In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, François de Kerret, CEO and co-founder of Zeffy, shares his journey in creating a platform that has disrupted the nonprofit sector by providing free fundraising tools. With a vision to empower nonprofits by eliminating financial barriers, François explains how Zeffy has grown to support over 50,000 organizations across North America. He discusses Zeffy’s innovative approach, from AI-driven efficiency to the introduction of Tap to Pay, which allows nonprofits to accept in-person donations using just an iPhone. His passion for social impact and commitment to accessible technology are transforming the way nonprofits raise funds, ensuring that 100% of donations go directly to causes that matter.
As the driving force behind Zeffy, François has reshaped nonprofit fundraising by providing the best technology for free, making donations seamless and accessible. His mission is to maximize organizations’ social impact by removing financial barriers, regardless of size or budget. Under his leadership, Zeffy has grown exponentially, helping thousands of nonprofits to raise funds without fees. Guided by the belief that technology, when used responsibly, can drive meaningful change, François continues to champion a more sustainable and equitable future.”
Zeffy has grown exponentially, now supporting over 50,000 nonprofits across North America. How has your vision for the company evolved since its inception as a volunteer platform?
After immigrating to Québec, I wanted to volunteer and give back to the community. As I searched for opportunities, I quickly realized how difficult it was to find meaningful ways to get involved. This seemed like a huge gap, so I reached out to my friend Thibaut, and together, we created a platform that made volunteering simple and accessible. The more we worked with nonprofits, the more we realized there was an even bigger problem: millions of organizations didn’t have access to the right tools to support their mission. With Zeffy, we wanted to provide nonprofits with the best technology to create impact. By staying free, nonprofits don’t have to settle for less because of their size or budget. On top of that, they save a lot on processing fees, allowing them to keep more of every donation for their cause. We’re proud that Zeffy helps so many nonprofits access the best tools, save money, and raise more for their mission.
Your platform has processed $1B by charities through Zeffy with a lean team of 35 people. How do you maintain efficiency and innovation while scaling rapidly in the competitive fundraising technology sector?
Since Zeffy is free and financed by optional contributions from donors, we can’t afford to waste donor money.
But at the same time, we need to build great technology for nonprofits. That’s why focusing on the essentials—talent density, efficiency, and simplicity—has been key to our success. High growth also doesn’t have to mean complexity. Simplicity, ambition, and AI have driven our rapid expansion. In just five years, we’ve grown from a startup in Quebec to supporting 50,000 nonprofits across North America. Every decision we make is focused on maximizing impact, not overhead. Nonprofits face major challenges, but often their tools create inefficiencies that slow them down. The best way to drive impact is simple: give them the right tools. That’s why we’re here—to help them keep more of the money they raise and fundraise more efficiently. We automate wherever possible and push our teams to work smarter. AI powers everything from product development to support, creating a lean company designed to scale impact and help millions of nonprofits do more with less.
Zeffy recently launched Tap to Pay, allowing nonprofits to accept in-person payments directly from an iPhone. How do you see this technology transforming on-the-ground fundraising efforts for smaller organizations?
Cash is becoming less common, and fewer people carry it these days. Nonprofits need a simple, cost-effective way to accept in-person donations, but traditional payment terminals are expensive, outdated, and inconvenient. That’s why we built Tap to Pay—the only 100% free solution that allows nonprofits to accept card payments instantly from an iPhone, with no hardware required. This levels the playing field, enabling small and mid-sized organizations to offer the same seamless donation experience as the biggest players—without the overhead. No fees. No friction. Just more money going where it belongs: to the cause.
As a certified B Corporation, how does Zeffy balance its mission-driven approach with the need for sustainable growth, especially given your fee-free model?
Zeffy’s business model is built around impact, not just revenue. We track key metrics like how much we raise, the number of nonprofits we support, and how staying free allows us to provide technology to all kinds of organizations—including smaller ones that otherwise couldn’t afford it. As I mentioned, we’re funded by voluntary contributions from donors who choose to support our work. This allows us to remain free for nonprofits while growing sustainably. So far, we’ve saved nonprofits $50M in fees, helped them raise over $1B, and given more than 50,000 nonprofits access to great fundraising technology—all while growing at 200% per year.
Looking ahead, what role do you envision for emerging technologies like cryptocurrency donations in shaping the future of nonprofit fundraising, and how is Zeffy preparing for these changes?
The world is changing fast, and nonprofits need to keep up to keep making an impact. At Zeffy, we’re building a one-stop shop that gives nonprofits everything they need—from fundraising to CRM to banking—so they can be hyper-efficient and accomplish their mission. We’re excited to keep supporting nonprofits in their journey, helping them scale their impact with the best tools at their fingertips.
