Classy Reviews

“Started strong, but the merger slowed things down

Pros

When we made the switch to Classy back in 2018, we were excited about improving both the donor experience and the admin side. And it does what we expected. Also it is very simple to set up and manage recurring donations. Plus we found the P2P and crowdfunding tools to be huge wins. But what really stood out was the sleek front end design and the strong connection we had with our account manager.

Cons

Ever since it merged with GoFundMe, we have seen a serious slowdown in promised updates and overall product improvement. We have been asking for the same features for years with no progress. Plus we constantly run into event related issues and have to rely on support instead of being able to fix them ourselves. Another frustrating thing is that receipts come from Classy's email address instead of ours so donors often miss them because they end up in spam. We left Blackbaud even though its interface was a mess but at least we could sell merch at events and sync that into our CRM. We have been waiting forever for that feature here. The Salesforce integration is also clunky and does not follow best practices. While we finally have a good account rep now there was a long period where we were passed around to multiple people who had no background on our account. We'd waste time bringing them up to speed just to hear the same excuses about delays. I had hoped the GoFundMe deal would bring innovation but instead it feels like everything has stalled out.

“Wasn't quite what I needed

Pros

What really impressed me was how organized and clean everything felt as if that makes sense. Plus it was easy to figure out and made handling a fundraiser behind the scenes a smooth process.

Cons

Compared to some of the newer platforms I come across this one falls short in terms of fundraising tools and donor features.

“Works well

Pros

One of our favorite things is being able to customize Classy to fit our organization's exact needs. Also, the support team we work with makes that customization feel simple and they really help us maximize and get the most out of what it offers.

Cons

There are a few features we wish it had but luckily we have always found a workaround that does the trick for us.

“Not bad, just not my go-to

Pros

Once I finished setting up a fundraising page I was really happy with how polished it looked. Plus the visuals were great and I liked having the freedom to play with different fonts and sizes.

Cons

From both a fundraising and admin standpoint I felt like it was overpriced for what it offered. Though support was helpful when I could actually reach someone but too many tasks felt overly complex and frustrating. We did not raise a lot either and between the high cost and donation processing fees, it did not feel worth it.

“Lives up to the name

Pros

Classy is hands down the easiest and most flexible CRM we have used. As you can dive right in and start building campaigns immediately. The design is also modern, it is user friendly on both ends and it works well for everything from donations and ticketed events to crowdfunding and peer fundraising. Overall it is an all in one platform that has everything we were looking for.

Cons

The biggest downside for me is that Classy and Classy Live are split. Well it is not a deal-breaker but it does create a disconnect. That said they still work together reasonably well.

“Perfect for your next fundraising campaign

Pros

We really like how each campaign page can be customized as it gives us the flexibility to match our branding and messaging perfectly.

Cons

I expected a smoother connection between Classy and Salesforce but the data mapping did not go as smoothly as I hoped it would.

“Made a real difference in our donations

Pros

This year we went beyond our fundraising goals and Classy played a big part in that. Plus donors could easily share their personal pages and get others involved in giving more.

Cons

No issues at all as it is easy to navigate and really user friendly.

“Takes the hassle out of fundraising

Pros

I could go on about how simple and feature rich the software is but honestly the real star is their customer support. Whenever I have a question, I get answers almost instantly through the chat. Overall their team is fast and very helpful.

Cons

Honestly nothing bad comes to my mind. And the great part is, if you ever think of something that could make the platform better you can tell your rep and they will usually come up with a workaround or similar solution.

“Excellent for big fundraising campaigns

Pros

From the start Classy was easy to work with. Setup was smooth and we had a rep assigned to guide us through everything. Right after launch we saw the benefits. Plus the support has been excellent from helpful documentation and webinars to a reliable Client Success Manager.

Cons

I just wish there was more flexibility with design elements especially when it comes to peer to peer and crowdfunding pages and the email templates for donation acknowledgments.

“Promised a lot, didn't really deliver

Pros

Their peer to peer setup is very quick to get up and running as it does not take much of our time at all.

Cons

They overpromised during the sales pitch. And since there is no free trial, you are forced to gamble on the $4K subscription. It took us an entire week to get the donation form installed on our website. The sales, support and product teams seemed totally out of sync. Plus their Mailchimp integration is very basic as it only sends over names and emails, not the actual donation details like campaign type or frequency. That is a problem if you want to build real donor connections. Also we had to route the data through Salesforce to Mailchimp which meant extra engineering time and costs. For a platform that charges $4K a year that is just not acceptable. I even waited 54 minutes on hold with support. Definitely disappointing.

“Pretty happy with the whole experience

Pros

Using Classy has become second nature for our team. It has been a big part of how we operate every day and we have genuinely enjoyed working with it.

Cons

Honestly I cannot think of anything I dislike about using this platform.

“Works great for fundraisers

Pros

The first thing that stands out is how user friendly it is. Across all my roles I have never had issues with the system and even our new volunteers catch on fast. Plus as an admin it makes managing everything easier. Donors also have a smooth experience as they can use options like PayPal or Venmo. And if anything does come up, support gets back to us quickly.

Cons

There were a couple of times when the servers went down for a few hours but the good thing is they resolved it fast and always jumped on the issue quickly. Also it only happened during really busy times.

“Does the job as we wanted

Pros

It is pretty easy to build a branded site that feels personalized and still has every feature we need. Our fundraisers find it easy to use which is essential when asking people to support your cause.

Cons

Well I love to see an option where we can highlight sponsor logos more clearly without messing with user experience. Like maybe a sidebar or some kind of visible space where they are shown but do no distract from main content?

“Really happy with what they offer

Pros

What I really like is how simple the platform is to use. Also I appreciate that they host a yearly conference where you can connect with other organizations and share ideas.

Cons

I do not really have complaints as it is easy to use. The only thing is that it might be pricey for small orgs with tighter budgets but it is not a deal breaker for us.

“Easy to learn and use

Pros

It is quite simple to use, easy to implement and easy to train others on. Our donors often comment on how smooth the donation process is which is always great to hear.

Cons

One thing I wish for is that the donor database side were more robust. If it had more features we could rely on it alone instead of using additional tools.