For a Kenyan nonprofit, choosing an online donation platform is not simply a question of finding a website where people can click “Donate.”
The right platform needs to fit the organisation’s fundraising model.
A small community organisation may primarily need M-Pesa and a simple fundraising page. A larger NGO may need M-Pesa, international card payments, recurring donations, donor management, campaign tracking, automated receipts, reporting, and integration with its existing website.
Some platforms are designed primarily for fundraising campaigns. Others are payment gateways that can be integrated into an NGO’s own website. Others, such as GlobalGiving, provide access to an international donor network as well as payment infrastructure.
This distinction is important.
A platform can be excellent at processing donations without helping an NGO find new donors. Another platform may provide access to international donors but charge substantially more per donation.
This guide compares several options relevant to Kenyan nonprofits and explains how to choose the right approach.
An online donation platform allows an organisation to receive contributions through digital channels.
Depending on the platform, it may provide some or all of the following:
These functions are not interchangeable.
A platform such as M-Changa is fundamentally a fundraising platform, while services such as Pesapal, Flutterwave, and Paystack are primarily payment infrastructure that can be used to collect payments through a website.
GlobalGiving operates differently again. It combines fundraising tools with access to a global network of donors and corporate partners.
Before comparing platforms, determine what your NGO needs.
There are at least four different problems an online donation platform can solve.
A payment gateway or direct M-Pesa integration may be sufficient.
A fundraising platform such as M-Changa may be more convenient.
A platform supporting international cards and payment methods becomes more important.
This is a fundamentally different requirement.
A global fundraising network such as GlobalGiving may provide more value because it can potentially expose the organisation to donors, companies, and philanthropic networks beyond its existing audience.
For Kenyan nonprofits, the most relevant categories include:
These should not be viewed as identical alternatives.
Some can be used together.
For example, an NGO could use its own website as the primary fundraising destination, integrate a payment gateway for M-Pesa and cards, and maintain a GlobalGiving presence for international fundraising.
M-Changa is a Kenya-focused online fundraising platform designed specifically around fundraising campaigns.
It allows individuals and organisations to create fundraising pages, share their campaigns, accept donations, communicate with supporters, and manage fundraising activity.
The platform supports M-Pesa and other payment options, including cards and PayPal. M-Changa also provides fundraising through mobile channels, which can be particularly relevant in Kenya.
M-Changa is particularly strong for:
The platform currently charges a 4.25% platform fee on donations. A reduced 3.5% platform fee applies to fundraisers raising KSh 3 million or more within 30 days. M-Pesa and mobile-money donation processing is listed at 0%, while Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal donations carry a 2.5% processing fee. Withdrawal charges depend on the withdrawal method.
M-Changa is not necessarily the best choice if your primary objective is to create a completely branded donation experience on your own NGO website.
The platform is designed around its own fundraising environment.
For an NGO that wants its website to be the central digital fundraising destination, integrating payment functionality directly into the website may provide greater control over the donor journey.
Kenyan NGOs, community organisations, churches, groups, and campaigns that want a ready-made fundraising platform with strong M-Pesa support.
GlobalGiving takes a very different approach.
It is a global nonprofit fundraising platform connecting organisations with donors, companies, and other nonprofits. GlobalGiving says it works with organisations in more than 175 countries and conducts due diligence on organisations seeking to join its community.
For a Kenyan NGO seeking international visibility, this can be considerably more valuable than simply having another payment gateway.
GlobalGiving can provide:
GlobalGiving also supports M-Pesa for eligible projects through its partnership with M-Changa.
GlobalGiving does not charge nonprofits a setup, monthly, or annual subscription fee.
Instead, it deducts fees from donations.
Its current published fee structure includes a nonprofit support fee ranging from 5% to 12%, depending on factors including the organisation’s registration country and fundraising level, plus a 3% third-party processing fee. For organisations registered outside the US and UK, GlobalGiving states that direct donations after the initial $5,000 raised generally carry a 7% nonprofit support fee plus the 3% processing fee.
This is considerably more expensive than simply integrating a low-cost payment gateway.
However, the comparison is not entirely like-for-like.
GlobalGiving is providing fundraising infrastructure, donor exposure, vetting, support, training, and access to corporate and philanthropic networks.
GlobalGiving requires organisations to go through its due diligence process.
It is therefore not simply a payment gateway that you can switch on immediately.
It also means that the NGO’s fundraising presence exists within the GlobalGiving ecosystem rather than being entirely controlled by the NGO’s own website.
Kenyan NGOs seeking international donors, corporate partnerships, and access to a global fundraising network.
Flutterwave is primarily a payment technology platform rather than a dedicated NGO fundraising marketplace.
For Kenyan organisations, it supports M-Pesa and card payments and provides payment links and donation pages.
