Donors are the lifeblood of your organisation, volunteers the strong backs upon which it is built. You rely on them and on the partners and other constituents who interact with your not-for-profit on a daily basis. Tracking them all involves creating and maintaining a lot of data. 

But that data also needs to be accessible. A database is like a First Aid kit—it doesn’t matter what’s in it if you can’t get to it when you need to. For example, if a donor calls, you want to be able to instantly access their donation history, their personal information and any other relevant data.  

The right donor management database makes it easy to see the relationships between data and donors and other constituents, and more importantly, keeps that information accessible and reportable so that you can find and use it the moment you need to. The good news is, there’s a number of options on the market. That’s the bad news, too—if you’re a small organisation on a tight budget, how do you distinguish between the systems and their features? How do you know which will best meet your not-for-profit’s particular needs? What’s important to consider when choosing?

Join Idealware’s Andrea Berry for a one-and-a-half-hour session built upon their comprehensive low-cost donor management report, newly updated in 2011, for a closer look at GiftWorks, Common Ground, CiviCRM, eTapestry, DonorPro, Donor Perfect Online* and other popular systems being used by small organisations on tight budgets.

The webinar will walk through everything you need to know to choose the right database for your organisation, starting with overviews of the most commonly used, affordable databases on the market that give the pros and cons of each. It will also talk about good data management practices and planning, and how to best assess your needs before you commit to a system—the best time to do so.

By the end of the session, you’ll have everything you need to guide your organisation through the process of selecting a low-cost donor management system that puts all the critical information your not-for-profit counts on right where you need it—at your fingertips.

This is an introductory/intermediate-level webinar.

* Although most of these products are US-based products, they are also available for the Australian and New Zealand audience. GiftWorks is available as a donated software through Connecting Up's DonorTec program. Click here for more information. 

About the presenter - Andrea Berry

Andrea oversees Idealware's fundraising and training activities including the Field Guide to Nonprofit Software, sponsorship, corporate and individual giving, grants management and online seminars. Prior to joining Idealware, Andrea held fundraising positions in education, health research and museums and has taught math, performing arts and history in traditional and non-traditional educational settings. She brings a breadth of experience with fundraising and communications, particularly as it relates to small not-for-profits, and has worked as a consultant with not-for-profits across New England to help identify appropriate donor management software. Additionally, as a former teacher, Andrea brings front-line tested expertise in curriculum development and training.