Zeffy Help for Nonprofits: Clear Steps When You're Stuck
Stuck on Zeffy? We'll get you unstuck. Zeffy is built to be simple, but a few steps trip almost everyone up: adding the form to your website, receipts, recurring gifts, imports, and payouts. Find where you're stuck below and we'll point you to the right official Zeffy guide, with a plain-language tip to go with it.
Where are you stuck?
Choose a topic. Each card has one tip and links to Zeffy's own step-by-step article.
Adding your Zeffy form to your website
In Zeffy, open Campaigns, click the three dots, choose Share, then More ways to share, then Embed, and copy the code. Heads up: an embedded form shows only the payment fields. It leaves out your description, images, logo, and organization name, so add that story on your own page around it, or use a button that links to the full campaign page.
Zeffy guides
Making your form look like your brand
In the campaign builder you can choose a color scheme, add a banner image or YouTube video, and upload your logo. Your receipts can carry your logo and brand color too, under Settings, Organization, Visual Identity.
Zeffy guides
Recurring gifts and tax receipts
Donors can change the amount, charge date, or card on a monthly gift from their donor account, and you can do it for them from Payments. If you offer tax receipts, monthly donors get one combined receipt in January of the next year. Receipt wording is standardized and cannot be edited.
Zeffy guides
Events, raffles, and memberships
Pick the campaign type that matches your goal first (event, raffle, membership, and more are all separate types). If you're running a raffle, check your state or region's gaming rules. Zeffy sells the tickets but has no winner-draw tool, so the draw happens outside the platform.
Zeffy guides
Importing your donors
You can import contacts and past giving history using Zeffy's templates. Email address is the main identifier, so keep one email per donor to avoid duplicates. Active recurring gifts can't be carried over, so donors will need to start a new recurring gift on your Zeffy form.
Zeffy guides
Connecting Stripe payouts and accounting
Finish onboarding in the Finances tab, including Stripe verification and your organization's bank account (a personal account isn't accepted). Payouts go to that account on your schedule, weekly by default. If a payout fails, update the bank details and it retries on the next scheduled transfer. For bookkeeping, Zeffy connects to QuickBooks Online.
Zeffy guides
Just getting started? Zeffy's own walkthrough: How to get started on Zeffy
New to Zeffy? Read what Zeffy is and how it works
Free Zeffy launch checklist
A one-page checklist of the steps to get a Zeffy account ready to accept its first gift, from onboarding and verification to testing your form. Enter your email below and we'll send it over.
We'll email you the checklist and occasional nonprofit tech tips. Unsubscribe anytime.
Zeffy questions we hear most
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According to Zeffy, yes. Zeffy says it is 100% free for nonprofits and is funded by optional contributions that donors can add at checkout. Donors can lower that contribution or set it to zero, and the organization still receives the full donation amount. See Zeffy's Help Center for the current details.
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Embedded Zeffy campaigns use a simplified layout that shows only the fields needed to complete a donation, registration, or payment. They do not display the campaign description, images, logo, or nonprofit name. Add that content to your website above or beside the form, or use a button that links to the full campaign page.
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In Zeffy, open Campaigns, click the three dots next to your campaign, choose Share, then More ways to share, then Embed and Campaign, and copy the HTML code. In Squarespace, paste it into a Code block. In Wix, paste it into an Embed HTML element. In WordPress, use a Custom HTML block or Zeffy's WordPress plugin. You can also link a regular button to your campaign instead.
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No. Zeffy's tax receipts use a standardized template so they stay compliant, so the wording and required information cannot be edited. You can add your organization's logo and brand color under Settings, Organization, Visual Identity, and upload a signature under Organization information.
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The failed payment is marked past due, and both you and the donor are notified. Stripe automatically retries the charge 4 to 5 times over several days, and the donor gets an email with a link to update their payment information. If every retry fails, the recurring donation is stopped and the donor needs to start a new one.
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You can import contacts and giving history, but active recurring donations and memberships cannot be transferred automatically. Stop the recurring payments on your previous platform, then invite each donor or member to start a new recurring payment through a Zeffy campaign.
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Payouts are weekly by default, sent every Monday, and you can switch to monthly, sent on the first Monday of the month. Eligible organizations may also see a next-day payout option. Payments go through a security review that typically takes 1 to 3 business days, so very recent payments can roll into the following payout. Payouts cannot be triggered manually.
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No. Zeffy lets you sell raffle tickets online, but it has no automatic winner-drawing tool, so the draw has to happen outside the platform. Make sure your raffle follows the rules of your state, province, or region's gaming authority. Raffles are not currently available to Australian organizations on Zeffy.
Zeffy's Help Center has more: support.zeffy.com
Want a hand? Three ways we can help
Most nonprofits can set Zeffy up on their own with the guides above. If you'd rather have someone do it with you, here's how we can help. No obligation, and no pressure.
Zeffy setup
We help you create your account and onboarding, build your first campaigns, and set up receipts and thank-you emails so your Zeffy account is ready for real gifts.
Account and organization set up
Stripe payout verification support
Your first 3 donation forms or campaigns
Website integration
We add your Zeffy forms to your website, as a button or an embedded form, and make sure the page around the form tells your story, since embedded forms don't show your description, images, or logo.
SUPPORTING:
Squarespace
Webflow
Wix
Shopify
Wordpress
Full-service management
We handle Zeffy for you on an ongoing basis, so your team can focus on your mission.
New campaigns, event ticketing, and peer-to-peer pages as you need them
On-going email marketing and donor outreach
Website forms kept current and connected for data hygiene
Your go-to person for glitches and donor questions
You focus on your mission; we keep giving running smoothly
Tell us where you're stuck
Not sure which guide you need, or want a second set of eyes on your setup? Send us a note and we'll point you in the right direction.
Official Zeffy help always lives at support.zeffy.com.
A Zeffy Verified Partner
The Charity Design Co. is listed in Zeffy's partner directory as a Zeffy Verified Partner, in the Branding & Website category. See our listing. We're an independent partner, not Zeffy support. Zeffy's Help Center at support.zeffy.com is always the closest source.