Raising money increasingly happens online. Indeed, many donors now expect to be able to make their donations online and feel more comfortable doing so. Network for Good is an online fundraising software system that enables organizations of any size to create donor pages, facilitate peer-to-peer fundraising, and manage donors. With more than 100,000 clients, Network for Good is an established, trusted fundraising platform with a track record that inspires confidence. To date, it has processed over 1 million donations. Of course, for some non-profits, Network for Good’s huge volume is also its downside.

Unlike some of its competitors, which are small-scale operations committed to social engagement and not simply committed to profit, Network for Good has long been a leader in the online fundraising world (notably, it was established by America Online, Cisco Systems and Yahoo!). While this is not necessarily a problem, for non-profits interested in backing small businesses and start-ups, Network for Good, despite its trusted name, may not have the sort of corporate ethos with which they hope to partner. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a reliable online fundraising platform with a range of features, Network for Good has a lot going for it.

• Usability. With few exceptions, Network for Good comes out on top as a highly usable fundraising system for non-profits and anyone else hoping to raise money through donations; it’s intuitive for organizations and donors alike.

• Maintainability. Network for good undergoes regular maintenance to guarantee the top-quality delivery of their range of services.

• Performance. This is a fast, reliable and stable online fundraising option with the staff and infrastructure required to minimize outages.

• Integration Ease. Created by leaders in online networking, it is no surprise that this software also consistently comes out on top in terms of integration ease.

• Functionality. Whether or not one approves of the company’s for-profit status, it fulfills its function—to collect donations from donors and distribute them to non-profits—and does so in a secure and inefficient manner.

• Support. Network for Good offers support for non-profits and for donors from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday through Friday; however, some users and donors have reported difficulties troubleshooting specific problems (e.g., not being able to access money raised in a timely manner).

Pros

 Here are just some of the features that users love about Network for Good:

• Staring at $169 per month, Network for Good’s comprehensive package is affordable, even for small non-profit organizations. However, for agencies hoping to purchase individual options (e.g., only peer-to-peer fundraising and donor management), costs can add up quickly.
• Capable of processing both debit cards and credit cards.
• Branding capabilities (e.g., branded donation pages).
• Recurring billing features.
• Offers advanced encryption of data to protect donor’s credit information and identities.
• A known brand that is already trusted by and familiar to many potential donors.

Cons

Network for Good has been subject to user and donor complaints:

• The website extracts a 3% to 5% fee from PayPal and debit or credit card donations; while the cost may be covered by the organizations seeking donations, in many cases, part of every donor’s donation is lost to the company itself.
• It’s a for-profit company (see the above con).
• Some former users have complained that Network for Good listed their organization on their site (presumably to show the diversity of their client base) but did so without prior permission.