Luminate vs Donately:
A comparison for lean nonprofit teams

Looking for a Luminate alternative? Donately offers customizable, branded donation experiences—without the design or integration limits that often come with “free” tools. *

Get started free Talk to a fundraising expert

* Disclaimer: The comparison details on this page are based on publicly available data as of Septermber 2025.^¹

Best fit breakdown

When Donately wins and when Luminate might

Every platform has its sweet spot. Here’s when Donately makes the most sense and when Luminate might be the better fit based on your fundraising needs and team setup.

Donately is your match if:

You want full control of your brand, data, and donor experience—without hiring a dev.

You need transparent pricing, no tipping models, and predictable growth costs.

You prefer integrations that actually integrate—Salesforce, Mailchimp, HubSpot, and more.

Luminate

Luminate might work if:

You’re a brand-new org with zero budget that still needs event tools, like auctions.

You’re okay relying on donors to cover your costs via tip-based models.

You want “all-in-one” functionality more than customization or integrations.

More power, no platform games

When "free forever" isn't the whole story

Luminate promises unlimited fundraising tools for free—but donor tipping, limited customization, and hidden costs can hold you back. Donately gives you full control of your forms and campaigns, clear pricing, and tools that grow with you.

Luminate says...

“100% free for nonprofits.”

But the reality? Some campaigns carry hidden transaction fees, and the partner plan costs ~$1,550/year.

Donately says: Honest pricing, no tricks—pick your plan and keep your margins.

Luminate says...

“Unlimited events, auctions, and campaigns.”

But the reality? Running complex campaigns may trigger extra fees—or rely on donor tipping to offset costs.

Donately says: Run campaigns your way. No guilt-tipping, no gatekeeping.

Luminate says...

“Donors love it—95% cover your costs.”

But the reality? That’s not guaranteed. If they don’t tip, you eat the full cost.

Donately says: You choose the pricing model that fits. Not your donor.

Donately vs Luminate:
feature comparison

Fundraising platforms can look similar—until you dig in. From native integrations to transparent pricing and real support, Donately gives small teams everything upfront. Here’s how we compare:

Donately

Get started

Luminate

Flexibility

Transparent, modular pricing (0%, 2%, 4%). No tipping models.

Free to use with donor-tipping model. Paid partner plan available.

Customization

Full branding control, form logic, custom domains, API and webhook access

Good visual design; limited dev-level customization.

Usability

Designed for fast use by lean teams—no dev needed.

Clean UI and easy setup for common campaign types.

Support

Real-time human support, guides, and onboarding help.

Knowledge base + chat; unclear if phone/live help is available.

Integrations

One-click integrations: Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Webflow, Constant Contact, Zapier and more.

No public CRM integration docs available.

Time to launch

Launch in minutes. Copy, paste, go live.

Most tools usable right away. Some (e.g. auctions) require manual setup.

Pricing clarity

What you see is what you pay. Zero tipping, zero confusion.

0% platform fee, but some campaigns have extra % fees unless donor tips. Partner plan costs $1,550/yr.

Team fit

Built for 1–5 person teams who do it all.

Ideal for orgs with no devs or small teams wanting “done for you” style.

Top goal

Empower nonprofits to grow giving with full control.

Lower barrier to fundraising for orgs just starting or running lots of small events.

For $10,000 monthly donation volume

You save: $45–400+ per month with Donately*

While Luminate covers the basics with free campaigns and events, Donately delivers deeper control—custom branding, flexible pricing, peer-to-peer tools, and real integrations—all without relying on donor tips.

All features. No surprises.

Luminate

Built for basics, not control.

Platform fees

$0–400
(0%- 4%)

0% for most campaigns.
Up to 5% for auctions/ticketing if donors don’t tip.
Partner plan available for ~$1,550/year.

Processing fees

$220–290/month
Stripe (2.2–2.9% + $0.30)

$220–290/month
(via Stripe or PayPal, similar rates)

Subscription fees

$0–$99/month depending on plan

None on free plan. Partner plan is optional and annual.

Setup/Onboarding

None. Onboarding is self-serve.

Support

Included across all plans

Knowledge base. Unclear if costs associated with additional support.

Total monthly

$220–$789 /month

$290-$419+ /month

Ask yourself before choosing Luminate

If you answered “no” to any of these, Donately delivers the power and simplicity you need—without escalating costs or fragmented tools.

Explore Donately

Will I actually use auctions, raffles, or ticketing—or just need donation forms?

Will your organization need frequent consulting or strategy support—or are you okay figuring things out yourself?

How important is advanced customization?

Why nonprofits choose Donately instead

Donately offers branded peer-to-peer, recurring, and text-to-donate campaigns with extensive integrations (HubSpot, Webflow, Zapier, etc.), human support during business hours, and transparent pricing without feature paywalls or hidden costs.

Focused on fundraising

Less donor data entry, more powerful giving tools.

Integrates with the stack you already have

No need to switch CRMs or start from scratch.

Modern UX built to convert

Clean, branded giving flows on web, mobile, or embedded in your site.

Actionable insights

Get the analytics you need to optimize campaigns—not just contact reports.

Real support, no tickets

We don’t hide behind a form. We help you raise more, faster.

Donately vs Luminate — frequently asked questions

Is Little Green Light a fundraising tool or a donor database?

It’s more of a lightweight CRM with some fundraising features. Donately is designed to drive donations first—with flexibility to connect to your CRM or database later.

What is Donately and who is it for?

Donately is a modern fundraising platform designed for nonprofits, schools, and organizations that want to run comprehensive campaigns including peer-to-peer, recurring giving, and text-to-donate. It's ideal for organizations seeking transparent pricing and real human support without the complexity of enterprise-level platforms

What kind of customer support does Donately provide?

Donately offers real human support during business hours with fast response times, plus 24/7 AI assistance for immediate help. Unlike platforms that rely solely on ticket systems or chatbots, you can speak with knowledgeable support staff when you need assistance.

Does Little Green Light handle peer-to-peer fundraising?

Not natively. Donately includes team and supporter-driven fundraising pages in all plans.

Can I embed donation forms in my website with both?

Yes—but Little Green Light forms are limited in customization and depend on your payment processor. Donately gives you full design control and better mobile UX out of the box.

Does Donately lack the extensive customization and flexibility of platforms like Little Green Light?

Donately focuses on streamlined, effective fundraising ensuring faster implementation and less complexity while providing core customization features most organizations actually use.

BEST IN CLASS SOFTWARE FOR BEST IN CLASS ORGANIZATIONS