The best project management for nonprofits help deliver a range of tasks, whether it be recruiting volunteers, planning charity events, or setting the budget for fundraisers. Monitor volunteer hours with time tracking, customize the structure of fundraising events with templates, and automate manual tasks like donor follow-ups. Most providers offer a free version for low-use scenarios, but paid plans are priced affordably, starting at only $2.49 per user, monthly.
Best Project Management Software for Nonprofits at a Glance
Project Management Software for Nonprofits | Key Features | Learn More | |
|---|---|---|---|
 4.59 out of 5 | monday.com: Best Overall for Volunteer Management | ||
| or | ||
 4.45 out of 5 | Smartsheet: Best for Expense Tracking | ||
$9 |
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 4.41 out of 5 | ClickUp: Best for Globally Distributed Nonprofit Teams | ||
$10 |
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 4.38 out of 5 | Wrike: Best for Campaign Management | ||
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 4.08 out of 5 | Asana: Best for Fundraising Event Planning | ||
$13.49 |
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 4.03 out of 5 | Freedcamp: Best for Nonprofit Teams on a Budget | ||
$2.49 |
| ||
monday.com: Best Overall for Volunteer Management
What We Liked
- Flexible and customizable boards
- Simple and very user-friendly
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) included in all plans
Where It Falls Behind
- Free version only allows two users
- App integrations unlock at the third tier
- Paid plans have a minimum team size
monday.com Monthly Pricing for Eligible Nonprofits
- Nonprofit
The first 10 seats are free.
For additional seats, a 70% discount will apply on the Pro tier price. : $68.40 per user annually for 13 seats, private boards, chart view, time tracking, and enterprise-scale automations - Enterprise: Custom pricing for advanced reporting/analytics, multi-level permissions, and premium support
Monthly Plans All plans are based on a per-user basis and apply to a minimum team size of three users.
- Free: Free for two seats, three boards, whiteboard, 500MB storage, shareable forms, 200+ templates, Kanban view, and custom notifications
- Basic: $10 per seat for unlimited free viewers, 5GB storage, unlimited boards, and custom fields
- Standard: $12 per seat for 20GB storage, timeline and Gantt views, guest access, and 250 actions for automation/integrations
- Pro: $24 per seat for 100GB storage, time tracking, workload, dependency column, and 25,000 actions for automation and integrations
- Enterprise: Contact sales for 1,000GB storage, advanced reporting/analytics, and 250,000 actions for automation and integrations
- Free trial: 14 days
We pick monday.com as our best project management software for nonprofit initiatives as it can help identify the right talent for various events and campaigns. It works as a volunteer management software that does more than just store staff information—it lets you recruit, engage, and monitor volunteers. Add custom categories like age, skills, location, and volunteer hours. You can also streamline admin work like scheduling, training, and managing volunteers.
One major disadvantage of monday.com is its pricing structure. The free plan only accepts up to two users, while paid plans have a predefined user count, which means you can only choose from three seats, five seats, 10 seats, and so on. If you want to get the same usability of monday.com without its complicated pricing system, try ClickUp. Priced at $10 per user, monthly, it can be tailored for any use case, allowing you to plan, organize, and collaborate with your team.
monday.com Features
The monday.com file versioning feature places all file versions in a centralized place to keep your team aligned at all times. (Source: monday.com)
- Customizable forms: Create personalized forms using a no-code form builder for collecting, tracking, and analyzing data. Apply conditional logic for follow-up questions and set automated actions for directing requests to the concerned departments.
- File versioning: Save multiple file versions in one place and view other versions, from the most recent to the oldest. You can preview, download, and add annotations to each version.
- Dependencies: Establish connections between task items dependent on one another. You can define the relationship between items and restructure your project timeline based on time changes.
Smartsheet: Best for Expense Tracking
What We Liked
- Highly customizable platform
- Up to 200 custom templates
- Dynamic spreadsheet-like interface
Where It Falls Behind
- Expensive—$23 price jump between Pro and Business plans
- Not user-friendly for spreadsheet beginners
- Lacks time tracking
Smartsheet Monthly Pricing Rates are based on per-user pricing. Annual billing for paid plans start at $7 per user, monthly
- Free: Free for one user and up to two editors, two sheets, 100 automations, unlimited dashboards, unlimited reports, automated workflows, dependencies, and 500MB attachment storage
- Pro: $9 per user for a maximum of 10 users and unlimited forms, unlimited viewers, 250 automations, and 20GB attachment storage
- Business: $32 per user for at least three users and unlimited editors, conditional form logic, activity log, custom colors, document building, unlimited automations, proofing, and 1TB attachment storage
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for work insights, unlimited attachment storage, custom email domains, and e-signature
- Free trial: 30 days
Among the best free project management software for nonprofits, Smartsheet is the only spreadsheet-like process automation platform for calculating, collecting, and automating data. This is ideal for nonprofit budgeting involving resource allocation and expense forecasting. It consists of rows, columns, filtering, conditional formatting, and over 80 formulas. With calculated values, you can spot trends and at-risk tasks and perform calculations across multiple sheets.
