DonorSnap Blog
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Protecting Your Donors’ Information on the Internet
Lately you’ve seen many news stories relating to data breaches and personal information being hacked, and you may be wondering, “How can I protect my nonprofit organization?” The advent of the internet world in many ways have been a blessing and a curse. Data is now...
Donor Fatigue – Fact or Fiction?
“Donor fatigue” is when your organization’s donors lose interest in your organization over time, and it is accelerated by asking for donations too often. Over time every organization experiences the effect of long-term donors losing interest. This waning interest...
One Organization’s Fundraising Event Experience and Evolution
Most organizations hold an annual fundraiser to supplement and augment their operating budget. The nonprofit Malaika Early Learning Center that was started by my wife and I (and the genesis for DonorSnap) is no different. Malaika started in 2003 and we held our...
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...