprise costs.
Integrates with your favorite tools