An association management software purchase isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly. Your nonprofit, organization, or association needs to find a solution that can provide smooth operations and a positive member experience.
One of the first ways to ensure that you’re getting the best software is to look for solutions that other associations like yours have found success with. In your search, chances are you’ve come across Aptify.
As a firmly established solution on the market, Aptify is a popular choice for association management! But before you make your decision, make sure you have all the information you need to make an informed choice.
Our top pick for associations looking for an alternative.
Ready to get your facts straight? Let’s jump into it!
Aptify Review
Founded in 1993, Aptify is one of the more established legacy AMS options on the market.
The solution’s main selling point is its flexibility. The way the software works is pretty simple, in theory: the entire system is built upon the Aptify Rad platform, which never changes. This platform allows your association to store and search member data, create reports, and sell merchandise online.
From there, associations can add on a total of 21 applications, including:
Another key feature of the Aptify AMS is its permissions. Data housed in the system is available to all administrative users, for them to create reports and use to make informed decisions from as they wish.
As you can see, Aptify provides an immensely powerful software solution! But it’s a double-edged sword.
As is often the case with such wide-ranging legacy programs, Aptify’s extensive library of complex features can lead to some significant drawbacks for users. Keep reading to see if your organization or association would run into common problems that Aptify users face!
Shortcomings of Aptify Reviewed
Overwhelmingly, Aptify users discover that while they want to take advantage of the software’s flexibility, they aren’t able to. That’s because it’s difficult to navigate the software platform without extensive IT knowledge, which many nonprofit and association administrative teams don’t have.
This difficulty extends beyond the modules that come with the Aptify AMS platform. If you encounter a need that these pre-built modules can’t meet, you’ll need to consider third-party applications.
Aptify has launched a beta version of the Aptify Marketplace, where the team has put some of their point solutions up for download. Since it’s a beta platform, not all the kinks have been worked out, including kinks in the installation process. As such, your team will still need extensive technical expertise with SQL to install these extensions on your own.
Not sure you have the capabilities to customize the Aptify platform yourself in-house or the resources to outsource this complex process? Why not consider a solution that promises no coding necessary for out-of-the-box features or third-party extensions?
Top Aptify Alternative: Fonteva
For ease of use and ease of customization, the top association management software solution on the market is Fonteva.
Fonteva is true-cloud association management software built entirely native in Salesforce, the word’s most popular, innovative, and secure cloud CRM. That means you can reach your member data anywhere, any time.
The software is highly user-friendly, with drag-and-drop reporting and configurations making it easy to customize the platform to your association’s needs through simple configuration — no knowledge of coding needed!
Even if you discover that you need to meet a specific need with a third-party application, you don’t have to worry about messy coding and troubleshooting just to make the integration happen. Fonteva is built native in Salesforce, so any of the thousands of apps on the Salesforce AppExchange will integrate as easily as any other.
Still worried you might not be able to customize the platform exactly to your needs? Don’t worry! When you implement Fonteva, you can rest assured you have world-class support in your corner, including:
Online documentation, including free online training videos.
Onsite training and classroom training to fit your schedule.
Fonteva’s full in-house, on-call customer support team.
The online Fonteva Users Network success community (see screenshot below!).
Salesforce documentation, user support forums, and customer support.
Every association’s needs will be different, so it’s worth taking the time to find the perfect solution for your association, organization, or nonprofit. The most popular solution isn’t always the best for everyone!
Thinking about other association management software vendors before making a purchasing decision? Check out these additional resources before going too much further:
Your nonprofit’s fundraising plan is the backbone of your success as an organization.
Without a solid fundraising plan in place, there would be nothing to guide your fundraising efforts and no way to tell if your nonprofit is on track to meet your goals.
Before implementing any change in fundraising strategy, you need to have an official fundraising plan in place. To get you started, here are 6 simple tips to consider:
Ready to get started on your fundraising plan? Let us break these tips down into a bit more detail.
1. Gain fundraising plan input from key stakeholders.
Stakeholders are an important part of your nonprofit’s team. Not only do they help fund your organization’s philanthropy, but they typically have final say over big-picture fundraising decisions.
Since a fundraising plan outlines a nonprofit’s key activities, it is important to get support from these board members and other key stakeholders.
There are a couple of ways you can gain input from your stakeholders:
Experiential input. You can ask stakeholders directly about what fundraising strategies have worked well for your nonprofit in the past. Inquire about past fundraising activities, strengths and weaknesses. Take their feedback into consideration and be sure to demonstrate to them how you address their input.
Consultant interviews. You might find it helpful to bring in a fundraising consultant. They can conduct stakeholder interviews to determine what is most important to your board and how to get everyone on the same page when designing your fundraising plan.
Remember: Your nonprofit’s board members are just as passionate about your organization’s mission as you are. Do not think of their approval as a bureaucratic hurdle to overcome, but rather an important step towards improving your fundraising plan.
2. Develop goals (and challenges)!
When designing your fundraising plan, your final product should reflect your nonprofit’s primary goals above all else.
It is easy to fall into the trap of vaguely fundraising without an endpoint in sight, but to stay on track your nonprofit needs to actively work toward a defined set of central goals.
Before designing your fundraising plan, your nonprofit needs to sit down and agree upon what goals to prioritize across all levels of your organization. Your goals should be:
Specific, actionable, and measurable. Do not just decide to increase fundraising revenue, or plan to retain more donors. Set numeric benchmarks and timelines, and decide how you will tackle these goals.
Evaluated against metrics. You cannot accurately assess your progress towards achieving a goal without having metrics in place to track your success. Diligently monitor consistent metrics so you can see how well you are improving and when you need to make changes to your fundraising plan.
(Bonus tip! Be sure to collect valuable data when carrying out your fundraising plan to help evaluate these metrics and shape your future fundraising plans. Check out Fundly’s guide to nonprofit CRMs for an idea of how your nonprofit can maximize the power of your donor database to improve your fundraising strategy.)
Additionally, one way to help your nonprofit stay on track is to identify upfront what potential challenges or obstacles you will face in the process of achieving your goals.
Some obstacles you might encounter could be:
Seasonal fundraising dry spells
Low donor retention
Failure to obtain major gifts
Poor fundraising event attendance
Inadequate online engagement
For example, an animal shelter that wants to increase donor retention by X% over the summer months might identify the challenge of supporters being less engaged during this season since they may be traveling or caring for children on summer vacation. To reach their goal, they’ll need to recognize this challenge and develop strategies to overcome it.
Remember: Use your nonprofit’s history to guide you in identifying roadblocks and deciding on goals. Every nonprofit has its unique strengths and weaknesses and when designing a fundraising plan, it is important to know going in what is reasonable to expect from your organization.
3. Set a fundraising plan timeline.
Staying on top of your goals also means staying on top of your fundraising plan’s timeline.
Fundraising plans typically plot out a 3-5 year timeline for your nonprofit, with the first year being very detailed and the following years becoming less defined.
Your fundraising plan’s timeline should be developed into an annual fundraising calendar that details the year’s worth of activities for your organization.
When developing your timeline, keep a few things in mind:
Milestones. Structure your timeline around a set of core milestones. These will both guide your progress and help you regularly assess your fundraising strategy.
Accountability. Your timeline (and subsequently, your fundraising calendar) should clearly identify what departments are responsible for individual fundraising activities. This will help keep the different arms of your nonprofit on track and help your departments prioritize tasks throughout the year.
Accessibility. Your timeline and calendar should be easily accessible to all members of your team, regardless of their department or role. Every team member should be aware of what other departments are up to; this way, they will have a better sense of the big picture of your organization and how your core fundraising goals are being achieved.
Remember: During the design process, your fundraising timeline should be as specific as possible and you should hold yourself to the timeline as much as you can. However, if you find you are not progressing as quickly as you had planned, identify the roadblock and always give yourself room to edit the timeline if necessary.
4. Determine your fundraising methods.
A common thread among these tips has been specificity and when plotting out your fundraising plan, it is doubly important to specifically determine your fundraising methods.
It is not sufficient to simply say you will raise $XXX by such-and-such date. You need to plan out how you will raise that money and from whom you will solicit donations.
Fundraising is not a one size fits all process, and you should curate your fundraising methods with your prospects in mind. For example, consider these fundraising methods and how they serve prospects:
Online donation pages. If your donors cannot all come to you, meet them where they are. Online donation is simply convenient; for nonprofits interested in prospects in varying geographical locations, utilizing optimized online donation tools is a must.
P2P fundraising. For nonprofits seeking to grow their network of donors, P2P fundraising is a great way to engage constituents online and leverage the power of their social network to help your organization reach a broader audience.