However, Smartsheet’s spreadsheet-inspired platform makes it hard to use initially, especially for users who lack experience with spreadsheets. monday.com is a similar but much more user-friendly alternative, as it lets you work in grids but uses visual elements like colors and columns, giving you a more intuitive experience.
Smartsheet Features
Smartsheet uses a spreadsheet program to create a collaborative environment. (Source: Smartsheet)
- Bridge: Smartsheet provides a cross-platform process automation engine that automates routine tasks and shares data across platforms. It uses a no-code interface to build advanced workflows and set up configurations between systems.
- Cell linking: Connect projects by sharing real-time information across sheets. With a summary sheet, organize data from multiple sources by pulling specific values from specific sheets into a read-only format.
- Data egress: Configure how your company restricts data-sharing activities to prevent the distribution of sensitive data. Prevent users from printing, sending, publishing, and exporting confidential files.
ClickUp: Best for Globally Distributed Nonprofit Teams
What We Liked
- Free plan includes up to 13 project views
- Offline mode is available on the web, desktop, and mobile
- Unlimited storage for all paid plans
Where It Falls Behind
- Dashboards are complex to navigate due to the overwhelming number of features
- Native integrations are limited to 49 apps
- Project hierarchy system can be confusing for beginners
ClickUp Monthly Pricing Rates are based on per-user pricing. Pay yearly and save up to 37%. Nonprofits are eligible for a special discount.
- Free-forever: Free for 100MB storage, task checklists, templates, spreadsheets, custom statuses, 100 automation, multiple assignees, and dependencies, in-app video recording, real-time chat, integrations, and time tracking
- Unlimited: $10 per user for unlimited dashboards, unlimited file storage, custom fields, form view, Gantt chart, guest access, 1,000 automation, portfolios, recurring tasks, delegate reminders, and milestones
- Business: $19 per user for unlimited teams, custom reporting, 10,000 automation, goals folder, workload management, mind map, timelines, and public sharing
- Enterprise: Contact sales for white labeling, 250,000 automation, team sharing, unlimited custom roles, and document tags
ClickUp lets you execute projects smoothly and fast-track teamwork with its all-in-one work solution for distributed nonprofit teams. Create user groups that you can assign to tasks, add as watchers, and mention in the comment threads. Agile dashboards let you monitor backlogs, adjust timelines, and visualize the progress of projects remotely. You can also collaborate in real time with built-in chat, whiteboard, and documents with rich editing tools.
Unfortunately, ClickUp connects with only 49 apps, giving you limited options for third-party integrations. If you’re looking for a fully integrated project manager for nonprofit organizations, check out Wrike. It integrates with over 400 apps and has its own integration add-on, allowing you to automate entire workflows across your organization.
ClickUp Features
The ellipsis feature under the task checklist provides different edit options for your to-do list items. (Source: ClickUp)
- Custom statuses: Mark your tasks with custom, color-coded statuses, such as “in progress,” “editing,” or “pending” so your team can easily view everyone’s progress.
- Task checklist: Use simple to-do lists to create a set of to-do items within a task. Organize your checklists using the drag-and-drop tool and reuse old checklists with templates.
- Screen recording: Instantly capture your desktop screen without time limits and send it to your team using a shareable link that can be viewed instantly in a browser. Use your microphone to add your voice to the recording so your team can understand the full context of the task.
