| May 2009 |
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Featured in this issue: The Perils of Custom Database Software Also In This Issue: Meet Maribeth Swarr, Customer Service Rep Online Donations: If you build it, will they come? Online Donations: Free Webinar Teaches the Basics GiftWorks Ranks Highly in NTEN/Idealware Report Case Study: Friends of the Teton River Report on SCANPO Meeting The Perils of Custom Database Software: GiftWorks to the Rescue!
 Sometimes the custom-made solution isn't the best answer. Case in point: Bonnie Massa, one of our Consultant Partners, was contacted by a small PBS station in the Midwest in desperate need of a software "fix." She tells the story:"Ten years earlier, a techie friend of the organization had created custom database software to organize the index cards, lists, Excel spreadsheets and Post-Its that constituted their wealth of donor information. The price was right, so the good-hearted computer person created the program to meet their immediate need and solve their immediate problems. Now they could more easily mail to their donors and locate auction volunteers. But then the story started to get interesting." "Since this computer person had created the program, he was the only one who understood its inner workings, plus there was no documentation. Then, tragically, he died. So on opening day of their on-air auction when they critically needed a stable, reliable, and integrated database with someone who could manage it, there was no one who could help." At this point, Massa was brought in to do a needs assessment and data audit. "Updating the old database was like going back to candles while sitting next to an electrical outlet." Some of the issues identified, but not yet tackled by the computer person, were:
To complete a new system in a short window of time with low budget requirements, Massa suggested using GiftWorks Premium (the end-user security levels included in Premium were required). She says "The price was right, tech support was available, and there were on-line Q&A documentation and manuals." GiftWorks offered them many critical functions:
In order to ease the change, Massa encouraged the station manager and three end-users to attend a webinar on GiftWorks. Seeing the user-friendly screens, intuitive reporting, and SmartList functions, the web class attendees burst out of the webinar ready to free themselves from the data management difficulty of the past. Massa's Conclusion: "Now my client and his team are more productive than ever before. They can create reports that are both accurate and professional looking for the Board of Directors. They now have a reliable history of program underwriters (local businesses) previously kept in file folders.
Bonnie Massa, President of Massa & Company (Chicago), has been providing database marketing services to clients since 1985! Massa & Company serves businesses and nonprofits. Learn more at: www.MassaInc.com | |||
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Collecting Online Donations: If you build it, will they come?
Unfortunately, collecting online donations is no "Field of Dreams." Just because you build it does not mean "they will come". But with the right set up and promotion, you can expect to begin improving your fundraising efforts in a meaningful way. Set Realistic Expectations What should you expect from your program to collect donations online? Let's look at the main benefits to your organization.
Here are suggestions for setting up your program: First, your online donation page should be designed to look like the rest of your website. If it doesn't, this can make donors uncomfortable and actually reduce the number of donations. Next, on your donation page, set four suggested giving amounts: low, medium, high, then one that leaves it up to the donor. Many donors will choose the second amount, so make sure that it is slightly higher than your current average donation-- this should push up your donation amounts. These suggested donation amounts have a strong impact on what people really give, so give this section of your page careful planning. Create an easy to remember website address for your donation page. If your website address is www.HouseofHope.com, then you can easily create this new address: www.HouseofHope.com/givenow. To do this, ask your web developer to create a "redirect". This will make it easy to promote your online donation page. Lastly, ask donors how they heard about you or where their interest lies--this can be done with a customizable drop-down menu on your donation page. That way, you can track the success of your fundraising appeals. Promote, Promote, Promote! Here are some effective ways of promoting your online donation program.
After your online donations program is set up, start to measure results by tracking the percentage of donors who give online vs. offline in each of your fundraising appeals. Then track any gifts that you get outside of formal appeals. Track this data over time and you will start to get a picture of your donors' giving preferences (online or offline), and which appeals are most effective. This will also help you design new kinds of appeals that draw donors who are prone to giving online. Using the information you gather, over time, your programs will get more efficient. A program of online donations will make it easy for donors to give to your organization, but it is not a substitute for the job of cultivating donors and telling them the compelling story of why they should give to your organization in the first place. You still need to do that, but include this new, easy way to give inside those appeals. To learn more about setting up an online donation program, visit the Mission Research website and watch a video about the GiftWorks Online Donations service. Online Donations: Free Webinar Teaches the Basics Thinking about online donations? Take a one-hour, free, online tour offered by Mission Research to learn more. Our staff will explain the process from start to finish. By the end you will understand what's involved and how you can get started using GiftWorks Online Donations. The tour is offered Tuesdays at 1 p.m. ET. Register online now. GiftWorks Ranks Highly in NTEN/Idealware Report
Mary Pat Donnellon, CEO, Mission Research I am proud to report GiftWorks ranked as one of the top Donor Management Systems in the recently published NTEN/Idealware Consumer's Guide. In this independently written consumer report of 33 donor management solutions, GiftWorks was ranked at the top in several categories, and is by far the most affordable in solution that made it to the top 10 list.  The report describes GiftWorks as a "very friendly, polished system that offers impressive functionality for its low price." I recently met one of the authors, donor management solution guru Eric Leland, at an AFP event in San Francisco and he described GiftWorks a little more whimsically as a "perfectly-made latte," and emphasized the excellent user experience GiftWorks provides. Either description works well for me - in creating GiftWorks, our intent was to make an easy-to-understand, fun-to-use, intuitive, powerful and extremely affordable solution.