Text-to-give. Mobile giving is a fundraising style that has been growing in popularity over the last several years. Like online donation pages, text-to-give fundraising makes it convenient for donors to give. Additionally, because donors are not tied to a desktop, they may consider donating more frequently.
Fundraising events. A strategic fundraising event help you engage donors and bring in major donations, too! Just make sure you plan out your fundraiser well in advance so you have plenty of time to consider important elements, such as the type of event, when and where to host it, and what technology you’ll need to pull it off.
Remember: You should consult your nonprofit’s existing data when determining which prospects to pursue and which fundraising methods best serve your prospect pool. Consider past data and metrics when determining fundraising methods, as well as what has worked for other nonprofits of a similar donor makeup and mission as yours.
5. Build corporate partnerships into your fundraising plan.
Corporate partnerships can be important sources of revenue and support for nonprofits.
When designing your fundraising plan, develop a strategy that will help you achieve corporate partnership so that you do not bypass such a valuable asset.
If you already are partnered with a corporation, consider these ways to leverage that relationship during the fundraising plan design process:
Event sponsorship. Your corporate partner could agree to sponsor a fundraising event for your nonprofit. With their name and notoriety attached, prospects may be more inclined to participate in your fundraiser.
Challenge grants. Your corporate partner might be amenable to offering your nonprofit a challenge grant. With a challenge grant, your organization and your partner agree upon a specific fundraising goal. If the goal is met, they might match the amount of funding raised or commit to donating an agreed-upon sum.
Matching gifts. One of the simplest ways to incorporate corporate philanthropy into your fundraising strategy is to seek out a matching gift tool. In a matching gifts program, a corporation agrees to match the donations of their employees either to a certain percentage of the donation or to a consistent maximum value. With a tool like this one offered by Double the Donation, donors can quickly determine whether their donation might be matched by their employer.
Take a look at DTD’s matching gift tool in action! The donor simply types the name of their company into the tool, and then DTD searches their database to see if they are matching gift-eligible.
Remember: Every nonprofit has unique needs and that extends to any relationship you have with corporate sponsors. You do not have to go after a partnership with a multi-million dollar company if that does not suit the scope of your organization. Partnering with small local businesses can get the job done, especially for regionally-focused nonprofits.
6. Tailor your case for support.
Your case for support underpins the success of your nonprofit, but it is often taken for granted when designing fundraising strategy.
Organizations and hospitals often create cases for support when they launch a capital campaign. These documents outline every detail of the campaign from how the funds will be used to the ways supporters can contribute.
Moreover, the case for support acts as an effective promotional tool to help educate potential donors on the importance of your cause. The content in your case for support can easily be posted on your website or published in a brochure.
While they’re common practice for capital campaigns, organizations should create a case for support as a part of any fundraising strategy.
Donors will not give to your organization unless you have a compelling case for support, so you need to take the time to thoughtfully develop your case.
Your case for support should answer these important questions:
What is our mission?
Why should donors give to this cause?
Why should they give to our organization in particular?
How much should donors give?
What specifically will our nonprofit do to achieve our mission?
At all levels of engagement, your nonprofit should actively communicate with donors the ways that your fundraising strategy addresses your case for support. The more compelling your case, the more likely it is that donors will give to your organization.
Remember: Your case for support should govern your fundraising strategy. Just as you should choose fundraising methods that target your prospects, you should similarly design your fundraising plan with your case for support as a foundation.
Your fundraising plan is the single most important tool in your arsenal when enacting a new fundraising strategy. Get closer to achieving your nonprofit’s fundraising goals by designing a detailed fundraising plan today!
Additional Resources
Conduct a Fundraising Feasibility Study: 6 Steps to Success. Capital campaigns can help your nonprofit reach larger goals as part of an effective fundraising plan. But first, you need to conduct a capital campaign feasibility study before your campaign can begin. With our step-by-step guide, your feasibility study is sure to give you the information you need to succeed!
Top 5 GoFundMe Alternatives. After developing a fundraising plan, your nonprofit may decide to pursue crowdfunding as a way to meet your fundraising goals. You might initially consider GoFundMe as a crowdfunding host, but don’t make your choice so quickly. There are many other crowdfunding sites just like GoFundMe (but better)! Check out our guide for some awesome alternatives.
14 Charity Auction Tools. Similarly, your nonprofit might choose to hold a charity auction as a fundraising event. Not only are auctions great ways to raise funding, but they’re also useful events to strengthen your donor relations. Be sure to consult our guide to the 14 best charity auction tools that are perfect for nonprofits of any size!
The search for the perfect association management software solution is a major undertaking for your association. You want to ensure your team has plenty of features at your disposal, but you also need a sleek solution that won’t bog you down or blow your budget.
When reading MemberClicks reviews, you might think you’ve found your solution and stop looking. As one of the major players in the association management space, MemberClicks offers many associations the database, communications, and events features they need.
But did you know that there are plenty of incredible association management solutions out there that might serve your association better?
Before you make an important software purchase, make sure you actually understand what your options are. In this post, we’ll review the following association management software solutions to help you decide which providers you should reach out to in your search:
It might seem overwhelming right now, but choosing association management software becomes so much easier once you have a shortlist of vendors to consider. With these top providers, you can’t go wrong!
Let’s get into the reviews to guide you to the best fit for your association.
1. MemberClicks Review
MemberClicks was founded in 1998, making it one of the most established legacy AMS products still on the market. In its lifespan, the software has expanded, bringing on a diversity of features that serve as the software’s main selling point.
The associations that find the most success with MemberClicks are those with the smallest staff. This AMS provides everything a small association needs in one package, which is much easier to keep track of than a constellation of separate systems that might or might not integrate properly with one another.
The MemberClicks solution is also highly customizable. Associations using the software are able to include their branding on their website, email campaigns, applications, and events pages. Many MemberClicks members feel overwhelmed and confused at the beginning, but with time and support, they are able to adjust to the level of customization available:
Top Software Features
MemberClicks provides small associations with:
A membership database
Renewal and application automation
Organizational memberships
Email marketing
Event registration
Member-facing website
Reporting, accounting and payment processing
Of course, this wealth of options comes with a downside.
A common complaint among MemberClicks customers is slow load time. With this many features packed into one locally hosted solution, it’s no wonder that MemberClicks can be clunky and slow down associations’ operations.
2. MemberClicks Alternative: Fonteva for Associations
In contrast, Fonteva for Associations is a lean, streamlined software solution that offers customization and breadth of features without slowing down essential business operations.
The speed can be attributed to true-cloud hosting. The Fonteva for Associations platform is built completely native in Salesforce, the world’s most popular cloud CRM. That’s why enterprise-level associations with members and chapters all over the world choose Fonteva instead of a locally hosted solution.
With Salesforce, your member data and operations are hosted in the cloud. That means:
There’s no limit on your storage space like there is with legacy AMS, no matter how many profiles or events you host at once.
Updates are pushed through the cloud without having to take your local servers offline and disrupt your operations.
Your information is safe, since Salesforce is the most secure cloud CMS in the world.
Besides, though Fonteva for Associations comes fully equipped with the most common modules needed by large associations, you have access to the Salesforce AppExchange with your Fonteva license. Instead of cluttering your core platform with point solutions, Fonteva gives you the opportunity to browse the AppExchange and Fonteva Marketplace to complete your software package. The Fonteva User’s Network can give you some ideas of what other users have done to customize the software to their needs:
Top Software Features
Fonteva for Associations offers enterprise-level associations access to:
The best part? You don’t need any technical coding knowledge to customize and implement any of these features.
But if you need to reach out for assistance, you can always take advantage of Fonteva’s world-class training and customer support team, as well as all the support materials Salesforce has to offer.
3. MemberClicks Alternative: Salsa
Some specific member-based associations and organizations need specialized solutions that can meet their unique needs.
If you’re a nonprofit that works in the arts and culture space, your members are your donors. You need a solution that understands constituents in both categories at once, like Salsa.
Salsa CRM, a top nonprofit CRM, integrates seamlessly with Salsa Engage, a digital marketing, fundraising, and advocacy platform that brings your association, nonprofit, or organization closer to your members.
The most important advantage Salsa’s suite of products offers to nonprofits and associations is its integrated marketing features. Without close member communication, you can’t push your campaigns forward and build a strong, sustainable member community. Salsa makes it possible to always know where you stand with your campaigns:
Top Software Features
With Salsa, you can take advantage of:
Member profiles
Donation tracking
Donor communications
Performance dashboards
Advocacy campaigns
Whether you’re supporting your members in fundraising, advocacy, or community engagement, Salsa makes it possible to track all your supporters’ activities in one database.
