Choosing the best nonprofit payment platform in 2026

Trying to pick the best way for your group to collect payments or donations? You’ve probably seen a ton of options. Cash, checks, Venmo, Stripe, PayPal, Cheddar Up—it can get confusing. Not every platform works the same, especially for nonprofits that need to track every dollar and stay compliant. Here’s a simple guide, updated for 2026, to help you find the right fit.

Payment platforms at a glance:

• Cheddar Up: Easy for everyone, low fees, works smoothly with MoneyMinder.
  
• Stripe: Flexible and reliable, solid for online payments.
  
• PayPal: Widely used but sometimes charges more in fees.
  
• Square: Great for in-person payments, also solid online.
  
• Donorbox, Givebutter, Snowball: Focus on events and campaign fundraising.
  
• Venmo, Zelle, CashApp: Convenient for peer-to-peer, trickier for nonprofits.
  
• eCheck or ACH: One of the cheapest ways to move big amounts.
  
• Plain old cash and check: No fees, but extra work to track everything.

What to consider in a payment platform

Fees: Processing fees can add up fast. Some platforms are flat-rate, others take a percent. Lower is better, especially for big donations.

Donor experience: Is it easy to pay? Can someone just click a link or do they have to create an account or download an app?

Nonprofit features: Think about things like event signups, inventory, signatures, or recurring payments. Remember also that platforms designed for businesses may include expensive features that you don’t really need.

Compatibility with MoneyMinder: The fewer things you have to do by hand later, the better.

Reputation: Choose something that has been around a while, so your group won’t get stuck if the platform disappears.

Side-by-side nonprofit payment platform comparison

Platform	What nonprofits pay	How donors pay	Notable features and specialties	MoneyMinder integration
Cheddar Up	2.9% per card payment; 0.7% for ACH (bank transfer); no monthly fee	Pay by card or bank account; no app or account needed	Collects signups, waivers, inventory, e-signatures automatically; included free with a MoneyMinder team plan	Payments, donor info, and custom data flow straight into MoneyMinder Store
Stripe	2.2-2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction; no monthly fee	Pay by card or digital wallet; no app or account needed	Supports recurring gifts, advanced security tools	Connect Stripe account to import transactions directly to MoneyMinder
PayPal	1.99-2.89% plus $0.49 per transaction; no monthly fee	Pay by card, PayPal balance, or bank account; may need PayPal account	Adds “Donate” buttons; provides invoicing and payment links	Connect PayPal account to import transactions into MoneyMinder
Square	2.6-2.9% plus $0.10 or $0.30 per transaction; no monthly fee	Pay by card; no app or account needed	Strong for ticket sales, event payments, quick reports	Connect Square account to import transactions into MoneyMinder
Donorbox	1.75% platform fee plus payment processor fees	Pay by card, bank transfer, or PayPal; no app or account required	Custom donor forms, donor database	Secure file upload
Givebutter	Free if donors tip to cover fees; else about 2.9% on cards	Pay by card, bank, PayPal, Venmo; no app or account needed	Ticket sales, event and campaign management	Secure file upload
Snowball	2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction; monthly fee for extras	Pay by card; no app or account needed	Peer-to-peer fundraising, easy mobile donation tools	Secure file upload
GiveLively	No platform fee; standard card fee (around 2.2-2.9%)	Pay by card, bank, PayPal; no app or account needed	Text-to-give, digital campaign features	Secure file upload
Zeffy	Zero platform fee; donors can tip to cover card fee	Pay by card; no app or account needed	Only platform covering card fees with optional tips	Secure file upload
Venmo	1.9% plus $0.10 per transaction	Pay with Venmo; Venmo app and account required	May increase visibility by appearing in donor’s social feed	Secure file upload
CashApp, Zelle	Varies; may have app or bank fees	Donors must use respective apps and have an account	Simple peer-to-peer options, limited business features	Secure file upload
Cash, check	No fees, just bank limits	Pay in person with cash or check	No fees	Secure file upload
eCheck	About 0.7-1% per transaction, often capped at a low amount	Pay electronically with bank account	Low-cost ACH transfer, good for large donations	Automatic (via Cheddar Up Store) or secure file upload

A note about “tipping” based payment tools

As you can see in the table above, many payment platforms are adding tip prompts during the checkout process. While the idea of “just add a tip” may seem appealing, you don’t want to risk confusing your donors or supporters into thinking the tip is going to your nonprofit instead of the payment platform.

Some of these apps don’t make it obvious to the end user how to opt out of the default tip, which can sometimes be set quite high. So just a word of caution to proceed carefully to avoid eroding donor trust.

Why Cheddar Up is a favorite for groups

If you want something that works for everything from dues to events to shirt sales, Cheddar Up is tough to beat. Donors can pay without an account or app, which makes life much easier for everyone.

You get signups, signatures, inventory tracking, waitlisting, ticketing, a gift card store and easy reporting, all in one spot.

Best of all, if you use MoneyMinder’s store with Cheddar Up, your payments flow straight into your books—no need to enter them in both places.

Other big names to consider

• Stripe and Square: These are the go-tos if you have decent tech support and plan to process payments both online and in-person.
  
• PayPal: Everybody is familiar with it, but fees can be higher and some donors find it clunky.
  
• Donorbox, Givebutter, Snowball: Designed for online fundraising drives, often with extra campaign tools.
  
• Venmo, Zelle, CashApp: Super easy for the donor, but a pain to track unless you have a system.
  
• eCheck/ACH: Request this if you frequently receive large gifts—it costs significantly less per dollar.

It is not just about collecting payments

A lot of groups stop at “how do we collect money?”, but it’s really worth thinking about how you’ll handle those payments on the back end. That’s where your financial management platform comes in. A true financial management tool helps you generate reports, create and track budgets, handle tax reporting, and stay compliant. Choosing a payment platform that talks to your accounting system will save you hours and headaches. 

See how MoneyMinder and Cheddar Up can simplify managing your nonprofit’s payments and finances with a free 30-day trial.