The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - (Page 17) DONOR MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE ERIC LELAND The to start on your year-end appeals Holidays Are Over It’s time It’s time to start on your year-end appeals he right donor management software can make a big difference in your ability to raise funds.The holidays are over but soon you’ll need to prepare another end-of-the-year appeal -- pulling together your contact and contributions information to identify the right people to receive your message. If this scenario gives you nightmares about wading through unfriendly databases, email programs, spreadsheets, and dated campaign lists, perhaps it’s time to think about a new software package. The right donor management software can help you easily create just the right, targeted lists to ensure each of your constituents gets a message in a way that will encourage their support – and make a big difference in your ability to raise funds. Good software can help you understand each of your donors, and segment, analyze, and communicate to groups of supporters. But which software package should you use? Fundraising processes can differ a lot from one organization to another, and each T donor management software package supports some processes better than others. Before you start looking at tools, make sure you have a good handle on what you need -- and not just what other organizations use, or what vendors would like to sell you.This should include: • Understand how you work with donors. Donor information is often detailed and includes complex relationships. Capturing, storing, and retrieving this information effectively requires a clear understanding of your typical procedures. Look at how you engage prospects, and how you encourage them to commit further. Consider the information you would like to collect, and how you would like to retrieve this information later for analysis and communications. Focus on your outputs -- what combination of donor information do you need to produce for reports, mail merges, or exports? • Think through your numbers. Many software vendors base their pricing on the number of staff members who will be using the system, and/or the number of supporter records you have. Consider both your current situation and where you hope to be over the next few years. • Consider your resources. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the resources you can devote to purchasing and sustaining a new system. How much money can you commit up front, and over time? How much time does your staff have to setup, learn, and maintain a new donor management system over the long term? What are the strengths and limitations of your current technology infrastructure? The implementation of donor management software is challenging for many nonprofits, and you might benefit from implementation support from the vendor or an experienced third-party consultant, particularly if you plan to move data from an old system into your new package. • Script what you’d like to see in software packages. Using all of this information, create a list of what you’d like to see when evaluating possible software solutions. Many vendors prefer to give brief and sweeping descriptions of the features they offer, rather than the nitty-gritty you need to make a careful choice.Ask to see a demo of how the tool will support your core needs, rather than just asking whether they do -- or try to get access to try out the software for yourself. FOR SMALL ORGANIZATIONS If your nonprofit is particularly short on cash and staffing resources, hosted online tools might be a good choice.These packages, which are available to your users over the Internet for a monthly fee, are built to work “out-of-the-box” without a large upfront investment, and are typically fairly easy to learn. As the vendor hosts the actual software, your organization doesn’t need to worry about software upgrades, backups, or other maintenance functions. Your staff can access the system from anywhere they have Internet access.These hosted tools often integrate more naturally with online services, Donor Management Software, page 19 2009 You labor for weeks and sometimes months to develop a great new concept. You jump through hoops to get that idea presented and approved. You survive the planning, copy, cost and production challenges, testing, and the anxious moments waiting for the results to come in. And then the news. Response is way up. You finally beat the control. Milestone results in direct marketing deserves recognition that lasts more the few days. For these occasions, there is the DMAW MAXI Marketing Award for EXcellence and Innovation. More than just a contest for cute art or design, this is a competition for real direct response professionals who know that winning only comes to those who get results. Winning gets your work published in our annual MAXI award book and is projected in front of hundreds of top direct marketing professionals gathered to honor the best talent in our industry. And, you take home an award engraved with words that mean a great deal to professionals in our industry: “In Recognition of Outstanding Achievement in Direct Marketing.” Chances are, you have already produced and tested one of this year’s winners. If so, all that’s standing between you and winning your MAXI is entering the competition. You’ll find all the rules and the ‘call for entries’ form at: www.dmaw.org/maxi. 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Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 Attorneys General Focusing On Fiduciary Responsibilities The Urge To Merge Taking Cancer To Court Contents Indefensible Calendar Special Report The Holidays Are Over Health Care Guide NPT Jobs Advertiser Index Resource Directory The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Taking Cancer To Court (Page 1) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Taking Cancer To Court (Page 2) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Contents (Page 3) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Contents (Page 4) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Contents (Page 5) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Contents (Page 6) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Contents (Page 7) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Contents (Page 8) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Contents (Page 9) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Calendar (Page 10) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Special Report (Page 11) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Special Report (Page 12) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Special Report (Page 13) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Special Report (Page 14) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Special Report (Page 15) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Special Report (Page 16) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - The Holidays Are Over (Page 17) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - The Holidays Are Over (Page 18) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - NPT Jobs (Page 19) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Resource Directory (Page 20) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Resource Directory (Page 21) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Resource Directory (Page 22) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Resource Directory (Page 23) The NonProfit Times - February 1, 2009 - Resource Directory (Page 24)
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