Instead of importing data after an event or major campaign, let the software do the work automatically so your records are ready to inform your next campaign — marketing campaign, fundraising campaign, advocacy campaign, or otherwise!
4. MemberClicks Alternative: Doubleknot
Visitor-serving nonprofits run very different membership programs than trade associations and arts and cultural nonprofits. For museums, science centers, zoos, and aquariums, specific administrative software like Doubleknot can take care of the unique challenges faced.
One main difference between visitor-facing nonprofits like museums is the motivation behind membership. While nonprofit members may join to support a charitable cause and trade association members may join for professional networking and advancement, museum members most often join to take advantage of specific member benefits.
Whether your museum offers discounted admission, invitations to special after-hours events, or gift certificates to the gift shop, your membership management software needs to be able to prioritize the ease of providing those benefits to the proper members at any time, on any device.
Doubleknot makes museum membership programs beneficial for members and profitable for your institution. Plus, through Doubleknot museum management, your programs become even more engaging for the greater member community. Centralize all you need for museum management in member profiles:
Top Software Features
Doubleknot offers museums and science centers:
Automatic membership benefits
Gift memberships
Membership cards
Automated renewals
Arguably the most important feature on this list are automatic membership benefits.
If a museum member buys an admissions ticket, item from the gift shop, or camp registration, the system should automatically apply any appropriate discounts of special permissions. The system should also allow nonmembers to purchase membership and take advantage of their new membership benefits in the same transaction, both online and in the gift shop.
5. MemberClicks Alternative: MIP Fund Accounting
One integral element of the association management process that you absolutely don’t want to overlook is the accounting process. Keeping your membership fees, fundraising opportunities, and expenses organized is key to a successful association.
Associations don’t focus on making a profit, but providing effective services for their members, making their accounting needs very different than your typical for-profit business. That’s why it’s important to invest in accounting software specifically designed for associations.
MIP Fund Accounting offers a fund accounting solution so that associations can provide financial transparency with their members and make smart financial choices.
With a completely configurable ledger, your association will be able to track funds from the time they enter the system until they’re spent on the services you provide. You can track funds based on restrictions and specialized fund groupings, making it easy to determine the next best steps for investments.
One of the most unique features offered by MIP Fund Accounting is the ability to choose between hosting the software on-premises or in the cloud.
You may choose to host the software in the cloud if you prefer a more modern UI, have reliable internet connectivity, have staff in multiple locations, and prefer access from anywhere at any time. Meanwhile, those who choose on-site hosting may have specific IT policies, have a primarily co-located staff, have in-house IT staff, or prefer manual control over updates.
Having this option shows that MIP Fund Accounting understands that different organizations and associations have different needs. And you can make the best decision based on where your association’s priorities lie.
Association management software solutions should make membership management easier, not harder. Choose the solution that simplifies your association’s operations, and you can’t go wrong!
If you need some more information before embarking on the software search, start with these great additional resources:
Association Management Software: The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide. Are you at the very beginning of the software purchasing process? Let Fonteva walk you through your software purchase with their ultimate buyer’s guide to association management software.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MemberClicks-Reviews-Rating-and-Alternative-Solutions.jpg280720Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2018-03-01 13:00:262022-06-20 07:54:51MemberClicks Reviews | Our Rating and Alternative Solutions
Political contribution history can be an extremely accurate indicator of giving potential, but the search tools to find them are often underutilized by prospect development professionals!
If it’s been a while since your last major campaign, or if you’re new to the topic, definitely check out our overview on the basics of prospect research.
Even if you’re experienced with donor prospecting, you might be unsure about how political contributions are relevant to your organization’s prospect development goals. Among all the metrics that you might use to guide your prospect development, this data can be the most useful mainly because it indicates demonstrated commitment and an interest in continual engagement with personally meaningful causes.
Political contributions search tools make a great addition to your other prospecting techniques, like a prospect generator tool. Having the full picture of your prospect as an individual is the key to an effective solicitation later.
Individuals who make political contributions of any size can become excellent prospects since they’re clearly willing to stand by their beliefs and are motivated by a desire to see their support in action.
As a result, political contribution searches can be an extremely effective development strategy if your organization is deeply cause-based or pursuing major or ambitious campaign goals. If this describes your organization in any way, definitely consider these top 3 political contribution search tools:
Read on to discover how these tools work and why they’ll help your organization to focus its prospect development strategies like never before!
1. DonorSearch
How Does This Political Contribution Search Tool Work?
Let’s say you’re developing a prospect strategy for an organization that works to empower young women who study law and political science. You’ve very generally identified one prospect, a guy named Bill Gates, so you do a quick search on DonorSearch’s political contribution search tool:
Does anything stand out? Gates’s major contribution to support women candidates for Senate is an excellent indicator that he’d also be willing to support your cause.
In this case, Gates would be a prospect with proven potential. Now imagine extending this idea to your entire prospect development strategy. With access to detailed political contribution data, you could more sharply focus your prospect development strategies, saving your organization time and resources in the process.
DonorSearch is a leader in prospect development resources because its databases and search tools are among the most exhaustive and accurate on the market.
By giving you the biggest picture possible of your own data and theirs, including invaluable political contribution information, you can make faster and smarter donor prospecting decisions for your organization.
Why Do We Recommend This Search Tool?
Unlike other prospect screening services that focus solely on wealth markers and statistics, DonorSearch’s suite of prospecting solutions will give you much a more comprehensive of who your prospect is as an individual.
With access to political contribution data, full philanthropic giving information, and professional histories, you’ll be able to fully integrate your existing database with DonorSearch software and augment your existing prospect profiles. It’s easy to generate longer prospect lists and identify potential major donors in your existing database by screening it with DonorSearch.
After all, identifying commonalities and trends between your donors and prospects is the first step to growth, especially when you have access to political contribution data.
Do you have any prospects that you’ve tried to approach unsuccessfully for years? Maybe their political contribution histories or other data will give you the breakthrough insight about how to individualize that strategy!
2. FEC.gov
How Does This Political Contribution Search Tool Work?
The United States Federal Election Commission provides a very handy search tool for its database of political contributions made by individuals:
In this federal database you can filter your searches with a number of fields, allowing your organization to identify individual potential prospects by location, employer, and contribution date and amount.
For instance, if you’re trying to identify potential donors for a hospital capital campaign, filtering the database by state and quickly browsing might yield you these results:
Immediately you find four individuals in your state who have supported a cardiology political action committee, one of whom donated $1,000. The database will provide you with the donor’s name and location, then by cross referencing your other prospect development resources you can find more detailed contact information and begin your appeal.
Why Do We Recommend This Search Tool?
The FEC search tool can be an extremely useful resource for your nonprofit’s prospect development strategies.
Refining your searches lets you easily find individuals with a proven commitment to financially supporting their beliefs and values. For the right organization this information can be invaluable.
Best of all, as a federal database, this tool is completely free to use. It can provide an excellent starting point for your donor prospecting, saving you time and effort in the early stages of identifying prospects.
3. Local Political Contribution Search Resources
How Do These Political Contribution Search Tools Work?
Do a little online research to see which political contribution resources might exist to report specifically on contribution data in your local area.
This Virginia political contributions database is a great example of the general features you’ll find in similar resources. You can search donors by name, city, and zip code.
Let’s say your organization is based in Newport News, Virginia. A quick search reveals the largest donors in the city, both individuals and other organizations, like the local shipbuilding consortium:
This search allows you to easily identify those in your area who regularly donate to political causes and candidates, indicating a proven commitment to financially supporting those whose work they believe in.
Why Do We Recommend These Search Tools?
If you already know that you need to target mainly local prospects, these niche political contribution databases should be your first step in the donor prospecting process since they let you completely focus your efforts.
With the ability to quickly identify and target political donors specific to their local areas, nonprofits stand a better chance of successfully converting prospects into major donors. Maybe you’re unaware of an individual or company a few blocks away that regularly donates to all kinds of causes!
The shared connection of community can be a powerful incentive to support nonprofit work, so understanding your local prospect environment is extremely important before expanding your scope.
Bonus Tip:
Political Contributions and Corporate Philanthropy
Political donations and corporate giving can be excellent links between one another!
Political contributions search tools, and especially exhaustive databases and tools like DonorSearch, will uncover the professional affiliations of prospects for your capital campaign or major fundraising project.
With this information, nonprofits can then reach out to businesses that employ major prospects, and together they can discuss elements of corporate giving, like:
Always remember to apply your strategies for individual prospect development to corporations, since corporations with demonstrated histories of supporting political issues are much more likely to invest in similar nonprofit causes.
