Thread vs Mailchimp: The Best Email Platform for Charity Fundraisers in 2025
When you're leading fundraising for a charity with 10,000+ supporters, your email platform isn't just a nice-to-have, it's the engine that powers donor relationships, drives sustainable income, and frees up your team to do what matters most: connecting with supporters.
But here's the challenge: most email platforms were built for businesses selling products, not charities building relationships. That's where the choice between Thread Fundraising and Mailchimp becomes crucial.
In this guide, we'll compare these two platforms honestly. Looking at features, pricing, ease of use, and which one truly serves UK charity fundraisers best.
When Mailchimp Makes Sense (And When It Doesn't)
Let's start with the truth: Mailchimp is a solid choice for small charities just starting their email journey.
If your mailing list is under 10,000 contacts and your needs are straightforward (newsletters, event invitations, basic appeals), Mailchimp's ease of use and recognisable brand make it appealing. It's like the comfortable high street shop you know will have what you need for simple tasks.
But as your charity grows, cracks start to show:
Business-first design: Mailchimp's templates, automations, and language are built for e-commerce. Terms like "customers," "products," and "sales funnels" don't translate naturally to donor stewardship and supporter journeys.
Pricing jumps quickly: Once you exceed 10,000 contacts, costs escalate fast. Mailchimp's credit system doesn't roll over unused sends month-to-month, meaning you often pay for sends you never use.
You'll need other tools: Email is just the start. Want landing pages? Social media scheduling? SMS reminders for event participants? WhatsApp Supporter Care? You'll need separate subscriptions for tools like Canva, Hootsuite, or Eventbrite, adding complexity and cost.
Generic fundraising features: Mailchimp offers donation integrations, but they feel bolted-on rather than purpose-built. There's no deep understanding of what a "lapsed donor re-engagement flow" or "Big Give campaign automation" actually needs.
Bottom line: Mailchimp works when your fundraising operation is simple and small. But for charities with serious ambitions for supporter engagement and income growth, it quickly becomes a limitation rather than an enabler.
Thread Fundraising: Built by Fundraisers, For Fundraisers
Thread Fundraising was born from a simple frustration: fundraisers deserve tools designed for their world, not adapted from someone else's.
We're a platform built exclusively for UK charity fundraisers. Combining the deep expertise of a fundraising consultancy with the power and scale of a full-featured marketing automation system.
Here's what that actually means for your team:
1. Pre-Built Supporter Journeys That Work
Mailchimp gives you a blank canvas. Thread gives you a blueprint.
Our platform includes pre-built automation templates for the supporter journeys every charity needs:
New Donor Welcome Series – Turn first-time givers into long-term supporters with carefully sequenced gratitude, impact updates, and gentle next steps.
Regular Giving Onboarding – Welcome monthly donors, reinforce their decision, and celebrate their commitment.
Event Participant Journeys – From registration confirmation through post-race thank yous, keep runners, cyclists, and challenge participants engaged.
Upgrade Campaigns – Encourage supporters to increase their gift or move from one-off to regular giving.
Big Give Christmas Challenge Series – Time-sensitive automations designed specifically for match-funding campaigns.
These aren't just email templates, they're strategic journeys informed by fundraising best practice, ready to adapt to your charity's voice and cause.
With Mailchimp, you build these from scratch, often without fundraising-specific guidance.
With Thread, you launch proven journeys in hours, not weeks.
2. Seamless CRM Integration (Because Data Shouldn't Be a Headache)
Thread integrates directly with the major CRMs UK charities actually use:
Salesforce
Raiser's Edge
Donorfy
Microsoft Dynamics
Beacon CRM
For CRMs without API access, we generate ready-to-import files that load directly. No middleware, no workarounds, no frustration.
This means your supporter data, donation history, and communication preferences flow smoothly between systems. You can segment by giving history, personalise thank-you emails based on campaign source, and automate follow-ups without manual exports and imports.
Mailchimp integrates with some CRMs, but fundraising-specific platforms often require expensive third-party connectors or custom development.
