Best Email Software for Nonprofits: 7 Simple Tools (2026)

TL;DR: For nonprofits seeking simplicity without the learning curve, Groupmail offers the best balance of ease-of-use, human support, and nonprofit-friendly pricing (30% discount on all plans). You can set it up in 10 minutes and start sending updates to your members immediately. If you need more automation features, MailerLite is a solid alternative with a matching 30% nonprofit discount. For ultra-tight budgets, EmailOctopus provides a generous free plan for up to 2,500 contacts.

Finding the right email tool shouldn't feel like a second job. Yet many nonprofit staff spend hours wrestling with platforms built for e-commerce marketers, not community organizations. If you're a nonprofit director, volunteer coordinator, or development officer who just wants to send updates to your members and donors without the complexity, you're in the right place.

Disclosure: We're the team behind Groupmail—simple email software for organizations since 1996. We'll be upfront about where we fit and honest about alternatives.

Why Nonprofits Need Simpler Email Tools

Most email platforms weren't designed with nonprofits in mind. They were built for online stores trying to recover abandoned carts, or marketing teams running complex automation sequences. The result? Features you'll never use, dashboards that overwhelm, and pricing that climbs as your community grows.

Nonprofit teams face a different reality. You're often working with limited time, smaller budgets, and staff who wear multiple hats. The church secretary shouldn't need a marketing degree to send the weekly bulletin. The development coordinator shouldn't spend their afternoon figuring out why their donor thank-you email ended up in spam.

What you actually need is straightforward: a way to send clear, well-designed updates to your members, track who opened them, and maybe segment your list so volunteers get different messages than donors. That's it. The "advanced" features that enterprise platforms tout—multi-step automation workflows, AI-generated subject lines, dynamic content personalization—often just get in the way.

💡 Tip: Before evaluating any email tool, list what you actually need. For most nonprofits: a simple editor, contact management, basic open/click tracking, reliable delivery, and a nonprofit discount. Everything else is a bonus.

What to Look For in Nonprofit Email Software

When choosing an email platform for your organization, prioritize these factors:

Ease of use. Can a volunteer with basic computer skills send their first email within an hour? If the answer is no, the tool is probably too complex for your needs.

Nonprofit pricing. Many platforms offer discounts ranging from 15% to 50% for registered nonprofits. Always ask—some don't advertise these discounts prominently.

Transparent pricing. Watch out for tools that charge based on "contacts" rather than actual recipients. If someone unsubscribes, you shouldn't keep paying for them.

Human support. When something goes wrong before your annual fundraising appeal, you need a real person to help—not a chatbot pointing you to documentation.

Deliverability. The most beautiful email is worthless if it lands in spam. Look for platforms with strong sender reputations or BYOSMTP options that let you connect your own email service.

GDPR compliance. If you have any European members or donors, your email tool must handle data properly. EU-based platforms often have this built into their DNA.

7 Best Email Tools for Nonprofits

1. Groupmail

Best for: Nonprofits wanting simplicity, human support, and a tool built specifically for organizations Pricing: Free (500 contacts) | Starter €25/month | 30% nonprofit discount on all paid plans Website: groupmail.io

Groupmail was designed from the ground up for organizations—not marketers. The platform strips away the complexity that plagues most email tools, giving you exactly what you need: a clean editor, straightforward contact management, and basic reporting that tells you what happened without drowning you in metrics.

Setup takes about 10 minutes. There's no multi-step onboarding wizard or mandatory video tutorials. You import your contacts, create an email, and send. The interface makes sense immediately, which matters when your volunteer coordinator changes every year.

What sets Groupmail apart is the BYOSMTP model. Instead of relying on shared sending infrastructure, you connect your own email service like SendGrid or SMTP2Go. This typically means better deliverability since you're building your own sender reputation, plus lower total costs as your list grows. SMTP2Go offers Groupmail customers 10,000 free emails per month, which covers many smaller nonprofits entirely.

The 30% nonprofit discount applies to all paid plans, and the Starter plan at €25/month (before discount) stays well under typical board-approval thresholds. Support comes from real humans—you'll actually talk to someone who knows the product.

Key Takeaway: Groupmail is purpose-built for organizations that want to send member updates without becoming email experts. The 29-year track record and human support provide peace of mind that newer tools can't match.

2. MailerLite

Best for: Nonprofits who want affordable automation features Pricing: Free (500 contacts) | Paid from $10/month | 30% nonprofit discount Website: mailerlite.com

MailerLite consistently ranks among the best values in email software, and for good reason. The interface is clean and intuitive, the free plan is genuinely useful, and the nonprofit discount matches the best in the industry at 30%.

The platform strikes a good balance between simplicity and features. You get a drag-and-drop editor, landing pages, and basic automation without the interface feeling cluttered. If you eventually want to set up a welcome sequence for new donors or automated birthday greetings, MailerLite can handle it.

One consideration: MailerLite isn't specifically built for nonprofits or organizations, so some of the language and features lean toward general small business use. You'll see references to "subscribers" rather than "members," and some templates are clearly designed for e-commerce.

3. EmailOctopus

Best for: Budget-conscious nonprofits with larger contact lists Pricing: Free (2,500 contacts) | Paid from $9/month | 20% lifetime nonprofit discount Website: emailoctopus.com

EmailOctopus offers one of the most generous free plans available—up to 2,500 contacts and 10,000 emails per month. For small nonprofits just getting started with email, this could cover your needs for quite some time.

