DonorPerfect & DonorPerfect Online : Fundraising CRM Software

November 19

If you're reading this now, then chances are you took notice of our brand new website launch!!!

While we've always been proud of the information we provided on fundraising software on our old website, it was clear that we needed to redo everything and give DonorPerfect a new look moving forward.

The website is part of a new wave in design for DonorPerfect. For the past 25 years, we want to make sure that ALL of our software, including our website, takes the latest and greatest technology to make it easier for our clients to fulfill their mission. The website and our new client area will make it easy for non profit organizations to understand and realize the benefits of professional fundraising software.

But we're not just talking about our web site either! Several weeks ago we launched our latest release of DonorPerfect Online! Updated with a completely new look and feel, DonorPerfect Online has now set the standard for what easy to use online fundraising software should look like. Personally, I think it makes Apple look uncool, but I'll plainly admit I'm a bit prejudice and you can judge for yourself:










Whether or not it's 'Apple' cool, I think it's crystal clear that the new version and new website will make it easier for non profit organizations to raise more money and save valuable time to focus on their mission.

If you haven't seen the new version, try DonorPerfect today!

September 25

The summer goes by pretty quickly, and with Fall just around the corner, the start of fundraising conference season kicks in again.

This season we kicked it off with another visit to the National Catholic Development Conference, held in Crystal City, VA. The conference was very well attended, and it was great to see everyone again and also some new faces.

As you may have been noticing on the recent Twitter feed, we'll be announcing some news- and we were able to share that with the attendees at this year's conference. October 6th is the date, and the newest release of DonorPerfect Online Fundraising Software (Fall 2009) will likely turn out to be our largest ever! Look for a post soon with screen shots as we get closer to the date.

I also had the opportunity to attend the Inc. 500 conference held just a couple of days later. This conference attracted some of the best and brightest entrepreneurs, and it also wasn't surprising that philanthropy was on quite a few agendas. I think the key points about building successful companies and organizations really centered on two key concepts- persistence and execution. (It also didn't hurt to know a few other successful people as well, of course)

Finally, I had some interesting travel experiences as well. On my ride back to Philadelphia, the train was delayed for security reasons. Why? Because Vice President Joe Biden rides Amtrak. Not sure where he is though- I didn't see him except for the extra security in place.

July 30

What happens when you combine the good work of two fundraising software companies with the same philosophies?

Yesterday

A few nights ago the phone rang at about 8pm. When I answered, a woman introduced herself and said she was calling in regard to my support of a non-profit called The Steppingstone Foundation that helps inner-city children attend private schools. "Oh great," a late-night solicitation call I thought -- but I was wrong. She explained that her children were beneficiaries of my donation and were

October 1

Competition is a powerful motivator and the Jewish Community Heroes campaign is a great example of how to harness people's competitive instincts to achieve multiple benefits. I learned about the campaign when I recently received an email encouraging me to vote for noted holocaust survivor and author Gerda Weissmann Klein to be recognized as a Jewish Hero. She is a very worthy hero in my mind, so

August 10

Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance refers to a set of security standards for protecting cardholder data. Here are some basic Dos & Don'ts for any organization that is accepting (or considering accepting) credit card payments.Don'ts1) Don't think PCI doesn't apply to you - Most non-profits process fewer than 20,000 transactions per year and are thus considered Level 4 Merchants. Currently this

October 28

“The key to change... is to let go of fear.” – Rosanne Cash

There was substantial controversy generated by a recent Seth Grodin blog. The author chided the nonprofit community for being slow to embrace online social network media, such as Twitter and Facebook. He asserts, rightfully so, that volunteers and supporters would be happy to help spread the word, but far too may nonprofits are hesitant to tap this resource. According to Mr. Grodin, it's due to a fear of change:

"The only reason not to turn this over to hordes of crowds eager to help you is that it means giving up total control and bureaucracy. Which is scary because it leads to change."

Although I agree with many of the author's points, is it really possible that nonprofits – generally speaking – are afraid of change? The author correctly asserts that change is often the very reason that nonprofits exist. People need help. Animals need shelter. Wrongs need to be righted. Nope, nonprofits are all about change.

So perhaps it's the people running the nonprofits? Are they scared to change? Again, I imagine "change" is a primal motivation for most everyone who works or volunteers at a nonprofit. Many in the nonprofit community are highly motivated, dynamic people who are quite fearless when it comes to doing what's needed for their cause. They're downright impatient for change!

So maybe it's the use of Web 2.0 technology – not everyone is comfortable with social media outlets. Or they're not sure how to use it to advance their cause. Most nonprofits have limited staff and resources, and they need to justify time spent using social media sites with real, measurable fundraising results. Although most social media sites are free, staff time spent developing a presence is not.

This may be closer to the truth of the fear – if it is fear – that causes nonprofits to hesitate. Whether time or money is invested in a fundraising endeavour, nonprofits need to know there will be a real return on investment. Capital campaigns need to deliver more than just online social capital – donations need to be delivered to pay the bills. Development directors are used to delivering those donations, using their hard-won experience and skill. It's a leap of faith to give over some of that responsibility of "making the ask" to supporters, no matter how committed they are.

