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About Nonprofit Software

Most nonprofits try to make due with general purpose business software like Excel, Microsoft Access, or QuickBooks to keep track of mailing lists and donations. These are good software products, but they aren’t designed to provide numerous critical features necessary for successful fundraising. It’s no surprise that organizations that start out with such programs soon encounter significant problems.

If your nonprofit is struggling with the wrong software tools, you are missing out on the two key benefits of professional nonprofit fundraising software:

  1. Raising more money.
  2. Saving your valuable time.

About Fundraising Software

What is Fundraising Software? Software that is packed with features that help you efficiently and effectively manage donor data and raise more money for your mission.

DonorPerfect’s nonprofit fundraising software is tailored to the needs of almost every type of nonprofit organization, is packed with powerful features, and helps you accomplish your mission.

Want to learn more? Read the NTEN & Idealware Donor Management Report.

What does “Mission Accomplished” Mean to You?

Your mission is uniquely set apart by the incredible people who support it: you, your staff, your volunteers, and your nonprofit’s lifeblood – your donors.

There are so many software solutions, but only one will be the right fit.

The solution you choose to manage fundraising campaigns and donor information should be tailored to help your staff work efficiently and energize, engage, and grow your donor base.

Specifically, what would you love to achieve within twelve to eighteen months?

Goals can include:

  • Gain insight into donor data
  • Improve online fundraising
  • Engage and develop donors
  • Boost revenue from fundraising events
  • Improve donor retention

Once you determine what you really want to accomplish, ask yourself, What’s keeping you from achieving your goal?
Focus your time and resources on your most valuable initiatives. Invest in automation and organizational tools that let technology take over on the-day-to-day tasks that pull you and your staff members away from your organization’s big picture initiatives.

If you could make anything easier, what would it be?
Is recording and acknowledging gifts dominating your staff’s time? If so, consider integrated gift processing a “must have” when evaluating fundraising software solutions. If keeping track of grants is a hassle, then a system that simplifies grant management is key.

Any systems not built to eliminate the tasks that take you away from focusing on your goals can be immediately crossed off your list.

Chart a Path for Your Goals to Grow into Accomplishments

Don’t settle for a system that stops at the basics. No matter how steadfast your goals are, the tools you’ll need to reach them will inevitably change as your organization grows and the fundraising landscape evolves.

That doesn’t mean you need to spend lots of money on a bells-and-whistles system that’s packed with features you might not ever use.

Instead, start with a strong core system that you can customize according to your goals as you grow.

Get your Key Stakeholders on Board with Fundraising Software

Making a major purchase decision requires collaboration and coordination with key stakeholders throughout your organization: IT staff, development, volunteer managers, executives, and most importantly, your board. Whether you’re a smaller nonprofit needing approval of your board or a larger nonprofit looking to get the go-ahead from the members of your development team, it’s crucial to obtain the buy-in and participation of your key stakeholders when making such an important decision for the future of your organization.

How to Measure the Value of an IT Investment for Your Nonprofit Organization

Some say life’s a gamble. But gambling can be very random, as in the rolling of a die, or very scientific, as in the calculation of odds and percentages. Investing in technology should not be a gamble, in as much as you can predict what it will do for you. In the standard business lingo, we call this prediction “return on investment” or “ROI.” And whether you calculate that with all the vigor of two college students on a weekend trip to Reno, or a scientist who deeply understands the odds, is important. In this article, we’ll discuss the many factors that go into a fully informed determination of the ROI for a technology project. Read more about how to measure the value of an IT investment.

How to Ask for New Technology for Your Nonprofit

The median nonprofit technology budget is around 2 percent of our total operating budgets across all organization sizes these days. So it’s no wonder that it’s hard to ask your boss for the new technology your organization needs.

There may be a way, though. Here are some pointers on how to make the case that tech purchases save organizations money over the long term.

Decision makers very often like to have clear and understandable facts and figures to help them decide where to spend their organization’s resources. In the larger IT world, the tool for doing this is an ROI analysis or return on investment case. It sounds pretty technical, but it is reasonably straightforward. Read more about how to ask for new technology.

Return on Investment with Fundraising Software

DonorPerfect’s nonprofit clients report 10% revenue growth in the first year alone! Check out this interactive fundraising software ROI calculator for more information. You’ll be asked to enter 4 basic pieces of information pertaining to your nonprofit organization: total dollar amount of donations, number of donors, number of communications, and your staff’s hourly rate.

FREE E-Book: How to Buy Fundraising Software – Find Your Path to Growth.

Download this E-Book from DonorPerfect to learn how you can fundraise smarter, easier, and make more money for your cause by using tools that are tailored to help your organization succeed.

Nonprofit Software
How to buy fundraising software