The platform keeps things simple. You won't find complex automation or AI writing assistants here. What you will find is a straightforward editor, clean templates, and pricing that stays affordable as you grow. The 20% nonprofit discount applies for life, not just the first year.

The trade-off is fewer features. If you need advanced segmentation, detailed automation workflows, or extensive integrations, EmailOctopus may feel limiting. But if you just want to send a monthly newsletter to your supporters without fuss, it's an excellent choice.

4. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Best for: Nonprofits who also need SMS and basic CRM features Pricing: Free (300 emails/day, unlimited contacts) | Paid from $9/month | 15% nonprofit discount (Enterprise only) Website: brevo.com

Brevo takes a unique approach to pricing: you pay based on emails sent, not contacts stored. This can work in your favor if you have a large contact list but send infrequently—you could maintain thousands of contacts on the free plan.

The platform has evolved into a full marketing suite with email, SMS, WhatsApp messaging, and a built-in CRM. For nonprofits running events or coordinating volunteers across multiple channels, having everything in one place can be valuable.

The downside: Brevo's nonprofit discount (15%) only applies to Enterprise plans, which are priced for larger organizations. Smaller nonprofits won't benefit from special pricing, though the free and lower-tier plans are reasonably affordable on their own.

5. Mailchimp

Best for: Nonprofits who need maximum integrations Pricing: Free (500 contacts, 1,000 emails/month) | Paid from $13/month | 15% nonprofit discount Website: mailchimp.com

Mailchimp is the name everyone knows, and there's a reason—the platform integrates with practically everything. If you use Salesforce, Eventbrite, WordPress, or almost any other tool, Mailchimp probably connects to it.

However, Mailchimp has grown significantly more complex over the years. What started as a simple email tool now includes website building, social media ads, postcards, and features most nonprofits will never touch. This complexity shows in the interface, which can feel overwhelming for new users.

The free plan has also become increasingly limited, and pricing escalates quickly as your list grows. The 15% nonprofit discount helps, but many organizations find the cost-to-simplicity ratio no longer makes sense. If you've been using Mailchimp and find yourself frustrated with the complexity, you're not alone—that's why "Mailchimp alternatives" is such a popular search term.

⚠️ Watch out: Many email tools count unsubscribed contacts against your plan limits. Check the fine print—you might be paying for people who can't receive your emails.

6. Constant Contact

Best for: Nonprofits who want phone support and event management tools Pricing: No free plan | Paid from $12/month | Up to 30% nonprofit discount (with 12-month prepay) Website: constantcontact.com

Constant Contact has been around since 1995, making it one of the oldest players in the space. The platform includes built-in event management features—RSVPs, ticket sales, automated reminders—which can be genuinely useful for nonprofits running galas or community events.

Phone support is available on all plans, which matters if your team prefers talking to someone rather than searching help documentation. The nonprofit discount can reach 30%, but only if you commit to a full year upfront.

The catch: Constant Contact is one of the more expensive options, and there's no free plan to test the waters. The automation features also lag behind competitors, which may matter if you eventually want to build out donor nurturing sequences.

7. Buttondown

Best for: Very small nonprofits who want minimal features and maximum simplicity Pricing: Free (100 contacts) | Paid from $9/month | 50% nonprofit discount Website: buttondown.com

Buttondown offers the most generous nonprofit discount we've seen—50% off all plans. The platform is intentionally minimal, built for people who just want to write and send without distractions.

The editor supports Markdown, which some writers love and others find limiting. There are no fancy templates or drag-and-drop builders here. You write your message, hit send, and that's it.

For most nonprofits, Buttondown may be too minimal. The free plan caps at just 100 contacts, and the lack of visual templates makes it harder to create polished newsletters without design skills. But if your needs are genuinely simple and you're comfortable with plain-text-style emails, the 50% discount makes this an extremely affordable option.

Quick Comparison Table

Which Tool Is Right for You?

Choose Groupmail if: You want the simplest possible setup, value human support, and need a tool built specifically for organizations rather than marketers. The BYOSMTP model also makes sense if deliverability is a priority or you want to control your sender reputation.

Choose MailerLite if: You want a balance of simplicity and features, particularly if you'll eventually need basic automation like welcome sequences or anniversary emails.

Choose EmailOctopus if: Budget is your primary constraint and you have a larger list. The 2,500-contact free plan is hard to beat.

Choose Brevo if: You need to combine email with SMS outreach or want a built-in CRM for donor management.

Choose Mailchimp if: You have specific integration requirements that only Mailchimp can meet, or your team is already trained on the platform.

Choose Constant Contact if: Event management and phone support are must-haves for your organization.

Choose Buttondown if: Your needs are truly minimal and you're comfortable with text-focused emails.

For most nonprofits, the decision comes down to Groupmail or MailerLite. Both offer 30% nonprofit discounts and solid free plans. Groupmail edges ahead if you prioritize simplicity and human support; MailerLite wins if you anticipate needing more automation features down the road.

Conclusion

The best email software for your nonprofit isn't the one with the most features—it's the one your team will actually use consistently. Complex tools often lead to abandoned accounts and missed opportunities to connect with your community.

Focus on what matters: Can you send a professional-looking update to your members in 15 minutes? Will someone help when things go wrong? Does the pricing make sense for your budget?

If those questions lead you toward simpler tools, you're thinking about this correctly. Your members care about hearing from you, not about which platform you used to reach them.

Ready to send your first update? Try Groupmail free – set up in 10 minutes, no credit card required. Built for organizations, not marketers.