Flutterwave’s Kenya documentation states that its payment channels include cards and M-Pesa, while its donation-page functionality is specifically designed for accepting donations.
It can be useful for NGOs that want:
Flutterwave also provides an API for M-Pesa payments, allowing a website or application to initiate a payment using the donor’s M-Pesa phone number.
Flutterwave currently lists Kenya local card transactions at 3.2% and local wallet/mobile-money transactions at 2.9%. It lists international card transactions at 4.8%.
These fees should be checked against the provider’s current pricing before implementation because payment-provider pricing can change.
NGOs that want a payment gateway capable of handling both M-Pesa and cards, particularly where website integration and international payments matter.
Paystack is another payment infrastructure provider available to Kenyan organisations.
Its Kenyan pricing currently lists M-Pesa transactions at 1.5%, local card transactions at 2.9%, and international card transactions at 3.8%. It does not charge upfront or monthly fees under the published pricing model.
Paystack can be attractive when the NGO wants:
Compared with some alternatives, the published M-Pesa transaction rate is relatively straightforward.
Paystack is primarily payment infrastructure.
It does not provide the same type of global nonprofit fundraising marketplace as GlobalGiving.
In other words, Paystack can help an NGO accept donations from people it brings to its website, but it is not primarily designed to bring new donors to the NGO.
NGOs with their own website and audience that need relatively straightforward payment infrastructure for M-Pesa and card donations.
Pesapal is a Kenya-based payment service provider that supports online payments and M-Pesa.
Its online payment products include payment pages, payment links, and API integrations for websites. Pesapal states that its online payment services can accept cards, mobile money, and bank transfers, while its payment infrastructure supports M-Pesa and card transactions.
Pesapal can be useful for NGOs that want:
Like Paystack and Flutterwave, Pesapal is primarily payment infrastructure.
It should therefore be compared with those services when deciding how to process donations through your own website, rather than directly with GlobalGiving as a fundraising marketplace.
Kenyan NGOs that want established local payment infrastructure and M-Pesa integration for their own website or online payment pages.
There is another option that is often overlooked.
Instead of using a third-party fundraising platform, an NGO can integrate M-Pesa payment functionality directly into its own website.
This can create a donation journey such as:
The exact technical implementation depends on the M-Pesa account configuration and integration method being used.
The biggest advantage is control.
The NGO controls:
The donation experience can also be integrated with the rest of the website.
For example, an NGO could have:
Programme page → Impact story → Donation → M-Pesa payment → Confirmation → Thank-you email
rather than sending donors to an unrelated third-party platform.
Direct integration requires development work.
The NGO becomes responsible for:
This makes more sense for an organisation that already has a strong website or is planning a professional website redesign.
The platforms are easier to understand when compared according to their primary purpose.
| Platform | M-Pesa | Cards | International donors | Own website integration | Fundraising marketplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-Changa | Yes | Yes | Some | Limited/indirect | Yes |
| GlobalGiving | Yes, including eligible M-Pesa donations | Yes | Strong | Limited | Yes |
| Flutterwave | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Paystack | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Pesapal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Direct M-Pesa | Yes | No, unless separately integrated | No | Full control | No |
The distinction between fundraising platform and payment gateway is one of the most important points in this comparison.
These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they solve different problems.
A fundraising platform typically provides:
Examples include M-Changa and GlobalGiving.
A payment gateway primarily processes the financial transaction.
It may provide:
Examples include Paystack, Flutterwave, and Pesapal.
An NGO should decide whether it needs a fundraising engine, a payment engine, or both.
If M-Pesa is the primary requirement, there are several viable approaches.
M-Changa is particularly relevant when the NGO wants to create a campaign quickly and share it through WhatsApp, social media, email, and other channels.
GlobalGiving is more appropriate when international donors and corporate fundraising opportunities are important.
These providers are more appropriate when the NGO wants its website to remain the central fundraising destination.
If the NGO wants complete control over the donation experience and already has a capable development team or agency, direct integration can provide the greatest flexibility.
International fundraising requires more than simply accepting Visa or Mastercard.
Consider:
GlobalGiving has a particular advantage here because it is designed around international nonprofit fundraising.
It says it connects nonprofits with donors, companies, and other nonprofits across more than 175 countries and can provide access to US and UK donors who may qualify for applicable tax benefits through its structure.
A payment gateway, by comparison, generally provides the ability to process an international card transaction but does not automatically provide access to a network of philanthropists.
There is no universally cheapest option because the platforms provide different services.
Consider a KSh 10,000 donation.
A platform charging a percentage may deduct a relatively small amount from the transaction.
But the real question is:
What are you receiving in exchange for that fee?
A payment gateway may charge a lower transaction fee but provide no donor acquisition.
A fundraising platform may charge more but expose the NGO to new donors, corporate giving programmes, fundraising campaigns, training, and other resources.
