Happy Purim vs. Purim Project

So you're debating which of the two major online services to use: Happy Purim or Purim Project.

Before getting into some details, rest assured that you'll do well with both. Both these services have been on the market for over ten years, they're both very reliable, and they both offer many features to make your projects a success. Our vendor of choice is Purim Project but following is some detail for you to judge based on your needs.

Costs

Both systems are quite similar in cost and their model is to charge based on a percentage of funds raised. This is not a bad model as it gives the services an incentive to help you increase your funds raised too. The range is typically 2%-4% of funds raised and may depend on the size of your organization. We found Purim Project's pricing to be more transparent and straightforward. And even if the initial percentage is slightly higher they don't have extra fees such as Member Payment fees (albeit a legitimate fee).

Member Payment

Member Payments may be the greatest difference between the two services. Happy Purim handles all your member payments on your behalf. They'll collect the money and pay you at the end of the project after they deduct their fee. You don't need to open a new bank account or a Paypal account. Super easy. Purim Project, on the other hand, will collect the money through their website but the money will go directly into your account - information that you'll need to provide them with in advance (such as a Paypal account email, or some other credit card service they work with). Happy Purim will charge you for every transaction while Purim Project will not. Note however, that the credit card service or Paypal have their own transaction fees, but these are typically less than what Happy Purim will charge. Lastly, when asking customers, we found that most are more comfortable holding on to their own money and paying their vendor at the end of the project rather than having it the other way around.

Admin Usability

Both Happy Purim and Purim Project feature an administration area and a member website. These are quite easy to use and rich with functionality. Prior to 2017 we'd say that Happy Purim had a slightly more user friendly interface but no longer true, if not the opposite, with Purim Project's most recent update which was offered at the end of 2016.

Member Usability

Here, too, both Happy Purim and Purim Project have easy to use websites for members with a slight advantage for Purim Project's up-to-date look-and-feel. But the real advantage to Purim Project comes from the mobile version for members which should be a greater consideration for you unless you know for a fact that your members are making their selections from home (which you probably don't). Nowadays people are getting accustomed to doing any of their business on their smartphones, from banking through shopping to airline reservations. So why not Shalach Manos?

Customer Support

Customer Support for both Happy Purim and Purim Project is quite good - and necessary. Volunteers working on the fundraising projects often need timely assistance.