Set up Zeffy for your charity

Organizational setupTools · about 25 min · Charity owners and treasurers (after the charity can receive donations)

Looking for the personal version?Join your charity’s Zeffy (donations & CRM)

Zeffy itself is free to set up, but bank verification and donation processing require the charity to legally exist with its own bank account; donation receipts require 501(c)(3) recognition.

Zeffy is the zero-fee fundraising platform FFC recommends: donation forms, event tickets, memberships, raffles, and a donor CRM — with no platform fee taken from what supporters give.

The charity creates one Zeffy organization, once. Everyone who works in it afterwards joins by invitation with their own login (see the personal Zeffy guide).

One Zeffy organization, owned by the charity

Register Zeffy with the charity’s email and details — not a personal address — and connect it to the charity’s bank account. Then add people as individual team members with their own MFA-secured logins. One organization, one bank connection, many individual users: donor data and donations stay in one place with a clear owner.

  1. 1

    Create the organization account

    Go to zeffy.com and sign up as the charity — use the charity’s email (e.g. info@ or treasurer@yourcharity.org), legal name, and EIN.

    This is the one moment the “sign up” button is correct: it creates the charity’s organization. Everyone after you joins by invitation instead.

  2. 2

    Connect the charity’s bank account

    In Zeffy’s payout/banking settings, connect the charity’s bank account (never a personal one) and complete the identity verification Zeffy requires so donations can be paid out.

    Have your EIN, formation details, and bank information ready — verification is the step that takes the longest.

  3. 3

    Build your first donation form

    Create a simple donation form, brand it with the charity’s logo and colors (from your Canva brand kit), and test it with a small real donation before sharing it.

    FFC can help you embed the form on the charity’s website once it works.

  4. 4

    Invite your team

    Add the treasurer and anyone who works with donations as individual team members — each with their own email, own login, and two-factor authentication turned on (point them at the personal Zeffy guide).

    Never share the main login between people.

Common questions

How can Zeffy be free — what’s the catch?

Zeffy is funded by optional tips donors can add on top of their gift at checkout. The charity pays nothing, and 100% of the donation amount goes to the charity. There’s no platform fee and no per-transaction cut.

Can we use Zeffy before we have 501(c)(3) status?

You can set up the account once the organization legally exists and has a bank account. But tax-deductible receipts require IRS recognition — talk to your FFC contact about what you can collect in the meantime.

Who should own the Zeffy account?

Register it with a charity role address (like treasurer@yourcharity.org) so it survives any one person leaving, then add real people — owner, treasurer, volunteers — as individual users with their own logins.

Next setup guides

ZeffyToolsQuickBooks OnlineToolsCanva team (org)Tools

Stuck on any step? Text Clarke Moyer at (520) 222-8104 — every step is meant to be simple, so if something doesn't match what you see, ask.