Grassrootz

Grassrootz is a fundraising platform for charities seeking donations and ways for supporters to raise money. Its free core features include unlimited peer-to-peer campaigns, donation pages and appeals, dollar matching, recurring giving, and automated fundraiser email journeys. Campaigns can use branded fundraiser pages, badges, leaderboards, and page sharing. Donation pages accept card payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and direct debit, and send tax-compliant receipts automatically. Ticketing combines registrations, fundraising, donations, and merchandise, with free and paid ticket types, teams, recurring donations, and instalment payments. For in-person events, the free iOS Tap’n’Donate app collects cashless donations and donor details, and updates campaign totals in real time. Grassrootz lists integrations such as ACTIVEWorks Endurance, Race Roster, Njuko, Strava, Fitbit, Zapier, Meta, Facebook, Google Tag Manager, and Salesforce via MoveData. It offers support to charities, fundraisers, and donors. The platform is freemium and available on web and iOS. Payment processing is separate. Major Community Event fees vary by event; ticketing and merchandise sales have a platform fee, which charities can choose to pass to purchasers.

Grassrootz offers campaign, donation, and event tools, including a free core feature set and an iOS option for in-person giving. Charities should account for separate payment processing and fees on ticketing, merchandise, and some events.

Grassrootz suits charities running online donation drives, peer-to-peer campaigns, or event fundraising. It may also fit organizations that need in-person donation collection through an iOS device.

Grassrootz is fundraising software for charities that want supporter-led campaigns, online giving and event tools in one place. It is a strong fit for organisations pairing community events with peer-to-peer fundraising; charities seeking a standalone donation form may find its wider toolkit unnecessary. The free core lowers the barrier to starting, but payment processing and some event-related charges need to be part of the budget.

Overview

Grassrootz combines online fundraising tools with partnerships around major community events. Charities can run branded campaigns, collect donations and connect fundraising to event registration. That breadth is useful when an organisation wants to bring supporters into an event and encourage them to raise money, rather than manage those activities separately.

Grassrootz describes itself as an Australian-owned business. Its support team serves charities, fundraisers and donors, with fundraising experts available to help. The platform describes donation processing through Stripe as safe and secure, and includes two-factor authentication and fraud prevention.

Key features

Campaigns and donations

Charities can create unlimited branded peer-to-peer campaigns with fundraiser pages, badges, leaderboards and page sharing. Those tools give supporters ways to represent an appeal and make progress visible; the unlimited campaign allowance also suits organisations running multiple appeals without rationing campaign slots.

Donation pages accept cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and direct debit, and automatically send tax-compliant receipts. Recurring giving and dollar matching support appeals beyond one-time gifts. Payment processing is separate, so the free core should not be mistaken for a no-cost donation channel.

Events and in-person giving

Ticketing can combine registrations, fundraising, donations and merchandise, with free and paid ticket types, teams, recurring donations and instalment payments. Free tickets do not incur a platform fee, but ticket and merchandise sales do; charities can choose whether to pass the ticketing fee to purchasers. Major Community Event fees vary by event, so organisations should confirm those costs before committing.

The free Tap’n’Donate iOS app collects cashless donations and donor details at in-person events, updating campaign totals in real time. It requires an iOS device, and the Stripe portable card reader is sold separately. Listed integrations include ACTIVEWorks Endurance, Race Roster, Njuko, Strava, Fitbit, Zapier, Meta, Facebook, Google Tag Manager and Salesforce via MoveData. Grassrootz also supports additional registration platforms, with organisers directed to contact the company about options.

Pricing

Grassrootz uses a freemium model, with two core entries priced as free. Free core features includes unlimited peer-to-peer campaigns, unlimited donation pages and appeals, dollar matching, recurring giving and automated fundraiser email journeys. Core Features, also free, includes unlimited campaigns and donation pages and appeals, with an optional donor tip. These plans make sense for charities starting out or running online appeals, but separate payment processing still applies.

Tap’n’Donate App is free to download from the Apple App Store. It is for charities taking in-person gifts with an iOS device; the portable Stripe card reader is an additional purchase.

Ticketing & Registrations is free for free tickets, with a platform fee on ticket and merchandise sales; contact Grassrootz for details. Major Community Events has no connection fee, but event and platform fees vary by event, and organisers should contact Grassrootz for details. Professional Services covers web design and development, fundraiser communications and bespoke fundraising solutions, with custom pricing based on charity needs.

Platforms

Grassrootz is available on the web and iOS. The iOS option is specifically relevant to in-person giving through Tap’n’Donate; the portable reader is sold separately.

Who it's for

Grassrootz suits charities that want to run supporter-led campaigns alongside online donations, ticketed events or in-person fundraising. Its unlimited campaigns and donation pages can support multiple appeals, while event tools connect registration with fundraising. Organisations with straightforward donation needs alone may prefer a narrower service, and event organisers should weigh variable fees and separate processing costs before choosing it.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Unlimited branded peer-to-peer campaigns and donation pages on the free core support charities with multiple appeals.
• Donation pages accept several payment methods and automatically send tax-compliant receipts.
• Ticketing can bring registrations, teams, fundraising, donations and merchandise together.
• Tap’n’Donate provides a free iOS route for cashless event giving with real-time campaign tallies.

Cons

• Payment processing is separate, so the free plans do not remove donation transaction costs.
• Ticket and merchandise sales incur a platform fee, and major event fees vary.
• Tap’n’Donate requires an iOS device, and its portable Stripe card reader costs extra.
• Some ticketing, event and professional-service costs require a direct pricing discussion.

Alternatives

Consider Donorbox if a five-member team wants a free plan and is prepared for platform fees of 2.95%–3.95%, plus payment processing fees. Its listed platforms include Android, iOS, web and API access.

Givebutter is another freemium option, with a free trial and Android, iOS and web support. Choose it for its listed free-forever combination of donation forms, fundraising pages, events, auctions, donor management and CRM.

RallyUp offers a free plan with no platform fee, donor tipping and core fundraising components. Its Flex plan has platform fees ranging from 2.9% to 6.9%, so charities should compare that fee model with their expected fundraising mix.

Events.org may suit organisers focused on promoting and hosting free events, with attendee and registration tracking and automated thank-you letters and receipts in its free plan.

Funraise offers a free plan for organisations raising under $1 million annually, alongside premium plans with custom pricing.

GiveSmart is a paid option with annual subscription and pay-as-you-go plans, both listing unlimited events and campaigns.

Txt2Give has a donor-supported free plan with a 15% tip prompt, then 5%; gifts where donors decline both incur a 1% fee, in addition to Stripe processing of 2.3% + $0.30 per transaction.

Zeffy is a free alternative whose listed tools include donation forms, recurring gifts, event ticketing and fundraising, peer-to-peer campaigns, donor CRM and email tools.

For broader comparisons, see our Nonprofit Fundraising Software, Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Software and Donation Management lists.

Verdict

Grassrootz is a good choice for charities that want free core campaign and donation tools alongside event fundraising and an iOS option for in-person giving. Its strongest reason to choose it is the breadth of supporter and event features without a charge for the core. Look elsewhere if you need only simple online donations or cannot accommodate separate processing and variable ticketing or event fees.