Brevo is usually the better value for nonprofits with large contact lists, while Mailchimp is often better for polished newsletters, broad integrations, and teams that want a familiar interface. A small charity sending to 8,000 donors once a month may pay less with Brevo because pricing is based more on email volume than contact count. A nonprofit that depends on volunteer-friendly templates, event tools, and many third-party apps may prefer Mailchimp. The right choice comes down to list size, send frequency, design needs, and how much automation the team can actually use.
TLDR: Brevo tends to win on cost when a nonprofit has many contacts but sends only a few campaigns each month. Mailchimp tends to win on ease of use, templates, reporting, and integrations. For example, a food pantry with 10,000 contacts and two monthly newsletters may find Brevo cheaper, while an arts nonprofit running ticket campaigns, donor journeys, and segmented newsletters may get more value from Mailchimp. If a team improves its donor email click rate from 2.5% to 3.5%, even a 1% lift can mean dozens more donations per campaign.
Mailchimp vs Brevo: the quick nonprofit view
Nonprofits need email tools that do three things well. They must keep costs under control. They must make campaigns easy to send. They must help turn supporters into donors, volunteers, members, and event attendees.
Mailchimp is the better-known platform. It has a clean campaign builder, strong templates, audience tools, landing pages, and plenty of integrations. Many volunteers have used it before, which helps when staff time is thin.
Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, is more cost-conscious for certain groups. It includes email marketing, basic CRM features, SMS, WhatsApp options, transactional email, and automation. Its pricing can be kinder to nonprofits with big lists and modest send volume.
Honestly, it feels like both platforms hide some of their best value behind plan limits. A nonprofit may start free, then hit a wall once it needs better reporting, more automation, or larger sending limits.
Pricing and nonprofit budget fit
Budget is often the first filter. It should be. Email software is not a mission program, but it supports one. A tool that eats cash every month must clearly help raise more money or save real staff time.
Mailchimp offers a free plan with limits on contacts, monthly sends, users, and features. Paid plans rise as the contact list grows. This can hurt nonprofits with aging lists that include donors, past donors, volunteers, event guests, and inactive supporters.
Mailchimp has historically offered a nonprofit discount for eligible organizations. Teams should check current terms before buying, since plan details change. Even with a discount, a large contact database can become costly.
Brevo has a different pricing model. It is often based more on monthly email volume than total contacts. That matters a lot. A museum with 25,000 contacts that sends one monthly update may prefer Brevo. A campaign-heavy advocacy group sending several targeted emails each week may move into higher paid tiers fast.
The practical takeaway: nonprofits should calculate cost using real behavior, not hope. They should count contacts, average monthly sends, expected growth, and needed features. A free plan is not very helpful if the team outgrows it in month two.
Ease of use for small nonprofit teams
Mailchimp is easier for many first-time users. Its editor is simple. Templates look polished. Campaign setup feels familiar. Staff can build a newsletter, add a donation button, test the subject line, and send without much training.
Brevo is straightforward too, but it can feel more business-oriented. Its menu includes CRM, conversations, transactional email, SMS, and automation. That is useful, but it can also feel busy for a two-person nonprofit office.
It drives some teams crazy that small tasks take extra clicks when tools try to do everything. Brevo can feel that way at first. Mailchimp can feel smoother, though its plan limits and audience structure may create confusion later.
Email design and branding
For visual newsletters, Mailchimp has the edge. It offers strong templates, drag-and-drop editing, saved brand styles, and easy content blocks. This helps nonprofits that send annual appeal emails, gala invites, program updates, and board-facing reports.
Brevo’s email builder is solid. It supports clean newsletters and branded appeals. It may not feel as refined as Mailchimp for design-heavy campaigns, but it gets the job done. For many nonprofits, a clear subject line and strong donation request matter more than perfect layout.
Both platforms support personalization. A nonprofit can add a first name, segment by interest, or send different messages to donors and volunteers. The more focused the message, the better the chance of action.
Image not found in postmetaSegmentation and donor targeting
Segmentation is where nonprofit email performance often improves. A donor who gave last month should not receive the same appeal as someone who has never donated. A volunteer should not always receive member renewal emails.
Mailchimp offers tags, segments, groups, and behavioral targeting. It also connects with many fundraising, event, and commerce tools. This makes it easier to send tailored emails based on donor actions.
Brevo also supports lists, segments, contact attributes, and automation triggers. It works well for nonprofits that want to group supporters by donation history, region, interest, or engagement level.