Wrike: Best for Campaign Management
What We Liked
- Free version supports unlimited users
- Complete work intelligence features on free plan
- Up to 10 project views
Where It Falls Behind
- Scalable yet gets expensive quickly
- No monthly billing option
- Budgeting tools unlock at the highest paid plan
Wrike Monthly Pricing Pricing is based on a monthly per-user subscription and must be paid annually
- Free: Free for 2GB per account, task management, custom work views, work intelligence, project templates, and enterprise-grade security
- Team: $9.80 per user for up to 25 users, custom fields/workflows, calendars, dashboards, Gantt chart, work schedules, analytics view, request forms, and automation (50 actions)
- Business: $24.80 per user for up to 200 users, 5GB storage, portfolio, live reports, custom templates, approval, time tracking, and folder hierarchy
- Enterprise: Contact sales for up to unlimited users, 10GB storage, automation (1,000 actions), and advanced security controls
- Pinnacle: Contact sales for 15GB storage, advanced analytics, automation (1,500 actions), capacity planning, and locked spaces
- Free trial: 14 days
Wrike is a popular project management software for nonprofit organizations for its advanced campaign management system. This is ideal for organizing fundraising campaigns that involve updating sponsors and coordinating tasks with volunteers. Create dedicated campaign folders to keep all files, tasks, and information in one place, and get real-time visibility on your campaign performance with custom-built reports across 50 digital channels.
Despite Wrike’s powerful campaign planning tools, it’s not a budget-friendly option for small nonprofits. Besides the lack of a monthly billing option, scaling to advanced tiers can be expensive with its $15 per-user price gap. We recommend a cheaper alternative like Freedcamp, with a monthly fee starting at only $2.49 per user. This provider doesn’t sacrifice affordability for capabilities because it offers all the collaboration tools you need to maximize productivity.
Wrike Features
Subprojects are created in the same way as their parent projects. (Source: Wrike)
- Use case templates: Use a premade framework to perform a specific work type like projects, dashboards, tasks, reports, and request forms. Categories range from marketing, operations, creative, and Agile.
- Nested projects: A project that is part of a larger parent project with the same properties as projects. Add tasks, color code, set the status, and share with other users who have access to the parent project.
- Spaces: These are top-level grouping types in Wrike’s folder hierarchy that stores all the relevant information in your team. Use it to recreate your company’s structure and dedicate a private or public space.
Asana: Best for Fundraising Event Planning
What We Liked
- All plans include 100+ free integrations
- Unlimited activity log
- Rich task management features
Where It Falls Behind
- Lacks native time tracking
- Inability to assign tasks to multiple users
- Complicated to use for those new to project management
Asana Monthly Pricing Rates are based on per-user pricing. Discounted annual pricing is available. Eligible nonprofits get up to 50% discount.
- Basic: Free for calendar view, unlimited tasks, messages, and storage, board view projects, and 100+ integrations
- Premium: $13.49 per user for forms, workflow builder, timeline, reporting, custom templates, and unlimited dashboards
- Business: $30.49 per user for custom rules builder, workload, portfolio, time tracking, advanced reporting, forms branching, and approvals
- Enterprise: Contact sales for custom branding, unlimited bundles, and advanced security and governance
- Free trial: 30 days
Asana works as event planning software for managing fundraising event tasks and details in one accessible place. Invite third-party vendors as guests into your project so that they can keep track of deliverables and get an overview of your deadlines. Proofing in Asana lets you add feedback on event assets (e.g., posters or invitations) and turn comments into actionable tasks. Use the fundraising event template so you can customize it for your organization’s needs.
Like Wrike, Asana’s expensive price tag can be difficult for small nonprofits operating on a limited budget. It also has a steep learning curve that makes it difficult for new users to optimize its platform. If you’re after cost-savings and ease of use, try monday.com. It’s a completely visual project management platform with a monthly starting price of $10 per user.
Asana Features
Use custom fields to include additional data to your tasks in your Asana projects. (Source: Asana)
- Custom fields: Add color-coded labels to tasks so you can organize, track, and sort data your way. Choose from various field types like dates, numbers, priority, and texts.
- Project Brief: Use a text editor to outline the important details of your project, like backstory and scope of work. It lives within the Project Overview tab and lets you attach any supporting file.
- Workflow builder: Create efficient workflows using a visual tool to automate processes, connect teams, and streamline projects in a single place. For instance, you can create rules to trigger certain actions like updating status, assigning tasks, and turning form submissions into tasks.
Freedcamp: Best for Nonprofit Teams on a Budget
What We Liked
- Budget-friendly per-user fees
- Rich add-on options
- Calendar sharing
Where It Falls Behind
- Limited third-party integrations
- Poor security features
- Dashboards are locked on the Enterprise plan
Freedcamp Monthly Pricing Rates are based on per-user pricing. Save up to 25% by paying annually.