3. All-In-One Platform: Email, Social, Landing Pages, and More
Thread integrates directly with the major CRMs UK charities actually use:
Salesforce
Raiser's Edge
Donorfy
Microsoft Dynamics
Beacon CRM
Thread includes all of this in one platform:
Social media content creation and scheduling (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter)
Landing page and form builders (for appeals, events, campaigns)
AI-powered content assistance (draft thank-you letters, social posts, and appeal copy faster)
QR code generation (perfect for offline-to-online campaign tracking)
Facebook Ads management (run targeted supporter acquisition campaigns)
AI Chatbots (answer common supporter questions automatically)
Custom dashboards (track what matters to your fundraising goals)
This isn't just convenient. It's transformational for small fundraising teams who need to do more with less.
Instead of logging into five different tools, your team works from one central hub. Instead of paying for multiple subscriptions, you pay one transparent monthly fee.
4. Transparent, Unlimited Pricing (No Nasty Surprises)
Let's talk about what you actually pay.
Mailchimp charges based on contact count, and their pricing jumps quickly:
10,000 contacts: ~£75/month
50,000 contacts: ~£250/month
100,000 contacts: ~£450/month
Unused email sends don't roll over, so if you don't hit your limit one month, those credits vanish.
Thread starts at £250/month with unlimited contacts. Yes, you read that right.
Whether you have 10,000 supporters or 250,000, your base price doesn't change. You only pay for what you use beyond your included free credits each month and unused credits do roll over.
Here's what that means in practice:
No fear of list growth: Adding supporters never triggers a surprise price hike.
Predictable budgeting: You know your costs upfront, with no hidden tiers.
Value for larger charities: If your monthly sends exceed 50,000, Thread delivers massive savings compared to Mailchimp or other platforms like DotDigital.
5. Fundraising Expertise Included (Not Just Software)
Thread isn't just a tool, it's part of a consultancy of fundraising experts.
When you choose Thread, you gain access to:
Exclusive fundraising content and insights – Learn from our consultants who work with charities every day.
Drop-in learning sessions – Monthly opportunities to ask questions, troubleshoot, and share ideas with peers.
Community support – Connect with other fundraisers using Thread to swap strategies and inspiration.
On-boarding that wins back your set-up fee – Complete our guided on-boarding process, and we'll credit your set-up fee back in free platform credits.
Mailchimp offers tutorials and support forums. Thread offers a community of practice rooted in fundraising excellence.
When Should You Choose Mailchimp?
We believe in honesty: Mailchimp is the right choice if:
You're a small charity with under 10,000 contacts and straightforward email needs.
Your fundraising strategy is still in early stages and primarily newsletter-focused.
You don't need advanced automation, landing pages, or social scheduling.
You don’t need supporter care tools that boost supporter experience and lifetime value.
You're comfortable working across multiple tools for different tasks.
For organisations at this stage, Mailchimp's lower entry cost and simplicity make sense.
When Should You Choose Thread?
Thread is the right choice if:
You're a UK charity with 10,000+ supporters and serious income growth goals.
You want pre-built donor journey templates that reflect fundraising best practice.
You need seamless CRM integration with platforms like Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, Donorfy, or Beacon.
You’re committed to delivering great supporter care and experience.
You'd rather work from one platform than juggle five subscriptions.
You value transparent, unlimited pricing that won't surprise you as your list grows.
You want access to fundraising expertise and community, not just software support.
Thread was built for fundraisers who want to do more with less. Less complexity, less cost, less time wasted on admin—and more of what matters: stronger supporter relationships and sustainable income growth.
The Bottom Line
Mailchimp is a decent tool for small charities with simple needs. But it was built for e-commerce businesses, and that shows.
Thread Fundraising was purpose-built for UK charity fundraisers—combining pre-built supporter journeys, seamless CRM integration, all-in-one platform capabilities, transparent pricing, and access to fundraising expertise.
If you're ready to move beyond generic business tools and invest in a platform designed for your world, Thread is the smarter choice.
Ready to See Thread in Action?
Book a demo with our team and discover how Thread can transform your fundraising operations.
Thread Fundraising stitches together the agility and value of working with a freelancer, with the scale and breadth of capabilities of an agency.
Let's build something great together.
