It is always nice to be able to give something to others. This is what fundraising is all about and it has many benefits besides raising monetary funds to help a good cause or develop a business. However, fundraising is not a simple task, and it requires a lot of strategic planning, organising, developing a strong case which reflects the purpose of the fundraising, marketing and building an audience online or in person, communication and networking, developing donors register—the list goes on and on. If you are a professional fundraiser you soon find out that no two fundraising campaigns are the same, despite all sharing the same goal: to raise money that non-profits or other organizations can use to fund programs and help communities that otherwise would not get funded. Each fundraising campaign is different depending on who your target audience is, how much money needs to be raising, how fast, and etc.
One way of making things more, if not simple, then better organised, more efficient and more productive relies on technology, of course. Yes, we live in the digital age and just like in any business where technology comes to rescue, fundraising is no exception. Why is it important? Well, it is not only because it will save you a lot of time, which it will, but the right software will do much more.
Fundraising Software-A Helpful Tool
Information management in fundraising is crucial – who donated what, when and where; are your donors’ personal information safe; how long does it take to track volunteers, organisations and events and etc.? You may miss funding opportunities because finding the right information quickly is difficult, so the quicker you find that information and make sure that it is the right information, the better. Good fundraising software can also decrease the time it takes you to plan and implement fundraising activities, as well as simplify your administrative tasks, data entry, campaign tracking, report generation and printing. Within minutes, software will analyse the data, format it into a report, then the printers will do their job, you will have your report in no time and you are set to go.
The Programs That Are Out There
Developers have come up with numerous software programs that help fundraisers in their job, so there are plenty in the market to choose from – Blackbaud CRM, Donor Perfect, DonorPro, Trail Blazer, Donor Snap, Exceed, to name a few. Each one has its own set of functions that make fundraising simpler task, better organised and more fun as well.
Which one you decide to purchase depends on your organisation, your fundraising mission and strategy and what you want to get out of it. Before you make any decisions, browse around, get acquainted with specifics of different software systems and find the right one that suits your organisation’s needs. But do look at it as a long-term investment rather than an expense since fundraising software is one of the most important purchase decisions your organization can make. It can improve your organization’s administrative efficiency and also the organisation’s public perception, an important aspect of any company, and you should know how important that is for any company or organization, especially fundraising organisations.
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I didn’t realize there were so many software programs out there specifically designed for fundraising. I think that businesses who are going to constantly do fundraising can definitely see this as an investment. It’s always good to know what’s available, I know of quite a few non-profits who want to hear about this. Thanks for sharing!