If you’re beginning work on prospect development for your organization’s future fundraising projects, make sure political contributions are a core component of your prospect research strategy.
This metric is extremely valuable as an indicator of giving potential, yet it is often underutilized by nonprofits looking to build their prospect lists!
Rely on these political contribution search tools, and your organization will never miss out on strong prospects in your community and around the country.
Check out some additional resources on prospect development and political giving that you might find useful:
Our guide to Prospect Research: the Basics. Use this comprehensive guide to get started identifying new prospects today!
Atlanta, GA (December 5, 2019) — Double the Donation is proud to announce a new integration with DonorDrive, a leading provider of technology and marketing solutions to nonprofit organizations.
Through the new partnership, DonorDrive users can now enable Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro matching gift automation with just a few clicks. 360MatchPro then goes to work automatically identifying matching gift opportunities for every transaction passed through the DonorDrive system. The integration ensures that not a single matching gift opportunity slips through the cracks.
Double the Donation has built the most comprehensive database of companies that match employee donations. 360MatchPro automatically accounts for parent companies, subsidiaries, and spelling variations to make sure that donors are connected with the matching gift programs that they qualify for.
Using this extensive database, 360MatchPro automatically triggers out customized emails to each donor encouraging them to check their match-eligibility and then submit those match requests to their employers.
“We’re excited to begin our work with DonorDrive because they work with real change-makers,” said Adam Weinger, President of Double the Donation. “It’s our mission to continue making it easier and easier for these organizations to take advantage of the $4-7 billion in matching gift revenue left on the table each year.”
The biggest hurdle to collecting that unclaimed matching gift revenue is donor awareness. Most donors don’t know that they’re eligible for employee matching gift programs, which is why 360MatchPro’s follow-up communications are so important.
When a donation is made with a corporate email address, the donor is automatically sent their employers’ matching gift guidelines. 360MatchPro offers donors a clear and simple breakdown of their employer’s matching gift program so that they can quickly and easily see what kind of match they are eligible for.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Double-the-Donation-DonorDrive-Announcement.png368879Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2018-01-03 15:30:082024-10-14 19:13:48DonorDrive Integrates with Double the Donation for Matching Gifts
The average officer worker now receives 121 emails a day. And your inbox, and mine, will only get more crowded in the coming years (it seems) making the need for your emails to stand out and get opened important. But that’s just the first step, what are you going to say, and how are you going to say it, if they do open?
Well, based on our research of 218 email experiments related to email messaging, here’s what you need to do:
Write your email like it is to a real person, from a real person.
It sounds simple, and at one level it is, but it’s a crucially important fundraising idea that can grow your online fundraising. For example, here’s an experiment from our research library where the control email was pretty good, informative, and used facts and figures to make their case to the reader:
Not bad right?
But for the treatment, they wanted to ‘close the distance’ between the sender and reader by making the copy, tone, and voice, in particular, more personal. More human.
Do you see the differences? They are pretty small but the end result here was that the one that was more personal, increased donations 328%. And revenue? It increased 716.3%!
Being more personal is the high level idea that you should be infusing all the elements of your email with because it speaks to donors — you, me, humans — the way we connect with people. The concept that we treat digital experiences as if they are with real people is called social presence and it’s the social presence that separates those two emails from one another and it’s using social presence that can help you engage donors and separate your emails from those 120 other emails people receive each day.
We created a free online training course on email fundraising optimization that covers all you need to know but in this post let’s simply look at how you can improve them by fostering a 1-1 communication style through these 5 components of an email body:
Design and Format
Salutation
Body Copy
Call-to-Action
Tone/Voice
1. Design and Format
Stripping down the design and branding of an email appeal is one of the first experiments we run with clients, one of the easiest things you can test in your next appeal, and one of the most consistent ‘wins’ we see in our library.
If you don’t believe me, check out experiment #4174. The control was their usual email:
Pretty standard email with the logo, image header, copy making the case, big call-to-action button, personal signoff, and a PS.
This isn’t a ‘bad email’ – according to best practices you’ll find online and from other organizations – and in many ways a pretty good one but the intent of this email is pretty clear and quite early. It’s a marketing email.
So we wondered what would happen if we took out the branding and even the template itself to create a more personal feel using the same copy and call-to-action button to make it feel less templated and designed and here was the result:
The stripped down email increased clicks to the donation page by 80.3% and because of that led to more donations.
But could we simplify and strip down even further? Let’s test it! Here was that new ‘winning’ email (now the control):
And this time for the experiment, we wanted to get even simpler and clearer with the ask so moved the logo/branding down to the signature block and took away the big button and replaced it with a hyperlink and ended up with this:
In this case, the more personalized email increased donations 145.5%!
Looking for more evidence? Check out experiment #5824. Or #7524. Or #7466. Or #6429. Or #483. Or… I think you get the point. Our experiments show time and time again that for fundraising emails less design is better.
Why? Because real people don’t send emails with logos, beautiful header images, and well crafted footers. Think about what design elements you’d have in a personal email to a friend or family member and try to mimic that.
Do you use a header image? A logo at the top? A button in it? A signature? If you wouldn’t send it to a friend, take it out of your design and test it.
Key Tip: Choose an email design that mimics what you would send to a friend.
2. Salutation
This is one of the first things people see and it’s also often taken for granted. “Easy” things like using the person’s name can do wonders for email engagement.
Here’s an experiment with the National Breast Cancer Foundation where we had no first name vs. with first name:
The email with the first name increased clicks 270%.
When real people send emails to real people they use their name!
Hopefully that truly is an “easy” one for you (and you shouldn’t have to test that one) but you can also make your salutation more relevant to the receiver with internal factors like:
Personal interests – How about those Ramblers?
Personality – Wazzzzzup?
Level of engagement – you’
Or external factors like:
Environmental changes – I hope you didn’t get the snow like we did…
Holidays – Happy Holidays!
Recent events – What a Super Bowl!
Recent actions – Thank you for signing our petition!
These salutations work because… that’s how real people start conversations. So give it a shot in your next email.
Key Tip: Start a salutation with their name and, if possible, a personally relevant introduction.
Body Copy
The question I get asked most often when it comes to emails is, “how long should our email be?” And in response I twist the classic consultant ‘it depends’ answer a bit to be, ‘however long you need it to be to effectively answer the main value proposition question’:
“If I am your ideal donor, why should I give to you, compared to some other organization, or not at all”
If you can answer that question in a sentence, then great. Your email could be a sentence. If you need 1,000 words, then so be it. Your email can be 1,000 words. But more often than not, your emails need to be a bit longer than you think and our research has shown that again and again.
Because you suffer from something called the curse of knowledge — a marketer’s fatal flaw where we assume the reader knows much of what we know — you end up writing fundraising appeals that quickly go through things like the need and solution — the value proposition — and get to the ask before the reader has have enough info to make a good decision. And since inertia or gravity is going against people giving their money away, they don’t.
Or even if you do spend time trying to answer the value proposition question and featuring something like a matching gift, you may answer it in your own words or language full of acronyms, technical speak, and insider terms that the reader may not even understand.
You have to make sure you have enough content, aka copy, to let the reader know and understand what you’re asking them to do which is often more info as opposed to less. And the only real way to know what your donors respond to or if they get your value proposition is to run tests and experiments.
Donors will tell you they want shorter emails, with less copy, and just the stats. But after looking through over 218 experiments, I can tell you that longer emails, with more copy, and emotive language raises more money.
Key Tip: Before you make a request, make sure there is enough body copy to answer the question why… both for the email and for the request.
Call-to-Action
Alright, you’ve done the hard work. Someone has opened your email. They’ve read through the main body. Now it’s time to present the call to action and move them on ‘down the funnel’ (or up the donor mountain as we like to say). Be clear. Be direct. Be simple.
Do you want people to learn more? Will they understand what it means to ‘stand with you’? No. You want people to give so make that clear in your call to action. Learn more or ‘soft’ calls to action like ‘stand with us’ language may get more clicks but they’ll often get less donations (here’s one example and here’s another one).
Key Tip: When you make a call-to-action request, be clear about your desire and intentions.
Tone/Voice
Remember the very first example with the slight differences that led to a 328% increase in donations? It not only was more ‘you’ focused and personal, it also was full of social cues and emotive language that a real human would use. Check it out:
It is full of emotive words like ‘turn up the heat’,‘desperately’, ‘incredible’, and ‘the fight begins’ but also human terms like ‘I’d be honored’, ‘Would you be able to help’, and the opening ‘I wanted to get this news to you as soon as I could’.
