Annual benchmark · July 2026
Nonprofit Fundraising Software Spend Benchmark
This benchmark reports what nonprofit organizations in the United States spend each year on fundraising software. It is built from a survey fielded in July 2026, in which 100 fundraising professionals reported their organization's annual expenditure across six categories. Responses were grouped by the amount each organization raises annually, and the figures below are the mean reported spend per category within each group. The survey instrument is published at the foot of this page.
Download the full results (PDF) Board briefing, one page (PDF) Free to cite with attribution
The board briefing is the same data on a single sheet, written to be handed round a board table: what organizations your size spend, what they buy first, and four questions to ask before approving a line.
Mean annual spend by category
Average across every respondent in the group, including those reporting no spend at all.
| Category | Under $250K n=55 | $250K – $1M n=28 | $1M – $5M n=12 | $5M+ n=5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant research | $250 | $746 | $2,278 | $5,713 |
| Prospect research / wealth screening | $45 | $1,319 | $4,135 | $17,320 |
| Donor CRM | $716 | $2,726 | $7,130 | $18,688 |
| Donation processing | $1,024 | $3,493 | $9,906 | $30,824 |
| Forms & other operations | $175 | $572 | $2,062 | $13,000 |
| Events & auctions | $402 | $1,341 | $4,830 | $11,270 |
| Total software spend | $2,611 | $10,197 | $30,342 | $96,815 |
Median annual spend by category
The midpoint response. Lower than the mean wherever a small number of large spenders pull the average upward.
| Category | Under $250K n=55 | $250K – $1M n=28 | $1M – $5M n=12 | $5M+ n=5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant research | $0 | $595 | $2,574 | $3,900 |
| Prospect research / wealth screening | $0 | $550 | $4,500 | $18,000 |
| Donor CRM | $682 | $2,173 | $5,585 | $17,334 |
| Donation processing | $846 | $3,548 | $6,925 | $29,297 |
| Forms & other operations | $190 | $594 | $1,914 | $14,100 |
| Events & auctions | $0 | $1,225 | $4,000 | $10,000 |
| Total software spend | $2,411 | $9,226 | $27,603 | $92,069 |
Share of each group reporting no spend
The proportion of respondents in each group spending nothing at all in that category. This is where the sector's actual priorities show most clearly.
| Category | Under $250K n=55 | $250K – $1M n=28 | $1M – $5M n=12 | $5M+ n=5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant research | 55% | 39% | 17% | 0% |
| Prospect research / wealth screening | 95% | 50% | 25% | 0% |
| Donor CRM | 36% | 11% | 0% | 0% |
| Donation processing | 24% | 14% | 0% | 0% |
| Forms & other operations | 49% | 21% | 17% | 0% |
| Events & auctions | 51% | 29% | 0% | 0% |
What the results show
Three findings stand out, and each one bears on how a fundraising operation should budget.
Wealth screening is almost entirely absent below $250k. 95% of organizations raising under $250k report spending nothing on prospect research, and half of those in the $250k–$1M group report the same. Screening enters the budget once major-gift work is somebody's defined responsibility, not before.
Donation processing is the largest single line at every size. It accounts for roughly a third of total software spend in all four groups. Because most processing is billed as a percentage of funds raised, that line grows with fundraising success rather than with organizational need, which is the argument for examining it first.
Reported spend rises faster than revenue. Mean total spend moves from $2,611 to $96,815 between the smallest and largest groups, a multiple far steeper than the revenue bands themselves.
Reported spend against our recommendations
Mean reported spend compared with the annual cost of the stack this guide recommends at each size.
| Organization size | Mean reported spend | Our recommended stack |
|---|---|---|
| Under $250K | $2,611 | $0-$250/yr |
| $250K – $1M | $10,197 | ~$3,000-$14,800/yr |
| $1M – $5M | $30,342 | ~$16,800-$24,200/yr |
| $5M+ | $96,815 | ~$20,600-$24,200+/yr |
The gap is not evidence that respondents are overspending. Reported figures include tools this guide does not cover, multi-year contracts, and organizations whose circumstances differ from the recommended case. It does suggest, though, that a credible operation can be assembled for considerably less than the sector average at every size. See the recommended stack for your size.
Methodology
Fielded July 2026. Population: Fundraising professionals in the United States. Online self-report survey. Respondents reported annual spend per software category for their organization. Sample size 100, distributed across four groups by annual revenue raised: Under $250K (n=55), $250K – $1M (n=28), $1M – $5M (n=12), $5M+ (n=5).
Figures are self-reported and unaudited. Dollar amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar and percentages to the nearest whole percent. Group sizes at the upper end are small, so the $1M–$5M and $5M+ figures should be read as indicative instead of precise. No respondent identifying information was collected, and no vendor participated in the design, fielding, or analysis of this survey.
Citation
This benchmark is free to cite and reproduce with attribution. Suggested citation:
Nonprofit Software Guide, “2026 Nonprofit Fundraising Software Spend Benchmark” (July 2026). https://nonprofitsoftwareguide.com/benchmarks/
Download the full results (PDF) Board briefing, one page (PDF)
The instrument
Contribute your numbers to the 2027 edition
These are the questions asked in July 2026, reproduced exactly. If you work in fundraising in the United States, answering takes about two minutes and your figures join the next edition. Responses collected on a rolling basis. The next edition publishes in July 2027.