Data Sense

BizNar

If you do any research on businesses, are interested in statistics, government patents or Gallup-type reports, you have got to check out BizNar.  http://biznar.com/biznar/about.html. As explained on their website, this search engine goes “deep” into selected business collections and returns references that you will not get from a Google or Yahoo search. Oh, and you won’t get any duplicates either. There is a great advanced search feature that allows you to limit the search by collection or even specific resource. I checked out the resources they cover and it is a pretty nice handpicked group. BizNar, created by Deep Web Technologies, http://www.deepwebtech.com/ is free.

Search Language

I’ve been doing prospect research for sometime and there is something that continues to annoy and puzzle me. Why is search language not consistent from one search engine to another? “AND” is used in one while “+” is the character du jour in another. For proximity indicators you have your choice of “NEAR,” “w/” or an asterisk.  Let me take that back . . . you don’t have a choice. The choice is made by those who design the search engines. Given the international nature of the Internet, wouldn’t it make sense for there to be one universal search language?  Until that happens, be sure you check the search FAQ or the search help feature of any search engine or database that you use. It can make a big difference in the results returned to you. 

Tools For Selecting A Donor Database

Selecting a database is a major decision. You are going to live with your choice for a long time and you are going to expend precious resources. When you purchase a car, you research the different makes and models to find out which will best meet your needs. Then you try to craft the best deal that you can. Doesn’t it make sense to do the same thing when selecting a database? 

Before you go shopping, though, you need to narrow the field.  Look to your strategic plan. Where is your organization going in the next few years?  Do you hold a number of events? Are you planning to expand your annual fund and develop a major gifts program? Do you have a membership component? Will you need to track campaign solicitations?  Make a list and discuss it with others in your organization. You might also talk with other nonprofits at a similar stage of growth.

Check out IdealWare at http://www.idealware.org/.  The organization behind the website is a nonprofit, which “provides candid Consumer-Reports-style reviews and articles about software of interest to nonprofits.”  You will find all kinds of helpful articles, but if you are a small nonprofit with a very limited budget you must check out A Consumers Guide to Low Cost Donor Management Systems. (http://www.idealware.org/low_cost_donor/consumers_low_cost_donor_mgmt.pdf) The authors reviewed 33 systems costing less than $4,200 in the first year, and came up with a top ten list. A matrix very clearly shows the strengths and weaknesses of each of those ten systems. A companion publication, Detailed Reviews of Low Cost Donor Management Systems, (http://www.idealware.org/low_cost_donor/details_low_cost_donor_management.pdf) provides a more in-depth look at the top ten and a few additional systems.

Another great source for guidance in the area of nonprofit technology is TechSoup. (http://www.techsoup.org/index.cfm) Click on the “Learning Center” and then look to the left where you will find topics, including “databases.” The articles on selecting a database are a couple of years old but might be helpful in conjunction with the material cited above.

This is a blog, not a full-blown article so I’ll haul up my pen at this point. But I do want to remind you of one more thing that could save you money.  Many vendors offer a fee to consultant partners whose clients purchase their product. This is because the vendor has expended less marketing and promotion dollars. Since most vendors do this, it doesn’t really benefit the consultant to recommend one product over another. Nonetheless, the consultants I’ve talked with do not keep that fee but ask the vendor to apply it toward discounting the cost of the product. Ask your consultant. If you are not working with a consultant, see if you can negotiate with the vendor to get the same discount.

In an upcoming blog we will look at database screening products. Check back!