The combination of personal terms and emotive language sets a tone and gives a voice to the email that can engage and entice readers so when they reach the call to action (notice the raw link) they are on board. They’re motivated. They’re ready to join the fight.
Or if you zoom in a bit closer to the CaringBridge example above you may have seen that, beyond the design, we made a few other minor changes around the tone as well. Take a look at the first few sentences of each email a bit closer:
Again, the first email isn’t bad. It starts out fine enough, tries to develop some connection, and gets into a story. Another ‘best practice’.
But in the treatment, we used ‘I’ and ‘you’ language to be more like a human sending an email to another human and create a sense of empathy before jumping into the campaign even without the story ‘hook’.
The tone you have and voice you use through your copy sets the stage not just to lead up to the call to action but helps people put down their ‘I’m getting marketing to’ guard to engage with the content on a more personal and human level.
Key Tip: Read the email out loud and add/adjust content to account for tone/voice so it sounds like it is from a human, and makes you feel something.
Remember…
People give to people. Not email marketing machines. So best way to optimize your email fundraising is craft your email — from the design and format to the call-to-action — as if you were just one person writing to another.
Take the time and copy length you need to simply describe the value you are offering, don’t let your design distract from your message and connection, infuse some social cues, and clearly ask for a donation if you are indeed asking for a donation.
And just in case you skimmed everything up until now here is the…
5 Ways to Humanize Your Emails Summary
Choose an email design that mimics what you would send to a friend.
Start a salutation with their name and, if possible, a personally relevant introduction.
Before you make a request, make sure there is enough body copy to answer the question why… both for the email and for the request.
When you make a call-to-action request, be clear about your desire and intentions.
Finally, read the email out loud and add/adjust content to account for tone/voice so it sounds like it is from a human, and makes you feel something.
Good luck!
Author Bio
Brady Josephson is a charity nerd, entrepreneur, digital marketer, professor, and writer. He’s the Vice President of Innovation and Optimization at NextAfter — a fundraising research lab and consultancy on a mission to unleash the most generous generation in the history of the world. Brady lives just outside Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with his wife Liz, dog Melly, and cat Thor. You can follow him on Twitter @bradyjosephson.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/email-computer.jpg658960Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2017-12-23 20:48:232023-09-14 19:58:195 Ways to Humanize Your Fundraising Emails (and Why That’s Important)
For most nonprofits, the topic of matching gifts is confusing enough as it is. However, the fine print can make it even more confusing, often turning donors away from taking advantage of corporate philanthropy. For instance, what happens when two spouses (both of which work for companies with matching gift programs) submit matching gifts separately to your organization?
Oftentimes, when a nonprofit’s fundraising team can’t find out the answer, the organization gives up when it could have received both matches. To fully understand situations like this, let’s dive into a few key questions:
Corporate philanthropy, like matching gift programs, is vital to nonprofit success. Let’s dive into common matching gift guidelines for situations like this.
1. Are Both Spouses Eligible to Receive a Match for the Same Organization?
In most cases, both spouses are able to submit a matching gift request to their respective employers. Assuming the standard case where companies match donations dollar-for-dollar, a single donation would effectively be tripled. We rarely, if ever, see a rule preventing a gift from being matched by multiple companies.
A more common occurrence is for both spouses to work for the same company that offers matching gifts. If that’s the case, one of three things typically occurs:
The company will provide a double match. For example, rather than matching at a 1:1 ratio, the company will match at a 2:1 ratio.
The company will provide the same matching gift ratio but will double the limit. For instance, instead of matching all donations up to $5,000 annually, the company will match donations up to $10,000 annually.
The company provides the couple with the same benefit that an individual employee receives.
To stay up-to-date on your donors’ matching gift eligibility, jump ahead to learn about matching gift databases.
2. How Can Nonprofits Promote Matching Gift Programs for Spouses?
Your organization may already incorporate many of our top ways to promote employee matching gifts, but don’t forget to also promote matching gifts for spouses.
For instance, do you provide donors with acknowledgement letters after they submit the matching gift request or upon receiving the actual grant from the company? If so, that would be a great time to encourage donors to ask their spouse if his or her company offers a matching gift program, too.
Simply reminding them that their donation could make even more of an impact increases the likelihood that they’ll look into it. Once a donor has gone through the match request process themselves, they’ll realize how straightforward it is.
From here, ask them to also find out if their spouse’s employer offers a similar program so the donation can be tripled! Since they’ve gone through the simple match request process themselves, they can relay the necessary information to their spouse.
Remember, if you subscribe to Double the Donation’s service, direct your supporters to your organization’s matching gift and volunteer grant webpage with our tool. That way, they can instantly determine their eligibility and submit the appropriate forms.
3. How Can a Matching Gift Database Help Identify These Opportunities?
While most employers will match both donations made by spouses, company guidelines do vary. As a nonprofit professional, you’ll need to stay on top of your donors’ personal data, such as their eligibility for matches through their employers. The research phase is an ongoing, arduous process. That’s where Double the Donation, the industry’s leading matching gift database, can help!
With Double the Donation, both your nonprofit team and your donors can instantly receive up-to-date information on their employers’ giving programs. This includes available guidelines, forms, requirements (e.g. donation minimums and maximums), and other relevant information. Plus, it easily integrates with other software, so you won’t have to worry about transferring all your data.
For larger organizations, check out 360MatchPro by Double the Donation. This comprehensive software enables email automation, customizable matching gift tracking, and other useful automation features!
With either platform, your nonprofit won’t miss out on important corporate giving opportunities. Whenever two spouses donate to your organization, they’ll instantly know if they are both eligible for matches through their employer, simply by searching their companies’ names. No more confusion on anyone’s part!
Matching gifts are not something your nonprofit wants to overlook. They’re fairly straightforward to acquire, but it can get tricky when two spouses both donate to your nonprofit. In some cases, they work for separate matching gift companies, and in others, they work for the same company. It’s all about making sense of companies’ guidelines.
Now that you know typical outcomes and how to identify these opportunities, start maximizing your matching gift potential!
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Spouses-at-Matching-Gift-Companies_Feature.jpg280725Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2017-10-12 19:14:462022-06-20 07:54:00Matching Gifts: When Spouses Both Donate to a Nonprofit
Nonprofits all over the the world turn to industry leader Blackbaud for their data and donor management software needs. The entire suite of Blackbaud products spans a wide range of needs, offering appropriate tools for small local nonprofits up to huge enterprise-level organizations.
If your nonprofit has considered making the move to Blackbaud, chances are you’ve done a little research into Raiser’s Edge. This all-in-one fundraising and management platform is one of the most popular Blackbaud products, and for good reason. For context, here’s how the Blackbaud experts at TeamDNL rank Raiser’s Edge in comparison with other popular products in the suite:
The price point, comprehensive features, and target nonprofit size of Raiser’s Edge all make it an extremely useful platform for a wide cross-section of nonprofits.
However, it’s important to remember that any new software is an important investment for your organization and requires careful consideration. Before moving forward with Raiser’s Edge (or its newest iteration, Raiser’s Edge NXT), you’ll need to determine that it’s the right fit for your nonprofit.
To help you navigate all the product reviews out there and cut down on research time, we’ve compiled the most significant benefits and potential drawbacks you’ll need to consider.
1. Pro: Nonprofits can use Raiser’s Edge for virtually all of their fundraising needs.
If you need expansive fundraising software, Raiser’s Edge won’t disappoint.
With features designed to improve operational efficiency, enhance donor acquisition and engagement, and of course, boost fundraising revenue, Raiser’s Edge is truly comprehensive.
While nonprofits of all sizes can use Raiser’s Edge, its broad functionality makes it an ideal fit for nonprofits who need to store a significant amount of data and implement more complex fundraising strategies.
For instance, Raiser’s Edge can play an instrumental role in streamlining all of the following processes:
Data enrichment.
Communications and marketing.
Online payment processing.
Event management.
Wealth analytics and prospect research.
Crowdfunding and social engagement.
Of course, this also means your team should be prepared to learn about as many of these tools as possible. Take some time beforehand to consider how each member of your team will need to use the platform and what features are immediately relevant to each role. This can greatly streamline the training process.
Having an overwhelming set of fundraising resources in front of you with no idea where to start is a position no nonprofit wants to be in. To avoid that situation, make sure you’ve done your research to find out exactly what kind of fundraising software you need.
Or, seek out the help of a nonprofit technology consultant who can guide you through the implementation process and ensure you’re on track for success!
