Best email platform for nonprofits: discounts, donation forms and limits

What a volunteer-run organization actually needs

Most small nonprofits send a monthly update, an event invitation and an occasional appeal to a list of a few hundred to a few thousand supporters. Two or three volunteers share the work, and they change every year or two. The platform has to be simple enough for the next volunteer, keep consent and unsubscribe records intact, and stay inside a budget that a board approved once.

This shifts the order of questions. First, how many active subscribers do you have, and how often do you send? Second, does a free plan cover that? Only third: if you must pay, which published discount lowers the bill? Feature lists matter less than handover, consent records and a predictable renewal.

Published nonprofit discounts

MailerLite's nonprofit page says nonprofits get 30 percent off any MailerLite plan. To claim it, sign up for the 14-day trial, select nonprofit as your industry and contact support with your documentation within the trial. MailerLite also runs a separate sponsorship that gives free Power plans for two years to selected learning and arts-based nonprofits. The page's FAQ says team members nominate organizations, and another FAQ entry mentions applying through a Pay-it-forward initiative, so ask MailerLite how selection currently works.

Moosend's pricing FAQ says it offers nonprofit organizations a 25 percent discount, which can be applied on top of the standard 20 percent annual discount. The pricing page does not list the documents Moosend requires, so ask support before you rely on the discount in a budget. Kit's and beehiiv's pricing pages, as fetched, did not mention a nonprofit discount.

Worked cost: what the discount saves

MailerLite's pricing page lists Comfort from $12 a month and shows the exact price only for the subscriber tier you select, so use your own tier price, P, as the starting point. Because only one discount applies, the choice is 30 percent off or the 10 percent annual rate. On a monthly price of P, the nonprofit discount gives 0.70 x P a month (8.4 x P a year), while annual billing alone gives 0.90 x P a month (10.8 x P a year). Illustration only: if P were the $12 starting price, that is $8.40 a month against $10.80. Ask support which price the discount is applied to before you budget.

Moosend's prices also depend on the contact count you select. If a plan lists at P per month and the two discounts are applied in sequence, the annual discount gives 0.80 x P and the nonprofit discount then gives 0.75 x 0.80 x P = 0.60 x P, or 40 percent off in total. If Moosend instead adds the percentages, the result would be 45 percent off. That is why a written quote matters.

When a free plan beats any discount

A percentage discount on a paid plan still costs money, while a free plan that fits costs nothing. MailerLite Free allows 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, and 3 active automations with up to 5 steps each. Kit Free allows up to 10,000 subscribers with broadcasts, landing pages, forms and tagging, but no automated email sequences. beehiiv Free allows up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends but no automations. Moosend has a 30-day trial rather than a free plan.

For a group of 1,200 supporters sending one newsletter a month, Kit Free or beehiiv Free covers the list without a discount application. For a group that needs a welcome sequence or an event-reminder automation at that size, a paid plan becomes necessary, and that is when a published nonprofit discount matters.

Donations: what the vendors document

We did not find a dedicated donation form described on the MailerLite nonprofit page or on the Moosend pages we read, so we do not claim one exists. MailerLite's nonprofit page highlights an event RSVP block for fundraising events, ticket sales, embedded surveys and dynamic content that shows different blocks to donors, volunteers and board members in one email. Kit's pricing page lists virtual tip jars on every plan, with a published transaction fee of 3.5 percent plus 30 cents.

The practical approach for most small organizations is to keep donations on the payment page you already use and link a clear donate button to it from every email. That keeps card data out of the email tool and preserves your existing receipts process.

Handover checklist for volunteer teams

Volunteer turnover is the most common way a nonprofit loses access to its own list. Set these up before choosing a plan.

• Register the account with an organization-owned email address, not a volunteer's personal inbox.
• Keep the discount approval email and proof-of-status document in the shared drive.
• Record the plan, billing interval, renewal date and the card or invoice contact.
• Export the subscriber list with consent and unsubscribe status every quarter.
• Write a one-page note: how people join, which automation runs and who approves sends.
• Re-check the active subscriber count a month before renewal; MailerLite bills on active subscribers counted across the billing cycle.

Sources & verification

Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.

1. MailerLite for nonprofits Accessed 29 Oct 2026
2. MailerLite pricing and FAQ Accessed 29 Oct 2026
3. MailerLite automation plan limits Accessed 29 Oct 2026
4. Moosend pricing and FAQ Accessed 29 Oct 2026
5. Kit pricing and plan comparison Accessed 29 Oct 2026
6. beehiiv pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026