It is certainly gratifying to be publically recognized as one of the leading donor management solutions, but we're not about to rest on our laurels. We have more exciting GiftWorks news coming soon as we continue to grow and perfect our vision and purpose. Stay tuned for some exciting announcements. In the meantime, here is a link to the Idealware website where you can download the report: www.idealware.org/low_cost_donor/. Please check it out and pass it along! Case Study: Friends of the Teton River Use GiftWorks to Cultivate River Stewards
 Friends of the Teton River (FTR), a nonprofit organization based in Driggs, Idaho, works to understand, protect and improve the precious water resources of Teton River Basin and GiftWorks plays a critical part in funding this effort.Anna Lindstedt, Development Director, and Karin Bivins, Office Manager, apply a segmentation strategy in using GiftWorks SmartLists to fine-tune their friend-raising and fundraising for the organization. Donors are assigned to groups by their main area of interest: stream restoration, fisheries, or education. Specific interest groups are then targeted for a campaign they will care about. For example, anglers (those with fishing interests) may be asked to support an upcoming fisheries improvement project that will positively impact their fishing experience (for example, a new fish ladder or trout habitat restoration). The staff is then able to track who has given toward the campaign and personally follow-up with those donors. Another donor group that is particularly successful is the "River Stewards" group (those donors who contribute $1,000 or more in a single fiscal year). The River Stewards was created by the Board of Trustees to encourage a sustaining level of membership and recognize the outstanding philanthropic support of these members. These members are recognized on a yearly basis for their contributions to the organization and receive invitations to an annual Teton River float, River Stewards reception, recognition in the Annual Report and on a permanent plaque in the FTR office. How do they identify potential new Stewards? "We use SmartLists to identify donors who've given at a certain level for two years or more, and then develop a list of people to be cultivated for a higher level of giving," Lindstedt explains. Friends of the Teton River moved to GiftWorks in 2005, based on recommendations from friends. They were especially impressed with its user-friendly design. "As a nonprofit, it's important to have software created with donation-specific features (thank-you notes, campaigns, reports, etc.) and not just database management software", remarks Bivins. Office Manager Karin Bivins also finds SmartLists a huge timesaver. "Recently a board member offered to make personal thank-you calls to our top donors. It was easy for me to create the list he wanted in just a couple of minutes, without having to scan through long donor lists or figure out how to set the parameters." To learn more about Friends of the Teton River, visit their website: www.TetonWater.org "Champions of the Common Good" Meet in South Carolina
"Champions of the common good, that's what nonprofits are," according to Tim Delaney, President and CEO of National Council of Nonprofits, speaking to members of South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations (SCANPO) at their 12th annual meeting last month in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Mr. Delaney's talk was one of several memorable sessions at this three-day meeting.  For the GiftWorks team, this meeting was a great chance to connect with South Carolina nonprofits and talk with them about GiftWorks. As a preferred partner of SCANPO, GiftWorks is one of the products that SCANPO recommends to its members. 411 SCANPO members were in attendance.Another highlight of the meeting was a workshop by Tom Ralser of the Capital Strategists Group. Tom preaches the "investment driven model" of fundraising which says that money given to an organization should be regarded as an "investment" for which a return is expected, rather than a gift which has no expectations attached to it. He teaches organizations that they need to show their donors both the outcome that their "investment" made possible as well as the ultimate value to the community of that outcome. That is the key, he says, to winning and keeping donors. Congratulations to the SCANPO team, particularly Beth Singletary (Director of Finance and Administration) and Mason Hardy (President), for pulling off a great meeting! For more on the South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations, please visit their website: www.SCANPO.org. | |||
