Givebutter vs. NationBuilder vs. Bonterra OneCause

The site has built-in flexibility for fundraising shops of all sizes to use it for various needs - we used it for a special event but it could also be used to handle a Day of Giving campaign. We liked that donors could use the built-in social/email features to advertise their support to gain additional donations

Incentivized

If you are managing a nonprofit agency, advocacy group, or political campaign, NationBuilder is likely the best tool available for the job. It has everything you need in one package, excellent support from NationBuilder reps, and plenty of reputable case studies that show its effectiveness. There is also a robust network of capable partners that build custom solutions and provide consulting.

Incentivized

OneCause is great for managing online and mobile bidding, managing event registration and ticket sales, processing donations during the event, handling checkout and payment collection after the auction, and significantly reducing manual work for event staff. On the other hand, OneCause does not handle complete donor history or constituent relationships, which would be super helpful to have

Incentivized

• Flexibility in using the platform for multiple fundraising sources (events, direction donations, etc.)
• Ease of Use
• Ability to customize your site

Incentivized

• Great platform for managing website, social media, and donations in a single dashboard.
• Some particularly helpful features includes turf maps for walking door to door.
• I really appreciate the included voter files.

• The onsite staff support is amazing for troubleshooting issues.
• They assist with our raise a paddle fundraising.
• They assist with messaging for our attendees before and during the event.
• They assist with Auction close out at the end of the event.

• Link to payment sources/systems (we had to do this multiple times before it worked)
• Integration with larger donor management software systems (i.e. Blackbaud)

Incentivized

• Customer service: We used to have a dedicated account exec who met with us monthly to give us insight into our NationBuilder, as well as tips or suggestions for things like increasing our email deliverability or duplicates. While we're busy doing the work we do, it helped raise red flags for us that we didn't know existed. Our current account exec has zero communication with us in terms of providing any tangible support and that's been a complete 180 from our initial experience.

Incentivized

• OneCause could improve their messaging - the fact that custom emails are not as easy as custom texts can be frustrating. I wish all the automated messages were possible over email as most of our professionals that we work with, they prefer email over a text.
• OneCause could make it easier to copy and paste text into site design or other features. Having to re-type out the text is a time-suck, when it would be easier to adjust the text to the font default without having to type it in the HTML editor on it's own.
• PLEASE make it easier to resend the "assign tickets email". The fact that the main way to do that is when you first enter them into OneCause, but then are not able to resend that message to ticket owners at a later date makes it difficult for them to find what they need when they are ready to assign their tickets.

Incentivized

We are a very small non-profit and are actually looking to use another service just to cut costs, but we may not stay with them and will coming running back to OneCause if we can't make the other option work! The ONLY reason to move would be to reduce the over-head cost of the platform.

Incentivized

While it isn't the easiest to use for someone coming to it for the first time, it has become like second nature navigating it. I find that because I understand it's functionality, I have a very easy time navigating.

Incentivized

Use of the software is generally fine, but the setup and implementation are not always intuitive. Though the knowledgebase is robust and covers a lot of areas (and the support team is pleasant and knowledgeable), the event setup process (particularly when setting up payment and bank information) can be a bit cumbersome and should really be streamlined

Incentivized

Support staff is there to help out and it is nice knowing there are available on event day as well

Incentivized

This feature is amazing. Nice to have reports immediately when the event (auction) is over

Incentivized

Shelbe was my point person and she was available for me at absolutely anytime. No question was stupid or obvious in her eyes and she always gave me the exact responses and resources I needed to succeed. Could not be more complimentary of this software! Just have to convince my team to use it for more areas now!

Incentivized

We hired OneCause to guide us through our first event after we signed up with them. The staff they sent were pros. They gave us professional guidance and support. Once we had been shown the ropes, we knew we could take the reins and confidently run our next event

Incentivized

Very thorough and nice to have a refresher when needed. Nice to see when I haven't used in a little while and refresh my mind how to update.

Incentivized

I don't know if my insights are key but I can say that implementation was done in-house without any outside support for the solution. The staff influencing the solution had very little technical expertise and ability as well which showed just how easily the software was to implement.

Incentivized

Givebutter provides more flexibility in designing your campaign or event on the site ...others are more suited for only a Gala or auction and Race Roster was more than we needed and was confusing to our guests

Incentivized

NationBuilder is not as good for canvassing or phone GOTV efforts, but it's better for community building.

Incentivized

We looked at Auctria and GiveSmart, though we didn't go into great detail with either. We ultimately selected OneCause based on the recommendation of another local school that used it for its auction software. The customer service and support as we made this decision and transition was a confirmation for us.

Incentivized

The product has everything I need

Incentivized

• Best registration tool we have used for the NUN Run event
• Allowed registrants to cover the fees reducing our overall event expenses

Incentivized

• The NationBuilder ecosystem is a well-connected, supportive bunch and it has been great to be a part of that
• Most inquiring clients are already aware of NationBuilder's benefits and know what they want to accomplish. This saves time during the on-boarding process
• NationBuilder's sales team is undereducated about the platform and I have received feedback from clients that they are sharks/difficult to work with. This is a big problem and I have lost business from it

Incentivized

• It has had an extremely positive impact on our Online Auction, with more items available, and the user-friendly platform makes our donors bid more.
• It has elevated our events with the easy check in features to keep the event smoth.
• It has saved so much time and stress with the customer service support accessibility and knowledge.

Incentivized