Why isn't SorrelSites free?
Because someone always pays, and we would rather it were the organization than its donors. Here is the honest version of that trade, including the case where a free tool is the better answer for you.
Isn't there a free tool that does this?
Yes, and it's good. Zeffy is genuinely free for nonprofits — no subscription and no platform fee — and more than a hundred thousand organizations use it. If what your organization needs is to collect money without paying for software, Zeffy does that well and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
What is worth understanding is how free is paid for. Zeffy is funded by an optional tip added at checkout — so the cost of the platform is carried by the people giving your organization money, rather than by your organization. That is a real trade, not a trick, and plenty of boards look at it and decide it is the right one. But it is a decision about your donors, and it deserves to be made deliberately rather than discovered later.
So what am I paying SorrelSites for?
You are paying for the software that runs the organization, not for the ability to take a payment. SorrelSites charges the organization a flat monthly price so that it does not need to take a cut of your dues or ask your members for a tip — your dues land in your own Stripe account and you pay your processor directly.
The difference shows up in what happens between payments. A free fundraising tool collects the money. SorrelSites keeps the member records, renews the memberships, runs the events and the check-in, sends the organization's email and texts, carries the board's minutes and documents, and hosts the website that all of it hangs off — and it builds and updates that website for you. Zeffy does have membership features, but they are thin, and it does not ship a website engine.
That work is what costs money to build and to keep running. Charging for it is what lets a real person answer you on every plan, including the smallest, and means we have no reason to touch your members' money.
How do I tell which one my organization needs?
Ask whether your software is collecting your money or running your organization. If the honest answer is the first one, use the free tool and spend the money on your mission instead.
A free tool is probably right if
- Your main job is taking donations or selling the occasional ticket.
- Your member list is short enough to keep in a spreadsheet without pain.
- Nobody renews on a schedule you have to chase.
- You already have a website you are happy with.
SorrelSites is probably right if
- Memberships renew, lapse and need chasing, and that is somebody's unpaid evening.
- The website is out of date because the one person who could edit it left.
- Events need registration, reminders and check-in, not just a ticket link.
- The board needs minutes, documents and a record that outlives this year's officers.
Plenty of organizations start in the first column and move to the second one a few years later, when the volunteer hours stop being affordable. There is no prize for switching early.
What does SorrelSites cost, then?
SorrelSites costs $99 a month for up to 100 active members, $199 for up to 300, $399 for up to 750, and $699 for up to 2,000, with 10% off if you pay annually. There is no setup fee, no cut of your dues, and no penalty for leaving.
You can work out three years against what you pay today, or see the full plans.
Worth it for your organization?
SorrelSites is in final testing. Join the waitlist and we'll let you know the moment it opens — Sprout will move you in and build your website for you.
Join the waitlist