Data Sense

Association Fund Raising Software

I will be making a presentation at THE Foundations Seminar which will take place in Indianapolis at the end of the month.  My topic for attendees, who are primarily fraternity and sorority foundation executives, is “Prospect Tracking for Efficient Fund Raising.” These organzations have special software needs because the product must serve two user groups—those who support the membership and those who raise money. Results of a survey of the foundation executives indicates that most use either Patriot Software, IMIS, or Raiser’s Edge—three very different software products. To prep for the presentation, I’ve been studying each to determine its prospect tracking capabilities. It has been an adventure.

Fund raising software packages are like cars. Some have engines bigger than others, they come in different models, and if your budget allows you can add extras to make the ride more comfy. All of them can move you toward your fund raising goals and even the compact models, if they have user-defined fields, can handle prospect tracking. I drove a Raiser’s Edge for 10 years total and recently became certified to drive Blackbaud’s compact model, eTapestry. The company gave me access to a copy of the database which I have customized with fields for prospect tracking and moves management. It’ll purr like a Pontiac GTO when I’m done with it. The Patriot dealer let me test drive his newest model and I’ll be taking an IMIS for a spin in the next few days.

Here is what I want to leave with you. Don’t give up on your fundraising software. It might not be the lemon you think it is. Learn to drive it, find out what it can do, and with a good map it will take you where you want to go. Oh, you might want to keep it clean and get it tuned now and then. Data Sense can help with that.