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With so much "tall grass" to look through, trying to determine what donor and volunteer tracking software might help you become an even better fire department and nonprofit feels blurry on the best days. Firehouse and other common public safety operational software pieces don't necessarily making tracking your amazing volunteer commitment easy.
Solid donor and volunteer management software offers several significant advantages, including:
- Quantifiable source of information for your grant applications and fundraising appeals
- Detailed historical records of all the times your supporters interact with and donate to your cause
- Information to help plan to focus your fundraising efforts to make them even more effective
After some research, what follows are a few recommendations for affordable, comprehensive donor and volunteer tracking resources that might be a fit for your nonprofit (listed in alphabetical order)
1. If you have internal access to someone with software knowledge, Civic Contribute is a free open source donor software. More information can be found here.
2. Etapestry is an online donor and volunteer management service available for free to organizations with less than 1,000 donor records. In considering this option, it is important to budget for and understand the monthly recurring fees that would apply when your organization surpasses 1,000 donor records
3. DonorPerfect includes an online option for $40 per month and software purchase options quoted on a customized basis.
4. If your annual operating budget is less than $50,000 and you are a 501 c 3, you may purchase GiftWorks software through TechSoup for $25. You may add on the Volunteer Module for an additional $199. More information can be found here.
5. Other GiftWorks options, including an online version that is available anywhere and allows you to outsource updates and database maintenance are available through FlashPoint Fundraising for a 15% discount. Contact Dawn Svenson Holland for more details.
If you're considering a donor/volunteer software purchase for your organization:
- Take the time to make sure you're comparing apples to apples
- Compare the staff and/or volunteer time needed to support software against the recurring costs of online systems that allow you to outsource these functions
- Ask for input from your fellow area nonprofits
What's working well in terms of donor software at your organization?