- Free: Free for unlimited projects, unlimited storage, 10MB file size limit, public projects, tasks, discussions, calendar, files, milestone, time, and password manager
- Pro: $2.49 per user for 25MB file size limit, email-in, cloud storage integration, tags, table view, subtasks, recurring tasks, multiple assignees, milestones, and calendar sharing
- Business: $8.99 per user for 100MB file size limit, reports, custom fields, custom status, invoicing, and project overview
- Enterprise: $19.99 per user for 250MB file size limit, white label, two-factor authentication, single sign-on, and dashboards
- Free trial: 14 days
Freedcamp is a valuable tool for small nonprofits looking for a low-cost project management solution that covers all the basic features without all the fancy features. All plans include unlimited projects, tasks, and storage. Its paid plans won’t break the bank because monthly fees start as low as $2.49 per user. It’s also one of the few providers offering several add-ons (e.g., invoicing and reports), so you don’t have to upgrade to higher tiers to access a certain feature.
Unfortunately, Freedcamp doesn’t have unique offerings that set it apart from competitors. In fact, this provider leaves behind a few primary features like Gantt charts and Kanban boards. If you’re looking for an affordable alternative that doesn’t skimp on features, check out ClickUp. Its robust free plan includes access to many advanced features like automation, dependencies, sprint management, and up to 13 project views.
Freedcamp Features
Freedcamp lets you assign tasks to your team by adding their Freedcamp email address to your email. (Source: Freedcamp)
- Discussions: Give your teams an organized space to brainstorm, ask questions, and have conversations about projects. You get clutter-free threaded conversations that are searchable, shareable, and attached to specific tasks.
- Password Manager: Provide your team with a secure way to share passwords and avoid poor password security habits. All saved passwords are encrypted and protected by a master password.
- Email-in: Create tasks, comments, and discussions using Freedcamp’s “email-in” functionality. This lets you manage your project without logging into your Freedcamp account.
How We Evaluated the Best Project Management Software for Nonprofits
We handpicked a variety of project management software based on popularity, industry sentiments, and functionality ratings, among users. From there, we designed a six-category rubric to accurately evaluate and compare all the providers we will cover. After computing the final scores, we selected six providers based on which ranked the highest.
Learn how we evaluated the best project management software for nonprofits by clicking on the tabs below:
20% of Overall Score
We examined the subscription plans of all our top picks and gave points to those charging less than $15 for the base plan. We explored the feature inclusions of providers offering free project management tools for nonprofits as well as their paid plans (entry-level to enterprise tiers). We also gave more weight to those offering volume discounts, cheaper annual fees, and a lengthy free trial for the paid plans.
25% of Overall Score
We looked for capabilities typically found in a project management app, including file storage, task reminders, document management, and a mobile app. We also checked if all plans support two-factor authentication to ensure account security.
20% of Overall Score
Many providers offer industry-specific capabilities to support unique project management needs. We looked for specialized features like milestone tracking, advanced project views (e.g., Kanban, Gantt, and calendar), and expense management. We also reviewed the number of third-party integrations available and automation tools.
10% of Overall Score
We assessed the usability of each software by testing it ourselves and analyzing customer reviews from reliable websites. We reviewed the feedback of recent users and checked for learning curves during the setup and configuration phase.
10% of Overall Score
For each project management software, we checked the type of customer service channels offered, like phone, live chat, email, and help desk. We gave higher points for 24/7 coverage.
15% of Overall Score
We assessed the performance of each project management provider by looking at its standout features and user-friendliness. We also considered their level of popularity and value for money.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Project management software for nonprofits ensure effortless project planning and execution, including managing events, volunteers, donors, and fundraising campaigns. Nonprofit groups can work from anywhere and handle various tasks in a centralized location, from planning fundraisers and creating volunteer assignments to maintaining records of sponsors.
Nonprofits should look for project management features that let them monitor the progress of their projects and create a centralized hub for managing volunteer information, tasks, files, and donor profiles. For example, document storage is useful in storing information on previous fundraising events. Dashboards keep you up to date with volunteer initiatives, while reporting tools are useful in measuring program effectiveness.
Freedcamp is a low-cost option for small nonprofit groups that are just getting started with a project management platform. monday.com is also a suitable choice with its user-friendly interface and seamless integrations. Both providers have a free version, with features like file storage, task management, and project discussions—good enough for nonprofits that don’t want to be overwhelmed with features and learning curves.
Bottom Line
Project management software is a beneficial tool for nonprofits dealing with various initiatives and stakeholders. In this guide, we pick monday.com as one of the best project management tools for nonprofits, as it can be used for anything you might need for end-to-end project management. With its extensive integrations, customizability, and user-friendliness, you can create a project management solution ideal for your team’s workflow.
Sign up for its free version or 14-day free trial to explore its unique capabilities.
