Guide

Software a Small Nonprofit Actually Needs, Beyond Donor Tracking

Short answer: Briskly deliberately doesn't do bookkeeping, email newsletters, or event ticketing — bolting all of that onto a donor CRM is exactly how the bloated, expensive tools in this category got that way. Here's what actually covers those gaps, plus volunteer background checks and what's genuinely free before you pay for anything — real pricing, checked directly against each vendor.

Bookkeeping, built for a volunteer treasurer

MoneyMinder

$299/year flat (about $25/month) — free limited edition, 30-day free trial of the paid tier

Built specifically for volunteer treasurers, not professional accountants — the company's own words are software that meets "standards that can stand up to an audit, a board review, and the IRS." Unlimited transactions, bank/PayPal/Stripe account integration, budgeting tools, and IRS e-filing support (990-EZ/8868 filing carries its own additional fee). The free edition covers budgeting and contact management, not actual transaction tracking.

Email newsletters

Mailchimp

Free up to 250 contacts — paid plans from $13/month, 15% nonprofit discount available

The free tier is a real free tier, not a trial — up to 250 contacts, one audience, 500 monthly (250 daily) email sends, though without automation or the more advanced features. The nonprofit discount isn't automatic: sign up for a free account first, then contact Mailchimp's billing team with your organization's website to apply it.

Event ticketing

Eventbrite

Free events cost nothing to list — paid tickets: 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing

If your event doesn't charge for tickets, Eventbrite is genuinely free to use — "no fees for free events, publish unlimited free events at no cost," in their words. For a paid ticketed event (a gala, a fundraiser dinner), the fees above apply per ticket; you can choose to absorb them or pass them to the attendee. Eventbrite references nonprofit-specific pricing in their own FAQ but doesn't publish the details — worth asking their sales team directly if this matters for your event.

Volunteer background checks

Sterling Volunteers

$19–$39 per screening (Advanced vs. Complete package) — plus a one-time setup fee, excluding state/county/motor-vehicle record fees

Built specifically for screening volunteers rather than employees, used widely across youth sports, faith-based groups, and social-service nonprofits. The Advanced package ($19/ea) covers core criminal-history screening; Complete ($39/ea) adds more thorough checks. Volume pricing applies above 500 screens a year — most all-volunteer orgs won't get there. If your org re-screens on a renewal cycle (many states require it every 1-3 years), Briskly's custom fields support an optional expiration date for exactly this — set it once per volunteer and get a visual warning as the renewal date approaches.

What's actually free before you pay for anything

Google for Nonprofits

Free for eligible 501(c)(3)s — Google Workspace at no charge, plus Google Ad Grants and the YouTube Nonprofit Program

Verified 501(c)(3)s get Google Workspace (email, docs, shared drive, forms) at no cost — a genuinely free tier, not a trial — plus Google Ad Grants, an in-kind monthly search-ad budget, and discounted rates on paid Workspace tiers if you outgrow the free one. Eligibility is verified through Google's partner Goodstack; government entities, hospitals, and schools don't qualify directly (their philanthropic arms might). Worth setting up before paying for email hosting or document storage anywhere else.

Briskly has no affiliate or referral relationship with MoneyMinder, Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Sterling Volunteers, or Google — this is independent research, not paid placement. Pricing changes; verify current numbers directly with each vendor before budgeting against them.

Pricing checked directly against each vendor's own site 2026-08-02.

For the donor and volunteer tracking half — the two things Briskly does do — it's $19/month flat.

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