| April 2009 |
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Featured in this issue: Online Donation Success Stories Also In This Issue: Meet Dave Weaver, A Creator of GiftWorks GiftWorks forms Consultant Advisory Group April is Customer Appreciation Month GiftWorks Team on the Road: Come See Us! The South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations Partners with GiftWorks! Online Donation Users Report Success
Donor Numbers Increase 60% for Pride Houston We thought we'd check in on a few organizations that are using new GiftWorks Online Donations (released December 2008). Pride Houston Increases Donors by 60%  Eric Skains, Chairman of Pride Houston, reports: "Our first campaign for online donations was our Club 5000 (goal: $5 each from 5000 people = $25,000 for wellness services) this February. Unlike prior Club 5000 appeals, this year donations could be made online in custom amounts or on a subscription basis (monthly or quarterly payments). Pride Houston gives Online Donations visibility with a "Club 5000" billboard on their Home page. We had a 60% increase in number of donors over the 2008 campaign in 2009! We also saw an increase in subscription (repeat) donations.""Donor comments indicated that most people considered giving online 'easier,'" Eric continues, "One couple indicated that they feel more secure sending a check. Naturally, we are happy to accept their donations in either form."  Pride Houston chose the GiftWorks Online Donations solution because it is compatible with their GiftWorks database and, like GiftWorks, "it's very user-friendly." Skains says, "We had been using another online donations solution but that still required us to manually enter the donation transaction into GiftWorks. With GiftWorks Online Donations, the online process integrates directly into GiftWorks. As donations are made, we can see them in the GiftWorks Live 'dashboard.' When we are ready, we review them and then download directly into GiftWorks with just a few clicks. Once the Donations are in GiftWorks they appear in Reports and can be tracked and managed just like other donations. Since we are an all-volunteer organization, this really helps cut back on hours of data entry."Additionally, Skains says, "We receive the funds quickly (usually within 48 hours) and the fees are reasonable." And lastly, "The old system we were working with did not have the capability to handle recurring donations (monthly, quarterly, etc.). We can really see how offering the donor the option to give at regular intervals over time will increase the dollar amount given." Idaho Botanical Gardens Begins Collecting Online Donations  What led Idaho Botanical Gardens to start collecting online donations? Heidi Lewis, Development Director, notes, "It's a changing world. We need to provide what donors want and are looking for."There wasn't a lot of debate before the Botanical Garden staff chose GiftWorks Online Donations. They were already working with GiftWorks, and liked the direct link, so the choice was easy. In their recent direct mail membership campaign, donors could respond by mail or online and a number made their gifts online. Heidi says, "We now include a request for a member's email address in all our reply devices. We plan to do an email follow-up with our Annual Campaign which will highlight the online donation option. Further down the road, we'll do an all-email drive." Idaho Botanical Gardens plans to promote online giving through their e-newsletter, their website, and all their communications going forward. The Idaho Botanical Garden's mission is to stimulate interest in, appreciation for, and an understanding of gardening, horticulture, botany, and conservation of natural resources. Learn more at www.idahobotanicalgarden.org. Pride Houston works at the heart of the GLBT community to increase awareness and equality in their city. Learn more at www.PrideHouston.org | ||
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GiftWorks Launches Consultant Advisory Group
Ellen Mowrer, Director of Business Development, announces the formation of the GiftWorks Consultant Advisory Group. "We want to ensure that Mission Research and GiftWorks grow in ways that have the most benefit for our clients, so we have invited a number of the 700 consultant partners to provide input and leadership through a Consultant Advisory Group. These members have differentiated themselves through their GiftWorks-related activities, enthusiasm, and business acumen. They represent professional best practices which are critical to their clients' successes, and to ours." In the future, you'll see the Consultant Advisors as contributors to our In the Works e-newsletter, presenters in webinars and conference calls, and as resources to help with client issues. In addition they are participating in a number of forums on LinkedIn. Meet the Consultant Advisors. Sharing the Green with GiftWorks Customers!
April is Customer Appreciation Month Are you tired of bad economic news? We are! So we've decided that April is GiftWorks Customer Appreciation Month and we're going to give GiftWorks customers some good news. The GiftWorks team is giving all GiftWorks customers $50 in GiftWorks Green. From now until April 30, GiftWorks customer organizations have $50 to spend on any GiftWorks product or service. Whether you add another GiftWorks license, set up your online giving program with GiftWorks Online Donations, or provide a new employee with a GiftWorks U course, you can use your $50 toward whatever you like! Call (888-323-8766 x 2) or email us for details. 39 GiftWorks Customers received $2,000 in donations from Mission Research as rewards for customer referrals in the first quarter of 2009. Additionally, GiftWorks customers get a $75 donation to your organization for any customer referral made in April. If GiftWorks has helped you, refer friends in the nonprofit community so they can benefit as well. As a customer who has made a referral, you receive a Referral Reward donation when an organization you refer to us purchases GiftWorks. We donated $2,000 in the first quarter to 2009, and we would love to donate to you too. With Referral Rewards, we can all work together to make the nonprofit community stronger - this is a true win-win-win situation! Use this web page to make a referral today. We continue to be inspired by your unflagging dedication to mission, your tireless service, and your commitment to improving your organization by taking advantage of the best tools available (yes, that includes GiftWorks!). You are truly having an impact on the world and we appreciate that. GiftWorks On The Road!
The GiftWorks team is hitting the road! Join us at one of these upcoming events: April 23, 2009 April 25, 2009 April 29, 2009 The South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations Partners with GiftWorks!
 GiftWorks welcomes a new state partner! The South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations (SCANPO) has joined 11 other state nonprofit associations in selecting GiftWorks as the fundraising software of choice for their member organizations. The mission of SCANPO, an association with over 700 members, is to "serve, support and strengthen nonprofit organizations for a better South Carolina." For those of you in South Carolina, please join the GiftWorks team at SCANPO's 12th annual conference in Spartanburg, SC on April 29- May 1. For more information about SCANPO, visit www.SCANPO.org. |
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