Seven Mistakes Nonprofits Make When Choosing a Donation Platform

In a recent blog post for Vardot, Nauras Abul Haija examines seven critical missteps nonprofits often make when selecting an online donation platform. Drawing from enterprise-scale challenges, she explains how decisions based on cost or convenience frequently backfire—introducing hidden fees, data security risks, and severe limitations in crisis responsiveness. The argument builds toward a call for ownership over rented software, positioning open-source, Drupal-powered platforms as better aligned with nonprofit missions.

The post outlines key pitfalls: ignoring total cost of ownership, choosing platforms with poor integration or multilingual support, accepting vendor lock-in, and underestimating compliance and customisation needs. Abul Haija points to examples like UNHCR and Médecins Sans Frontières to show how self-hosted systems can enable faster deployment, ensure data sovereignty, and reach underrepresented donor groups. For CIOs and decision-makers, the message is clear: own your infrastructure to safeguard mission funds and act with agility during emergencies.