To select a donor management system is a big decision for any
nonprofit. The right software can go a long way to helping you manage
those vital donor relationships — but
moving to any new system calls for an investment of time and money, and
the software selection you make now will affect the work of your
organization for some time. How do you choose which donor management
software will be right for your nonprofit?
NPower Seattle, with the cooperation of a
number of Seattle nonprofit organizations and the support of Verizon, has produced a free toolkit to help nonprofit organizations with the task of choosing
software for managing donors.
The Donor Management Toolkit Book
comprises an “interactive and practical guide” set out as a 4-step software selection process:
1. ASSESS
Assess your use of current technology and set technology goals that support your overall mission.
To ensure that the software you choose will meet the needs of your
organization, you must have a clear picture of what those needs are.
This step asks you to assess four areas: Strategic Plans (including
your organization’s overall strategic plan, fundraising plan, and
strategic technology plan), Current Technology, Processes, and People.
Checklists are provided in each of these areas.
2. PRIORITIZE
Prioritize your non-profit’s requirements and map out the software features you need.
“Take a minute to think about all those little technology daydreams
that would make life in fund development easier," the toolkit suggests. "Would you like to
access donor reports via your Blackberry on your way to a meeting? Does
easy import and export of data make you feel more secure? To some, a
system that assists with membership and tracks volunteer interests
sounds like heaven.”
Work through your wishlist — along with the lists of your organization's key staff —
to assign priorities to each item from “must have” through “would be nice”
to “not required”: checklists provided in the toolkit are designed to
help with this process. A number of vendors and software packages will
be quickly eliminated by this step, resulting in a short list of
software and vendors for you to consider, and a clear picture of your needs will emerge.
3. DECIDE
Decide which software packages best meet your needs.
Request information and software demonstrations from the vendors on
your short list. As well, ask about the availability and cost of
in-house support to help you through the implementation and training.
What provisions are made for software upgrades? What is the company’s
track record for customer support?
“For best responses,” the toolkit advises, ” avoid sending a simple
checklist; instead, provide open-ended questions” about the software,
the company, and the company’s experience in working with nonprofits.
For a better sense of how any particular donor management system
might work for your organization, ask your nonprofit contacts about
their experiences with the vendor and the product, both during
implementation and after sale. Although each organization will have
slightly different needs, goals, and internal systems, a software
demonstration from another nonprofit (as well as from the vendor)
should help you to make a more confident choice.
4. ACT
Act on your decision and implement the new system.
Before
switching to a new system, it’s strongly advised to take time to clean
your existing data — mapping old fields to new, correcting errors,
deleting unnecessary data, etc. — to avoid bringing any old problems
into the new system. The toolkit recommends appointing one person to be
responsible for data quality, creating new reports, and defining
security, as well as a database administrator who can add new users,
perform backups, and so on.
Schedule the switch for a non-critical time
in your funding cycle, and do start training early so that all users
can become familiar with the new system before it’s pressed into
service.
Additional Resources
The toolkit includes 3 case studies of Seattle nonprofit
organizations — Operational Emergency Center (OEC), Casa Latina, and
Arts Corps — that NPower has recently assisted with donor management
software selection. Their stories help to illustrate the 4-step process
outlined in the toolkit and show how it works in the field.
In addition, detailed worksheets, tables, and checklists are provided:
- Sample Major Donor Process Map
- Blank Major Donor Process Map
- Organizational Process Map Table
- Sample Functional Requirements Table
- Blank Functional Requirements Table
- Features Checklist
- Links to Online Resources
- Additional Articles Online
Download the Donor Management Toolkit workbook and companion resources (free PDF publications) from NPowerSeattle.org, or email info@npowerseattle.org to request a free CD version.