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QuickBooks is NOT a Donor Management System
(Donor Management Software is NOT an Accounting System) Many new and smaller organizations gravitate to QuickBooks to help keep track of the organizations finances. The seemingly logical extension of this software is to use it to keep detailed records of donor...
Is Social Media Necessary for Nonprofits?
Nonprofit organizations stand to gain a lot from the smart usage of social media. The key word here is “smart.” Not all nonprofits have a target audience that is going to be active across all social media networks. It is important for organizations to do some analysis...
Checking for Duplicate Contacts On the Fly
How to keep your database free from duplicates without slowing down. The demise of all donor and contact management systems (or CRMs) is the creeping addition of duplicate contacts. There are many sources for duplicate entries, but every organization is bound to...
What is the Difference Between a Campaign and an Appeal?
If you are looking at the best strategy to raise money for your organization, cause or event, you might have heard the terms “campaign” and “appeal” used seemingly interchangeably. However, there are some important differences between a campaign and appeal that you...
Common Problems that Could Damage Your Email Communications
(and How to Resolve Them) Nonprofits across the nation continue to expand their use of email in communications with their donors and followers. However, many of these organizations are not aware of how many of their contacts never actually receive their messages, for...
Making Fundraising and Donor Management Easy
Fundraising can be an exciting process. I've seen unimaginable amounts of money come in right before deadlines, which saved staff positions and helped to make incredible years. The celebration in those moments will be memories that I will never forget. Unfortunately,...
Planning Your Contact Management System Implementation
Implementing a Contact Management system can take as little time as several hours for a small organization or up to half a year for a large organization. However, organizations of all sizes have one thing in common: they need to know the destination before they begin...
Maintaining Your Contact Database
Your Contact database (Donor Management System) is one of your organization’s most vital assets. Unfortunately, most organizations don’t take the time to ensure that their database is properly cared for and kept up to date. Everyone vows to keep the database current,...
Cleaning Up Your Database
Whether you are looking to transfer your data into a new database or tidy up the one you already have, here are a few quick fixes that will make a world of difference in your reports and mailings. 1. Standardize your fields. Limit the number of free form Text fields...
Fundraising isn’t a Job, it’s a Culture
Nonprofits depend on fundraising, but every organization handles it differently. Sometimes it’s the job of a few people to fundraise for the entire organization. At other times, everyone is required to take part. No matter which end of the spectrum your organization...
Cultivating Relationships with Your Contacts
How well are you connecting with your contacts and donors? Do you always feel like there is more that you could be doing? Do you have trouble managing the many relationships your nonprofit has? It can be a daunting task to manage the relationships that keep your...
Analyzing Your Donations
This article focuses on analyzing your donation data to find ways to increase the effectiveness of your fundraising. However, before we get into the actual discussion of the analysis process, it’s important to address the single most important aspect of handling...