2. Con: Raiser’s Edge isn’t a quick solution for inexperienced nonprofits.
Because Raiser’s Edge is so multifaceted, some nonprofits have a difficult time finding their way around the product. Specifically, smaller organizations might struggle to get up and running quickly with the Raiser’s Edge platform.
However, this isn’t due to any major flaws in the software’s user-friendliness or design. Rather, it’s because Raiser’s Edge is such a comprehensive and highly-customizable platform. This can make it a difficult adjustment for organizations that have never before used a dedicated, professional-grade data and campaign management system before.
Small, local organizations that might only have a few (or no) paid employees typically rely on a mixture of more informal tools, spreadsheets, general accounting software, and word processors. Upgrading an all-in-one system is an important step in nonprofit development, but merging all those historical processes can be a strain on small teams that aren’t used to such major changes.
Typically, small organizations struggle with a few important aspects of the Raiser’s Edge system:
Implementation. For organizations that aren’t used to comprehensive database platforms, it can take a lot of trial and error, testing, and training to really learn the ins and outs. If your smaller nonprofits needs to get up and running with Raiser’s Edge quickly, expect at least a little frustration with the learning curve.
Creating queries. Raiser’s Edge provides the ability to pull information on specific groups or segments of constituents using their query tool. However, organizations with smaller donor pools might find that this feature is difficult to understand and utilize. The tool’s value becomes much more apparent as nonprofits grow.
Generating custom reports. While Raiser’s Edge allows organizations to run reports on virtually any metrics within their database, users at small or young organizations will likely be less familiar with the process and scope of analytics reporting.The platform offers preset reports that are certainly helpful, but small organizations will need to take the time and learn more and adjust them as needed.
Raiser’s Edge is an ideal fundraising and donor management platform for mid-sized organizations. That’s not to say that smaller nonprofits can’t find any value in it, but they are more likely to run into challenges along the way. This is especially true if they’ve never used a dedicated management system like Raiser’s Edge before.
Blackbaud has a highly competent support team who can walk you through these issues if you do encounter them. Or look for a third-party support team that specializes in Blackbaud’s suite of products. Not only can they walk you through the ins and outs of Raiser’s Edge, they can ensure all your essential integrations are up and running properly.
3. Pro: Raiser’s Edge is a highly customizable platform.
For organizations who like to get under the hood of their fundraising software and design a platform that’s fully unique, Raiser’s Edge may be a good fit.
With a multitude of configurable settings and customization options, Raiser’s Edge is most useful when organizations take advantage of the ability to adapt the platform to their needs.
Let’s look at just a sampling of what your team can configure:
Role-based views and permissions.
Donor profile settings, including addressees and salutations.
Business rules and defaults.
Tables.
Constituent categories.
Fields.
Integrations and links to other platforms.
And that’s truly just a taste of what you can customize!
However, it’s important to understand that Raiser’s Edge configuration is not a task just anyone can try their hand at, particularly if they’ve never worked with a Blackbaud platform before.
To truly capitalize on the advantage of in-depth customization, your organization will need to work with an experienced professional.
A web developer or nonprofit technology consultant with Blackbaud expertise can save you time, headaches, and potentially damaging mistakes. Plus, a nonprofit consultant can take the time to understand your fundraising strategy and then implement the customizations that are proven to put you on the path toward success.
When Raiser’s Edge is already such an investment, you need to go the extra mile to make sure your configurations are in line with your goals and fundraising needs. A nonprofit technology consultant can be that missing link!
4. Con: Raiser’s Edge is a long-term investment that requires additional strategy.
Comprehensive fundraising and donor management platforms like Raiser’s Edge are major investments for nonprofits; when properly implemented and customized, this software can make a huge difference for their campaign results and donor retention as they collect and use data in smarter ways.
Without an initial gameplan, however, organizations of any size can easily be overwhelmed by all these capabilities. Those that are less experienced with platforms of this scale risk not making the most of their new investment, or worse, misusing it.
You’ll most likely need to seek out some form of training and strategy support for your team as you get started with Raiser’s Edge.
While there are plenty of online and in-person Raiser’s Edge training resources offered by Blackbaud, researching all of your options can be a challenge. If you’re new to Blackbaud products more generally, just determining what type of support you need can make the implementation process even more challenging.
This master list of Blackbaud training resources covers can help alleviate some of the time you spend on research, but it’s more important that you take the time to gauge your needs before purchasing Raiser’s Edge. Consider your organization’s current software habits and your team’s levels of experience with different types of systems.
Try to determine how much and what sorts of support you’ll need and plan accordingly. For instance, for a first-time transition to a professional-grade database and management system, budget for nonprofit strategy consulting.
An expert guide can offer a personalized training plan with role-based paths, in-person coaching, and general counsel regarding using Raiser’s Edge as part of your fundraising strategy.
5. Pro: Nonprofits can integrate matching gifts into their Raiser’s Edge platform.
Saving the best perk for last, we can’t forget that Raiser’s Edge makes it possible to seamlessly incorporate the oh-so-important matching gift process right into your fundraising software!
You already know how vital matching gifts can be to your fundraising strategy. Raiser’s Edge accounts for this by making it easy to store matching gift information within your database and use that intel to (literally) multiply your gifts.
Within a Raiser’s Edge donor profile, you have the ability to view corporate giving data in a dedicated Matching Gifts section. All the relevant information, such as the company, match amount, and date, will be visible in one central location to make it easy to keep track of your matched funds over time.
Let’s look at a few ways you can take advantage of this pro:
Store donors’ employer information. You’ll have a hard time securing matching gifts if you don’t have your supporters’ employer data on file. You can request this information through event registration or donation forms, or simply reach out to donors to ask.
Create constituent profiles for employers. You should keep employers’ data on file in separate constituent profiles. That way, you can centralize important data such as matching gift ratios, deadlines, and eligibility requirements. Having their contact information on file also makes it easier to send them their own communications and thank-you notes for each matched gift.
Integrate a matching gift tool into your donation process. If you’re using Blackbaud NetCommunity as part of your Raiser’s Edge system, don’t forget to integrate Double the Donation’s easy matching gift tool on your donation confirmation pages and acknowledgement emails! Read this simple integration guide to find out how.
And if you’re a larger organization interested in implementing matching gifts into your fundraising strategy, see how 360MatchPro can help you take your efficiency to the next level through a Raiser’s Edge integration!
Raiser’s Edge is a powerful campaign management and donor database platform, and it’s provided countless organizations with game-changing features and capabilities to support their growth. Ensuring that your organization is in a good position to adopt a new tool of this scale, however, is essential.
Carefully consider your size and level of experience, and weigh these elements against the huge potential benefits of implementing Raiser’s Edge into your nonprofit’s operations.
Learn more about fundraising software by checking out these additional resources:
The Top Nonprofit CRMs. Read our reviews of the top constituent relationship management software on the market to find out which tools are best suited for your organization!
Our Favorite Donor Management Solutions. Find out how to boost donor engagement (and retention!) by investing in the best donor management software you can find.
If your organization is considering upgrading to new constituent relationship management (CRM) software, the well known product Blackbaud CRM might be toward the top of your list.
While Blackbaud is known for having a wide range of versatile nonprofit software products, Blackbaud CRM is a unique solution designed specifically for established organizations with highly expansive fundraising and constituent management needs.
That being the case, you’ll need to think carefully before choosing to invest in this powerful software.
To help you figure out if this CRM is the best fit for you, we’ve put together a list of 5 tell-tale signs that you should continue considering Blackbaud CRM:
But before we start, make sure that you’re familiar with Blackbaud CRM by reading this helpful guide from Blackbaud experts and nonprofit consulting firm DNL OmniMedia.
1. You’ve outgrown your current CRM.
As you may know, Blackbaud CRM was built for enterprise-level nonprofits and includes tools tailored to organizations with large-scale needs.
With that in mind, it makes sense that you should only consider Blackbaud CRM if your existing CRM system doesn’t meet all of your data management, fundraising, or donor engagement needs.
While some CRM software is built to be more lightweight to accommodate small or midsized organizations, if growth is a priority for your team, you’ll need a CRM with scalable functionality and a variety of features to support your many needs.
Blackbaud CRM comes with all of the following features to meet a diverse array of nonprofit needs:
Total relationship management for donors, volunteers, members, and more supporter types.
Support for multiple nonprofit chapters, field offices, departments, or programs.
Dynamic communications and marketing tools.
Custom analytics to measure success in all areas of your organization.
Plus, Blackbaud CRM can be even further expanded through configurations or integrations.
It’s important to note that if your organization doesn’t need access to tools that cater to such far-reaching needs, you’ll likely not want to invest in a platform as massive as Blackbaud CRM.