But the thing is, sites like DonorPages work. They deliver the donations. Or more correctly, they allow your supporters to deliver them. True peer-to-peer online fundraising applications are designed to be fundraising sites, not social media sites. They make it easy for supporters, staff, board members and others to collect online donations on your behalf. DonorPages is a great way to "expand your staff", and give your constituents the tools they need to become an army of effective fundraisers.

Online peer-to-peer fundraising can be the key to unlocking the fundraising potential of your supporters. Make that change, and you'll find that changing the world will be just a little bit easier.

October 5

I've recently read an excellent book called Made to Stick* which quotes Mother Teresa as follows:

"If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will."

The authors aptly applied the quote to a clever study done by Carnegie Mellon University. After being paid $5.00 for filling out a random survey, test participants were given an envelope and and one of two versions of an appeal letter for Save the Children. Version one featured statistics: 3 million children facing hunger in Malawai, 4 million Angolans forced to flee their homes, and 11 million Ethiopians needing immediate food assistance.

The second letter focused solely on the plight of Rokia, a girl from Mali, Africa. This letter described how the money donated would help feed and educate her, and provide medical care.

The results, though not surprising, were compelling: donations by people who read about Rokia averaged $2.38, vs. $1.14 for the statistics-based version. Similar to Mother Teresa, the participants were moved to a much higher level of action when they saw how they could make a real difference in one person's life, as opposed to a tiny difference in the lives of millions.

Now this is not news to most nonprofits. Regardless of what media is used, telling a story of one person, one animal, one place that benefits from a donation has long been proven to be more effective than broad statistics. But what far too many nonprofits have not embraced is how online social network fundraising is tailor-made to deliver such a personal message, in a way not possible before this decade.

These personal appeals can be made on FaceBook and Twitter – both very effective at raising awareness. But the story that your supporters tell can be diluted or lost completely among all the wall postings, Tweets, and other day-to-day messages on these mass communication sites.

But a story told on DonorPages, or some other dedicated peer-to-peer fundraising web 2.0 based portal, not only retains its emotional power, it also adds the 'voice' of your supporter/fundraiser to the appeal. In that way, your supporter, by virtue of his or her relationship with the page visitor, becomes part of the story. The visitor to the page is there solely because your supporter is their friend, their colleague, their brother, sister, relative, and they read why your supporter is passionate about your cause. They see your supporter's photo. They care because your supporter cares. And they are far more likely to give – and give more – solely because of their affinity for your supporter.

Not surprisingly, some of DonorPages' most successful individual pages are those where the fundraiser has a personal connection to the cause. An illness that's affected their family. A related event that changed their lives. And not every supporter will be eloquent – you may need to guide and encourage your supporter/fundraisers with text they can edit or build on. But in the end, their personal commitment will tell the story of your mission, and how one passionate person can make the difference.

September 21

There's a well-known concept in fundraising called the Giving Pyramid (also known as the Fundraising Pyramid, or the Campaign Pyramid). For those not familiar, this pyramid is a strategy tool that helps plan how your nonprofit will achieve a fundraising goal.

For instance, in the green area of the pyramid above, a yearly strategy might be based on very large principle gifts and bequests ($100k) from a few donors at the top of the pyramid. Then comes more donors adding major gifts ($5k-$100k), followed by even more annual givers ($100-$5000). At the base are the many occasional givers and event participants – those who give from $10-$100 once or twice a year. The gift levels and supporter labels may change, but the concept does not – to forecast where the money is coming from to meet your goal, segment your potential donors into expected levels of giving, based on giving history.

Generally speaking, the top three tiers of this pyramid require traditional development efforts – calling a donor, meeting with them, sending personal emails, letters or mailings. But with the advent of peer-to-peer online social network fundraising, you have the opportunity to recruit your committed supporters from all levels to work for your cause as surrogate fundraisers. And if you give them the proper tools and guidance you can greatly expand the size and base of your pyramid, as illustrated by the red outer areas of the pyramid.

How so? By giving your existing donors, board members, volunteers and staff access to personal fundraising pages, such as DonorPages, you make it so much easier for them to promote your organization, event and cause to their friends, family and peers. DonorPages provides your supporters with a web URL that they can send to everyone in their email contact list. And, because their web page can collect credit card donations, they don't have to bother with paper checks and cash. These features alone make fundraising for your cause more 'painless', and will increase your results.

But the real power and value of personal, peer-to-peer Web 2.0 online fundraising is this: when your committed supporters tell your story to people who know and trust them, a donation is far more likely to be the result. As covered in a previous post, your supporter is the message. In other words, not only are you training your committed supporters to be fundraisers, but each of your supporters will have anywhere from a few dozen to hundreds of personal contacts, all of whom are much more likely influenced by your supporter than by your organization's website. People give to people more than they give to institutions.

This is no pyramid scheme. It works. So I highly encourage you to give your supporters the tools they need to be true fundraisers, working to fund your cause.