Capital Venture: Secrets for Success

Are you still trying to manage your donor records in a program like ACCESS, ACT! or EXCEL? All of these programs are great regarding the purposes for which they were designed, but if your organization is serious about building donor relations, you need a program designed specifically for managing donor records.

A few things to consider when purchasing donor software:

Software ranges in price from free to over $100,000. Choose a package that meets your budget while also proving the tools you need to manage donor records.
Make sure the people involved in choosing the software include the person who is primarily responsible for data management, not just the CFO and ED.
An effective development office needs a full time person devoted to the task of data management and this person must have an understanding of fundraising and that the data management is an integral part of the development program.
Make sure you budget money for training. Many development offices spend a lot of money for software only to under use it because no one is properly trained on the software.
Talk to other organizations of similar size and scope and find out what software they are using, and the pros and cons of the system.
Compare three or more different software programs and be sure you are comparing more than just price.
Coding is the backbone of the donor software system. There must be an adequate coding structure so you can code board members, volunteers, donors, prospects, etc.
Track as much information as you can about your donors, particularly your major donor prospects, such as birth date, previous giving, special interests or connections with your organizations, donor preferences (do they hate direct mail, but respond well to telephone solicitation?, etc.)
Make sure the Chief Development Officer understands the types of reports that the system will give you—cash flow reports, percentage of increased giving, LYBUNT and SYBUNT reports, etc. These reports are essential to monitoring progress in the development office and are one of the main reasons a donor software system is critical. Programs like Access or Excel will not provide these reports
When purchasing a system, be sure to ask how the company will convert your existing information and how much it will cost.

If you are considering purchasing or upgrading your donor software, contact us at info@cvfundraising.com for a list of software programs.