Blackbaud CRM might be right for you if… your fundraising and donor management needs aren’t met through your current CRM solution.
2. You need a CRM that can centralize your operations.
In addition to enhancing your CRM functionality, Blackbaud CRM can also streamline your overall nonprofit operations in a holistic way.not
If your organization is currently relying on a variety of disparate fundraising platforms, donor management software, and other data sources, Blackbaud CRM can centralize those efforts.
Blackbaud CRM seeks to simplify the nonprofit management experience by giving you access to all of the information and tools you need in just one system.
Through the Blackbaud CRM platform alone (i.e., without any third-party software integrations), you’ll be able to manage all of the following aspects of your organization’s fundraising and constituent relationship management efforts:
Annual or capital campaign giving.
Major and planned giving.
Volunteer systems.
Social media.
Peer-to-peer fundraising.
Web design.
Multi-channel marketing.
(And more, if you can believe it!)
Having access to a full scope of fundraising capabilities in one system gives your nonprofit ultimate flexibility when it comes to planning out your strategies.
While you can always integrate external software or build out custom solutions, Blackbaud CRM comes equipped with a robust feature set that can allow you to manage every aspect of your nonprofit in one place, thus limiting the need for complicated data migrations and mitigating the risk of lost or damaged data.
Blackbaud CRM might be right for you if… your organization is using a variety of disconnecting platforms to manage your fundraising, donor management, and constituent engagement efforts.
3. You’re prepared to implement your Blackbaud CRM.
So far, we’ve spoken pretty highly of Blackbaud CRM. It’s multi-functional, powerful, and scalable—what’s the catch?
It’s true that Blackbaud CRM can do a lot, but before you can capitalize on all of its features, you’ll need to successfully implement the system at your organization.
The Blackbaud CRM implementation process can be complicated, time-consuming, and costly. If it is the right software for you, the payoff will be well worth the time you spend getting set up with the product; however, you’ll still need to carefully consider if you’re prepared to take on such a project.
Here’s what we recommend doing to make sure you can move forward with implementation confidently:
Set an implementation timeline. To stay on track and limit unnecessary interruptions, your team will need to establish a timeline for the implementation process. If you’re working with a nonprofit technology consultant, they can help you set a realistic time frame, complete with benchmarks along the way.
Appoint an implementation manager. Not only will an implementation manager help keep the team on track, he or she will also help resolve any confusions, report progress to stakeholders and your board, and work with your consultant to document your process and establish best practices moving forward.
Determine the best path for training. After you get your platform up and running, you’ll need to train your staff on how to actually use the Blackbaud CRM system. Know your resources and be aware that you’ll want to receive the most comprehensive training possible, not just a hodgepodge of videos and how-to articles.
Be forewarned: while it might be tempting to manage your CRM implementation and training on your own to save some money, when it comes to Blackbaud CRM, implementation is not a one-person job.
You’ll receive help from your vendor (and hopefully, your IT department), but we strongly recommend seeking the help of a nonprofit consultant to walk through the process with you as well. They’ll be able to provide structured support, guidance, and training, as well as an expert’s perspective on how to maximize your new system.
Blackbaud CRM might be right for you if… you’ve spent some time considering the implementation process and have mapped out a plan to minimize risks and maximize long-term success with your new software.
4. You have a plan to customize Blackbaud CRM.
To really get the full Blackbaud CRM advantage, you’ll need to make your software your own.
How do you do that? Simply put, you’ll need to customize your CRM to fit your nonprofit, which you can do in a variety of ways.
Working with an experienced developer or Blackbaud consultant, you can integrate third-party platforms or build out completely custom solutions within your CRM.
For examples of how you might integrate your platform, you might consider adding:
Integrations can be more complex than you might think, so before you decide what you’ll need to add to make your CRM complete, make sure you have professionals on hand to conduct the integrations.
In addition to integrating existing software, you can also work with a nonprofit technology consultant to build out your CRM in ways that are totally unique to your organization.
Before you dive into the search process for your perfect consultant, though, take some time to assess your current fundraising and stewardship strategies to find out how Blackbaud CRM can enhance your efforts. What areas could be improved through existing software? Where do you need to take a more custom approach?
Blackbaud CRM might be right for you if… you know how you’ll include integrations and configurations in your software, and you’re ready to work with a nonprofit technology consultant to carry out the customizations.
5. You have room in your budget for Blackbaud CRM.
With so much to consider, it’s no surprise that Blackbaud CRM implementation will cost a bit more than some other CRM choices.
While you’ll need to reach out to Blackbaud for an exact quote, what we can tell you is that you can’t expect to get such a full-service CRM solution for a minimal fee. Blackbaud CRM is a pricey solution built for organizations who need—and are prepared for—a long-term investment.
Of course, you’ll need to consider your Blackbaud CRM price quote before deciding if you can move forward with purchasing the software. But if you’ve been paying attention so far in this post, you’ll already know that you should also consider such expenses as:
Integrations. Syncing your CRM up to other software? You’ll need to pay for any products you don’t already own, and you may also need to purchase connector applications or pay for a third-party developer to conduct the integration.
Training. Blackbaud typically only offers the lowest level of training with their product packages, so you’ll need to either opt in to their more exhaustive training programs, or work with a nonprofit consultant to develop a personalized training plan that fits your needs and budget.
Additional fees. If you’ve ever used a CRM, you’re probably aware that you should add padding to your software budget to account for payment processing fees, expansions, upgrades, or other “hidden” costs you might incur down the road.
While some costs (such as a nonprofit consultant) are vital to your success, other costs (such as paying for constituent profiles or user access) may not be as necessary. Make sure you’re only paying for what you need and that the benefits of the software will outweigh the costs over time.
If you ultimately find that Blackbaud CRM is too much for your team right now, it’s not too late to backtrack and find another more cost-effective option!
Blackbaud CRM might be right for you if… you’ve laid out enough room in your budget (with some give-or-take for unexpected costs) and feel confident selling the purchase to your stakeholders and board.
Blackbaud CRM is a big purchase, so don’t take the consideration process lightly! Make sure Blackbaud CRM fits into your strategy perfectly and that you’re all set with the tools you need to use it effectively.
Need to learn a little more about Blackbaud CRM (or CRMs in general) before making your move? Read these additional resources to get up to speed:
The Nonprofit’s Guide to CRM Software.Learn how CRM software can impact your data management and donor engagement strategies by reading our essential guide to nonprofit CRMs.
Raiser’s Edge Pros and Cons to Consider. If Blackbaud CRM isn’t right for your organization, check out Blackbaud’s fundraising software Raiser’s Edge! Our post breaks down the highs and lows of this popular software.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/blackbaud-crm.jpg321845Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2017-08-15 17:53:512023-09-14 15:04:25Blackbaud CRM: 5 Ways to Know If It’s Right for You
A popular solution for for-profit businesses, Salesforce has earned its place as one of the most comprehensive CRM software options on the market. With so many companies relying on it for sales, marketing, and more, you’re probably familiar with Salesforce to some extent—but did you know that your nonprofit can take advantage of the full range of Salesforce features too?
How is Salesforce used in a nonprofit?
Salesforce CRM can be a powerful tool in your constituent management and fundraising arsenal if you know how to maximize your use of this robust software.
Since nonprofits have such specific needs, you’ll have to know how to use Salesforce the right way to stay on top of your most important efforts, including:
Yes! In this post, we’ll walk through how you can use built-in Salesforce features as well as powerful Salesforce apps and integrations to manage all of your most vital nonprofit initiatives and actually enhance your strategies through your CRM’s innovative functionality.
Ready to learn how Salesforce for nonprofits can push your organization forward? Let’s get straight to it!
1. How to Use Salesforce for Constituent Management
Potentially the most important task for any nonprofit is staying on top of all the supporter information you have access to and then using that data to drive more effective fundraising and engagement strategies.
Without your constituents, your organization wouldn’t be able to move your mission forward through fundraising campaigns, volunteer work, or advocacy initiatives. That’s why it’s imperative that you know who your supporters are and how to properly connect with them!
As a CRM, Salesforce should be your first resource for managing constituent data. Let’s lay out a few of our favorite strategies for using Salesforce for better donor, volunteer, and other types of constituent management:
Consider Salesforce’s nonprofit products. Did you know Salesforce offers “re-imaginations” of their core products built expressly for nonprofits? With the Nonprofit Success Pack, you’ll gain access to all the features of standard Salesforce CRM pre-configured to better meet nonprofit donor management and fundraising needs.
Build out your supporter profiles using custom fields and relationships. Anyone can add custom fields, objects, relationships, and other elements to their CRM without being an IT expert. By creating unique data sets, you’ll see a more intentional view of your constituents, which can then inform all of your strategies.