A simple example helps. A nonprofit could create three segments:
- Recent donors: supporters who gave in the last 90 days.
- Lapsed donors: supporters who gave before, but not in the past 12 months.
- Event attendees: people who registered for a recent program or fundraiser.
Each group should receive a different message. Recent donors may get impact proof. Lapsed donors may get a warm reactivation appeal. Event attendees may get a follow-up with photos and a next step.
Automation for donor journeys
Automation saves time when it is used with restraint. Nonprofits do not need complex funnels to start. They need a welcome series, donation thank-you follow-ups, volunteer onboarding, and lapsed donor reactivation.
Mailchimp offers solid customer journeys on paid plans. These can trigger emails based on signups, tags, dates, or actions. It is strong for welcome paths, event reminders, and donor education campaigns.
Brevo includes automation too, and it can be a strong pick for teams that want email plus SMS or transactional messages. For example, a nonprofit could send a donation confirmation email, then a thank-you message, then an impact story seven days later.
The catch is that automation requires clean data. If donor data is messy, both platforms will produce messy results. No platform can fix years of duplicate contacts and vague tags without staff effort.
Integrations and fundraising tools
Mailchimp usually wins on integrations. It connects with many donation platforms, CRMs, event tools, website builders, form plugins, and analytics tools. This is useful for nonprofits that already have a tech stack.
Brevo has integrations too, though its marketplace is not as broad in some nonprofit categories. It may still fit well if the organization uses basic forms, spreadsheets, website signup boxes, or custom workflows.
Before choosing either platform, a nonprofit should check these needs:
- Can donation forms sync contact data?
- Can donors be tagged by campaign or gift amount?
- Can unsubscribes sync across systems?
- Can event attendees be added to the right list?
- Can reports show clicks, donations, and revenue?
Reporting and analytics
Both tools report opens, clicks, unsubscribes, bounces, and campaign performance. Mailchimp’s reporting feels more beginner-friendly. Brevo gives useful campaign stats, but some teams may prefer exporting data for deeper analysis.
Nonprofits should avoid judging success by open rate alone. Privacy changes make opens less reliable. Click rate, donation conversion rate, event signups, and reply quality matter more.
A healthy nonprofit newsletter might see a click rate around 2% to 5%, depending on list quality and message strength. Fundraising appeals may convert at lower rates, but a small lift can matter. If 8,000 people receive an appeal and 3% click, that is 240 visitors. If 10% of those visitors donate $50, the campaign raises $1,200.
Which platform should a nonprofit choose?
Choose Mailchimp if:
- The team wants the easiest newsletter builder.
- Design quality matters.
- Many integrations are needed.
- Volunteers or staff already know the platform.
- The nonprofit sends frequent segmented campaigns.
Choose Brevo if:
- The contact list is large, but sending volume is moderate.
- Cost control is the top concern.
- The team wants email, SMS, and basic CRM tools together.
- Transactional emails are useful.
- The nonprofit can work with a slightly more business-style interface.
For many small nonprofits, Brevo is the sensible budget pick. For organizations that rely on polished campaigns, many integrations, and fast volunteer adoption, Mailchimp may be worth the higher cost.
FAQ
Is Mailchimp free for nonprofits?
Mailchimp has a free plan, but it includes limits. Eligible nonprofits may qualify for a discount, depending on current Mailchimp rules. Organizations should confirm pricing before committing.
Is Brevo cheaper than Mailchimp?
Brevo is often cheaper for nonprofits with large contact lists and lower monthly send volume. Mailchimp may cost more as the contact list grows, even if many contacts are not emailed often.
Which platform is better for donor newsletters?
Mailchimp is often better for polished donor newsletters because of its templates and user-friendly editor. Brevo is still a strong option when cost matters more than design polish.
Can nonprofits automate thank-you emails?
Yes. Both Mailchimp and Brevo can automate thank-you emails, welcome series, and follow-up messages. The nonprofit must keep donor data clean for these automations to work well.
Which is better for a small nonprofit?
Brevo may be better for a small nonprofit with a tight budget and a growing contact list. Mailchimp may be better if staff need a simple editor, strong templates, and broad integrations.
Should a nonprofit switch from Mailchimp to Brevo?
A switch makes sense if Mailchimp costs are rising and the nonprofit sends only a few emails each month. It may not make sense if the team depends on Mailchimp integrations, reports, or existing campaign workflows.