For this reason, NGOs should evaluate cost per successful donation rather than simply looking for the lowest percentage.
For example:
Platform A costs 2% but generates no new donors.
Platform B costs 10% but generates significant additional international fundraising.
Platform A is not automatically the better financial decision.
In most cases, yes.
Even if the NGO uses a third-party fundraising platform, its own website should generally remain the organisation’s primary digital home.
The website can explain:
The donation mechanism can then fit naturally into this experience.
For example:
Our Work → Education Programme → Results → Support This Programme
This is fundamentally different from simply sending someone to a generic fundraising page.
An NGO does not necessarily have to choose one platform exclusively.
A more sophisticated strategy could look like this:
The NGO’s own website acts as the central source of information and fundraising.
A payment gateway or direct M-Pesa integration handles Kenyan donations.
GlobalGiving provides an additional channel for international donors and corporate fundraising.
M-Changa can be used for specific campaigns that benefit from a dedicated fundraising page and easy social sharing.
This creates multiple channels without making the NGO dependent on a single platform.
If 90% of your donors are Kenyan, M-Pesa should be a major consideration.
If your donor base is international, card payments and international settlement become more important.
Transaction fees matter more when donations are small.
For example, a platform with a percentage fee may be acceptable for large donations but expensive for hundreds of very small contributions.
If monthly giving is important, verify that the platform supports the exact recurring-payment model you need.
Do not assume that every platform’s “monthly donation” feature works the same way.
If your biggest problem is:
“We have a website but nobody knows we exist.”
Then adding another payment gateway will not solve the underlying problem.
You may need a fundraising network, SEO strategy, partnerships, social media, email marketing, or donor outreach.
Understand:
This is particularly important when an NGO is building a long-term donor relationship strategy.
If your NGO runs multiple fundraising campaigns, you should be able to distinguish between them.
For example:
Ask how the platform handles:
These operational details become important as donation volumes grow.
Online donations involve personal information.
Depending on the implementation, an NGO may collect:
Kenyan organisations should therefore consider their obligations under the country’s data protection framework when selecting and configuring a donation platform.
Do not choose a platform solely because it has a convenient payment button.
Ask how donor data is collected, stored, accessed, exported, retained, and shared.
Your website should also provide appropriate privacy information to donors.
A donation platform is handling financial transactions and potentially sensitive donor information.
Before implementation, ask:
If the platform is integrated into your website, your development agency should also explain how the integration will be maintained.
The cheapest payment platform is not necessarily the best one if the donation experience is frustrating.
A good donation journey should:
For Kenyan donors, an M-Pesa experience should be particularly straightforward.
A donor should not have to navigate through several pages just to find a Paybill number.
It is tempting to think that an online donation platform eliminates the need for a strong NGO website.
It does not.
A donation platform processes the transaction.
Your website builds the case for giving.
Before someone donates, they may want to know:
Your website needs to answer these questions.
This is particularly important for NGOs seeking institutional funding and international donors. A professional website can act as a credibility layer before someone decides to contribute.
A custom donation experience starts to make sense when:
At that stage, the question is no longer simply:
Which donation platform should we use?
It becomes:
What digital fundraising infrastructure does our organisation need?
That is a website and digital product design question as much as it is a payment question.
Use the following as a starting point.
There is no single best online donation platform for every Kenyan nonprofit.
The right choice depends on what your organisation is trying to accomplish.
If the primary requirement is simple Kenyan fundraising with M-Pesa, M-Changa is a strong option.
If the priority is international fundraising and access to a global donor network, GlobalGiving is worth serious consideration.
If the organisation already has an established website and wants M-Pesa and card payments integrated into its own digital experience, payment providers such as Paystack, Flutterwave, or Pesapal may be more appropriate.
If the NGO needs complete control over the donor experience and custom workflows, a direct payment integration into a professionally developed website may be the strongest long-term solution.
For many established NGOs, the answer may ultimately be a combination rather than a single platform.
Your own website should remain the centre of your digital presence, while specialised platforms can provide additional fundraising and payment channels.
Choosing a payment provider is only one part of digital fundraising.
The bigger question is whether a potential donor can move smoothly from:
Discovering your organisation → Understanding your work → Trusting your organisation → Choosing what to support → Making a donation → Receiving confirmation → Staying engaged
That entire journey is a user experience.
For NGOs investing in a new website or redesign, it is worth considering the donation journey during the planning and UX research stage rather than adding a payment button after the website has already been designed.
Zedafrica is a Nairobi-based creative technology company specialising in website design, website development, UI/UX design, UX research, and app design. We create digital experiences designed around real users and organisational goals.
If your NGO is planning a new website or wants to improve its digital fundraising experience, schedule a conversation with Zedafrica.