Use Salesforce’s web-to-lead feature to capture information online. Salesforce’s web-to-lead feature automatically converts online forms into lead profiles in your CRM. That way, anyone who signs up for more information online (e.g., signing up for your mailing list or requesting a volunteer schedule) will instantly be logged in Salesforce.
Proper constituent management can also inform your fundraising strategies, specifically how you incorporate important elements such as corporate giving!
When you have complete, manageable data sets, you’ll be able to better target matching gift prospects and communicate opportunities for corporate philanthropy to the right supporters.
An integration with 360MatchPro by Double the Donation can help large nonprofits use their Salesforce data to power more effective matching gift strategies. 360MatchPro breaks down the constituent data you’re already storing in your CRM by matching gift eligibility and status. This powerful matching gifts software can put your constituent information to good use with actionable matching gift reports:
The more you lean on Salesforce for nonprofits to manage your constituent data, the more time you’ll have to focus on other things—like actually using that data to drive your fundraising tactics!
For many nonprofits, fundraising events are the cornerstone of their fundraising efforts. Whether you’re planning a variety of small-scale events or one extensive annual fundraiser, you’ll need a way to manage your event logistics, guests, marketing, and more.
While you can look to a third-party solution to plan your event, having access to all of your event management features within your Salesforce system will provide a more holistic view of your efforts and allow you to streamline many of your event-related tasks.
While you can use some of Salesforce’s built-in features to plan your event, to truly maximize your event management experience, we recommend finding a native Salesforce app to extend your CRM’s functionality to include dedicated event tools.
With the help of the right Salesforce event management application or integration, you can tackle all of the following vital event elements without ever leaving your CRM:
Event registration. Set up a fully customized event microsite with an intuitive registration process. Set up multiple ticket types, build out tracks with unique sessions, and even offer merchandise as an add-on to registration using an interactive eStore interface.
Total logistics management. Track speakers, sponsors, venue arrangements, and other necessities within your CRM. Since no two events are alike, make sure that your app can accommodate whatever you’re planning, from golf tournaments to mega-conferences to stakeholder meetings and more.
Guest experience. Empower guests to build and manage their own event agendas, share your event with friends via social media integrations, and complete pre- and post-event surveys to provide invaluable feedback to your event team.
With the power of Salesforce for nonprofits and the right event management app, you can centralize your event planning efforts and design a more productive (profitable!) event for your donors.
Next Steps for Using This Salesforce Feature
Find the right Salesforce partner for your next event by reading our reviews of the best event solutions on the AppExchange. Each of these tools can help your nonprofit’s next event thrive in a unique way, so all types of nonprofits can benefit from integrating these helpful solutions.
3. How to Use Salesforce for Fundraising Campaign Management
It goes without saying that in order to keep your organization’s mission moving forward, you need to find creative ways to bring in money for your cause.
Those efforts typically combine a lot of different fundraising techniques and strategies, from hosting fundraising events to cultivating long-term major donor relationships to simply setting up an online donation form.
Thankfully, your Salesforce CRM can help you balance all of your fundraising efforts in a way that drives your campaigns forward (and hopefully, above and beyond expectations).
By using Salesforce’s features and a few well-placed integrations, you can manage a multitude of fundraising tactics, such as:
Online fundraising. Being able to accept gifts on your website is essential! You can customize your web-to-lead capture so that online donation form data appropriately transfers to any field in your database, or work with an online giving tool that offers a custom Salesforce integration.
Matching gifts. A vital part of many nonprofits’ fundraising strategies, matching gifts can have a place in your Salesforce system, too! You can manually track employer information on your donor profiles, but for best results, you’ll likely need to implement a custom integration.
Peer-to-peer fundraising. By integrating a peer-to-peer fundraising platform with your CRM, you’ll be able to seamlessly transfer all of your fundraiser and donor information into Salesforce. Because peer-to-peer fundraising is so unique, it’s important to find an app that can map your data to Salesforce in a streamlined way.
You’ll be able to track all of these campaigns within Salesforce so that you have a real-time snapshot of who is donating, how you’re collecting donations, and how you’re measuring up to your short- and long-term fundraising goals.
Next Steps for Using This Salesforce Feature
Fundraising campaigns are the backbone of nonprofit organizations. Get started building out a Salesforce system that can cater to your fundraising campaign management needs (and other vital nonprofit efforts) by checking out these top nonprofit Salesforce apps.
4. How to Use Salesforce for Marketing and Communications
Whether you’re getting the word out about fundraising projects or inspiring supporters to make a donation, your marketing and communications initiatives can have a huge impact on your overall fundraising and donor engagement strategies.
However, with so many channels through which you can communicate, it’s difficult to nail down how you’ll connect with your supporters and how you’ll track those efforts within your CRM. Luckily (you guessed it), Salesforce for nonprofits can help!
Within Salesforce, your nonprofit should be able to manage your marketing and communications in a comprehensive way, taking advantage of all the most relevant, engaging channels, such as:
Email marketing. Perhaps the most universal communication channel around, email can be your go-to for newsletters, donation solicitation, acknowledgments, event marketing, and virtually anything else. Design branded email templates and build out custom automations based on content or recipient list.
Social media. Whether your supporters are using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or all of the above, your nonprofit’s web presence relies on active social media profiles. Store your constituents’ profile information within your CRM so that you can keep track of their interactions and manage your own posts effectively.
Direct mail. If you think direct mail is out-of-date, think again! Still a powerhouse marketing means for many organizations, direct mail appeals to individuals of all demographics. Streamline your snail mail efforts by creating unique direct mail workflows and tracking responses in Salesforce.
No matter what type of communication you choose to employ, Salesforce for nonprofits should make it easy to organize and segment your recipient list, design professional materials, and track responses and interactions intuitively.
Next Steps for Using This Salesforce Feature
To actually follow through with these efforts, you can take advantage of the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, which offers all-in-one marketing solutions, or look to third-party integrations or Salesforce apps. If you’re interested in exploring your options, take a look at our list of the top nonprofit marketing software.
5. How to use Salesforce for Reports and Dashboards
With all of the data you’re compiling in Salesforce (not to mention any apps or integrations you’ve paired with your CRM), you’ll need a way to make all the information you’ve stored meaningful and useful.
Salesforce for nonprofits has a wide range of built-in reporting tools to help you make sense of your different data sets. With Salesforce, you’ll be able to pose questions in order to generate custom reports. Then, you can display those reports visually using dashboards.
What kind of questions might you ask in Salesforce? Here are just a few examples of how Salesforce reports can help you break down data:
Donor acquisition. Measure how many new donors you engaged during your last fundraising campaign or at your last event by running reports on new leads generated or contacts added during a set time frame; you can even automate these to run on a schedule that keeps you updated regularly with no extra effort on your end.
Fundraising progress. Discover how your organization is tracking against your goals by building a dashboard to show a real-time picture of the revenue you’ve earned toward your end goal. Don’t forget to display this dashboard on your Salesforce home page so it’s always at front of mind!
Survey responses. A great way to measure engagement, surveys can provide you with a large amount of data at once. After building a custom object for your survey in Salesforce and the mapping that data so it flows into your CRM in a meaningful way, you can then run reports and generate dashboards for all of the information you collect or break down the answers into smaller reports.
You might also view dashboards related to donors’ matching gift eligibility, as shown with 360MatchPro:
When you have a clear view of how your nonprofit is performing in all the most important areas, you’ll be able to move forward with a stronger vision than ever.
Next Steps for Using This Salesforce Feature
Salesforce’s analytics features can help you determine a more strategic plan forward in terms of fundraising, donor engagement, and other vital areas. For more help putting together your nonprofit strategy, check out this post!
Now that you know how useful Salesforce can be, it’s time to start making the most of this impressive CRM!
But before you dive into your Salesforce strategy, check out these additional resources too:
Top 10 Salesforce Apps for Nonprofits.Learn how to take your Salesforce system from adequate to out-of-this-world by implementing these amazing Salesforce apps, all designed for nonprofits!
Salesforce Event Management: The Ultimate Guide.If event management is your Salesforce goal, you’ll need to know the best ways to go about it. Fonteva’s got you covered with this thorough guide!
Top Nonprofit CRMs.If Salesforce isn’t quite your speed, you’ve got plenty of other nonprofit constituent relationship management software options. Check out our favorites!
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Salesforce-for-Nonprofits-Feature.jpg275725Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2017-08-11 19:43:572022-06-20 07:54:47Salesforce for Nonprofits: 5 Features You Need to Know
