If you run your giving program on CyberGrants or Deed, you're now a Bonterra customer. Both platforms were absorbed into Bonterra, and a lot of teams are quietly asking the same question. Is this still the right platform for us?
It's a fair question to ask during any acquisition. Roadmaps shift. Support models change. The product you bought isn't always the product you end up with.
If you're reconsidering, here are your alternatives and how to choose between them.
What an acquisition actually changes
An acquisition changes the thing you're paying for, even when the login screen looks the same.
The roadmap is the first thing to move. Features you were promised get reprioritized against a much larger portfolio. Your platform is now one product among many, competing for engineering attention.
Support is the second. The team you knew gets reorganized. The person who understood your account may not be there next quarter. Response times and account ownership often change before anything about the product does.
And pricing tends to follow. At renewal, you're negotiating with a bigger company that has its own targets, not the scrappy vendor you first signed with.
None of this is unique to Bonterra. It's what happens in most acquisitions. But it's reason enough to know your options before your next renewal.
Why CyberGrants and Deed customers are reconsidering
The two customer bases come at this from opposite directions.
CyberGrants customers came from an enterprise, IT-heavy world. The platform was built to be configured by technical teams, and now it sits inside a larger company with its own priorities. If running it already took IT effort, a reorganization is a natural moment to ask whether it should.
Deed customers came from the other side. A newer, employee-friendly product that felt modern and easy. The worry there is different. What happens to that product's feel and roadmap now that it's part of a much bigger machine?
In both cases, the trigger is the same. You didn't choose Bonterra. You chose CyberGrants or Deed, and the thing you chose changed hands. That alone is worth a look at what else is out there.
Your alternatives, honestly
Not every option fits every company. Here's a straight read.
Benevity
The biggest name in the category, with the most features and the longest client list.
It's also expensive, and it's built for large enterprises with a dedicated giving team. If you have that team, it can work. If your program runs on one or two people, you may be trading one heavy platform for another, with the same admin load you're trying to escape.
Goodstack
A newer, well-funded platform that leans on AI and self-serve setup.
Good fit if you have internal resources to configure and run your own program. Less good if you don't. It gives you software, not a person to run the program. For a team that's already stretched, that gap is the whole problem.
Millie
Built for smaller companies. Worth a look if you have a few hundred employees and a simple program. It tends to hit a ceiling at larger scale or with more complex needs, so size your program honestly before you shortlist it.
Percent Pledge
Built around a different idea. Your employees actually use the platform, and someone other than you runs it.
Every customer gets a dedicated Social Impact Manager who builds the calendar, runs campaigns, writes communications, and tracks participation. Not a premium tier. The base model. Participation on Percent Pledge runs 50 to 100%, against a legacy average of 15 to 20%.
For a CyberGrants customer, the draw is that this doesn't need IT to run. For a Deed customer, it's an independent platform that isn't part of a competitor's portfolio, run by a company whose whole focus is this one thing.
How to run a fair evaluation
Whatever you shortlist, judge every option against the same questions. They're part of the fuller CSR platform evaluation checklist.
- What is your average customer participation rate?
- How long does implementation take, in weeks?
- Is program management included, or is it my team's job?
- What are your donation transaction fees?
- Does running this require our IT department?
Line the answers up side by side. Don't settle for a feature demo. Ask each vendor to answer these specific questions, in writing if you can. The platform that was built for your situation will stand out fast, and the ones that dodge a question are telling you something.
One more step. Talk to a reference customer who looks like you. Same size, same kind of team. How their program actually runs day to day will tell you more than any sales call.
The switch is easier than the acquisition made it feel
Here's the reassuring part. Leaving is not the ordeal it sounds like.
Your data carries over. Giving history, volunteer hours, matching records. Employees log into the new platform and see their record intact. The Legacy Liberator process runs the migration in weeks, with a dedicated manager handling it, and it includes a contract match so overlap isn't a reason to wait.
A typical switch runs three to four weeks. Week one is setup, week two is your data, week three is launch prep, and you go live in week three or four. Most of the work sits with the provider, not your team.
You already went through one change you didn't choose. Choosing the next one, on your terms, is the easier move.
If you're a CyberGrants or Deed customer weighing your options, book a demo. We'll map exactly what a switch would look like for your setup.
Frequently asked questions
Are CyberGrants and Deed now part of Bonterra?
Yes. Both were absorbed into Bonterra, so if you use either one, you are a Bonterra customer today.
What are the main alternatives to Bonterra?
Benevity (large and enterprise-focused), Goodstack (AI and self-serve), Millie (smaller companies), and Percent Pledge (managed, with a Social Impact Manager included at every price point).
Is it hard to switch away?
No. A typical switch runs three to four weeks, your data carries over, and the Legacy Liberator process includes a contract match so overlap isn't a reason to wait.
How do we choose the right one?
Ask every option the same five questions: average participation rate, implementation time in weeks, whether program management is included, donation fees, and whether running it requires IT.
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