The origin story of TicketSignup is that it was initially conceived up to help the many RunSignup customers who were nonprofits manage additional types of events. Since those early days, the product has matured and new features have been added that have made it an ideal option for many for-profit events, as well. Regardless, TicketSignup remains committed being the best option for tickets for nonprofit events.

1. Free Ticketing for Nonprofits

While Eventbrite has recently currently has an application for discounted subscription fees for nonprofits, TicketSignup has a better offer: no subscription fees for nonprofits (or for-profits). All TicketSignup tickets are have a simple 40¢ fee, plus standard cc processing fees (2.9%+30¢). That’s it.

TicketSignup’s transparent fee structure saves nonprofits money with no subscription fees. More than that, all TicketSignup features are included, for all events. There’s no secret upcharge for events that send a lot of email or utilize more marketing tools. Free is free.

All fees can be passed onto ticket purchasers, absorbed by the event, or split between the two. The choice is yours.

2. Affordable for Your Supporters

TicketSignup doesn’t just save your organization money, it also saves your supporters money. While your organization can choose to absorb the processing fees, most events opt to pass fees onto ticket purchasers. Lower fees both builds goodwill (no one likes to see outrageous fees at checkout) and makes it easier for them to buy more tickets.

TicketSignup’s processing fees simply are lower than Eventbrite’s. Eventbrite fees are $1.79 + 6.6%, while TicketSignup’s are 40¢ + (2.9%+30¢). Below, you can see the impact of that difference for your ticket purchasers individually, and across all your tickets.

This chart is based on tickets for $25.

Low fees makes it easy for your supporters to buy more tickets.

3. Keeping the Focus on Donations

TicketSignup is built with an integrated donation platform. This means you don’t need to use a hacky solution like pay-what-you-wish tickets to allow (and encourage) donations as purchasers are buying tickets. TicketSignup’s integrated donations keeps your event focused on what’s important: raising more for your cause.

• Enable donations both during and outside the purchase path, with a prominent (and customizable) “Donate” button on your event website.
• Allow for the setup of donation levels. A range of donation levels ensures that all donors know their donation is valued (even if they can only donate $5), while making the ask for big donations of 500+ (if you don’t ask, you won’t get it). For an added incentive, use descriptive donation levels that highlight the good your organization can do with each donation

• Donations have a low 4% processing fee. To further minimize the effective processing fee, you can give donors the option to cover the processing fee.
• If purchasers skip through the donation step, you can also prompt a quick donation at checkout via a checkbox option. This easy-to-access option to donate ensures you capture every possible donor.

The integration of donations into the ticket purchase also allows you to get creative with your event settings. To put the full emphasis on donations, you can add a offer a donation discount. That is, provide a lower ticket price (or a free ticket) for anyone who donates above a set amount.

4. Single-Source Event Reporting

Data is crucial to any nonprofit. Keeping all your event data in once place means quick and easy reporting, and simple options to upload supporter information to your CRM. Additionally, TicketSignup has data driven components, like it’s donation thermometer for your event website, that rely on accurate TicketSignup data.

TicketSignup’s free donation imports means you can quickly and easily import any offline donations into your ticket event, either individually or in bulk via a CSV. This ensures all event donors are recognized on your event website and all donations are included in your donation totals and donation thermometers.

5. Free Marketing Tools for Your Nonprofit Event

Perhaps the single biggest way that TicketSignup can help your nonprofit event operations is by saving you marketing money. Our free tools for branding, communications, and spreading the word about your event mean you can save your money for event operations and your mission.

• Email marketing: TicketSignup’s free email allows for unlimited contact uploads and unlimited sends because we know email works – in 2025, it led to 12% of all transactions on our platform.

• Websites: Every event on TicketSignup has a free, customizable event website. The easy point & click website builder makes it simple for you to add additional pages and menu items, and data-drive components like donation thermometers ensure up-to-the-second donation data. Want to save even more on websites? Free Organization Websites allow you to build and manage your entire nonprofit website (for free).

• Referral Rewards: Incentivize your supporters to share your event with referral programs that automate rewards for successful referrals.

• Ticket Insights: Track the source of every click, purchase and donation on your event website. With custom source tracking, you can monitor the success of every marketing action.

Summary

TicketSignup is available to all types of ticketed events, but ensuring that nonprofits have the tools they need to raise more remains a key priority. With low, family-friendly processing fees, integrated donations, and free marketing tools, TicketSignup can save your nonprofit money while helping you raise money!