There are hundreds of donor databases on the market. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, fans and foes. The challenge is to find a system with strengths that meet your needs, weaknesses that won’t get in your way, at a price you can afford. This workshop will cover the basic concepts you will need to evaluate your options and make an informed decision.

1. Finding the Perfect Donor Database in an
Imperfect World
Robert Weiner
Use Twitter Hashtag #npweb
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3. Today’s Speaker
Robert Weiner
Robert L. Weiner Consulting
Hosting: Sam Frank, Synthesis Partnership
Assisting with chat questions: Chris Dumas, FirstGiving

4. Agenda
• Why Are We Here Today?
• When to Change?
• What Might it Cost?
• How to Choose?

5. Why Are We Here Today?
• “After people, data is your most important resource.” —
John Kenyon.
• A database is your institutional memory.
• It allows the organization to survive staff turnover.
• A good database helps you work smarter.

6. When to Change?
• Routine reports are painful to produce.
• Critical information is on paper.
• Can’t track metrics or progress.
• Data scattered in spreadsheets.
• Data can’t be integrated across systems.
• Can’t get 360 degree view of relationships,
• Data is in fundraisers’ heads.
• Your organization is changing.
• Bad vendor or wrong choice last time.

7. Principles
• There is no perfect database.
• First, decide what you’re looking for.
• Buy-in is critical. Stakeholders must be
involved in the decision.
• Structure software demos so you can
compare “apples to apples.”
• Make sure you understand all the costs.
• Trust but verify.

8. Buying A Database
1) Secure the Funding.
2) Convene the right team.
3) Specify your needs and priorities.
4) Identify a pool of potential vendors.
• RFP/RFI
5) Test vendors against your needs.
• Scripted demos
• Usability testing
• Reference checks
• Site visits
6) Get a detailed cost proposal.

9. Step 1: Secure the funding
Image: alancleaver_2000

10. Sample 5 Year Budget

11. Step 2: Convene the Team
Image: 2dayblog.com

12. Step 3: What Do You Need?
Image: Pete Reed

13. Step 3.1: Prioritize Your Needs
Source: NPower: Four Steps to Selecting Donor Management Software

14. Step 4: Identify The Vendor Pool
Image: 99 James Kieran Nguyen

15. Step 4.1: Optional: Request For Proposals
• Can help narrow or expand the vendor pool.
• Ask clear, unambiguous questions.
• Be Specific:
• “Show how your system would handle donations in $,
¥, €, and £” not “Can it track gifts?”
• “Show where your system would track catering costs”
not “Can it handle events?”
• Anything you ask for you will have to read and
score!

16. Step 5: In-depth Comparisons
Image: Brooks Elliott Image: Castaway in Scotland Now

17. Step 5.1: Simple Demo Script
• Show how to:
• Enter gifts, including a corporate match with
“soft credit” to the individual.
• Track multiple relationships.
• Track a grant proposal from LOI to award.
• Select records based on combined
demographic and gift criteria.
• Create a new report.

18. Step 5.2: Rate the Demos
AREA RATING COMMENTS
Data Entry
Membership Mgmt.
Prospect Management
Events Management

19. Step 5.3: Hands-on Testing
System Usability Scale: http://meiert.com/en/upload/2007/04/sus.pdf

20. Step 5.4: Reference Checks
Image: pjern

21. Step 6: Full Cost Proposal
Product 1 Product 2 Product 1 Product 2
Software 35 concurrent 50 user accounts
Oracle License Fee
Training 19.5 days 33 days
Data Conversion 37.5 days 10 days
Consulting Services 5 days 26.5 days
Travel expenses
3rd party Hardware
Estimated Implementation Costs
Web-Community Module Pricing
Maintenance - Year 1 Estimated
Maintenance - Year 2 Estimated
Maintenance - Year 3 Estimated
Average Implementation Time 7-12 months 10-12 months
Required Client resources during implementation 1.5 FTEs 1.5-2 FTEs
Technical staff to maintain system ? 1-1.5 FTEs

22. So How Long Might This Take?
• Longer than you think it will.
• For small organizations, 3 – 6 months (or more) to
select a system, 4 – 12 months (or more) to
implement.
• For large organizations, 6 – 9 months (or more) to
select, 12 – 24 months (or more) to implement.
• Plan for the unplanned.
• Don’t hitch time-sensitive processes to going live
on your new database.

23. Selection Recap
1) Secure the funding.
2) Convene the right team.
3) Specify your needs and priorities.
4) Identify a pool of potential vendors.
5) Test vendors against your needs.
• RFP/RFI
• Scripted demos
• Usability testing
• Reference checks
• Determine the real cost.
11) Choose.
12) Negotiate the contract.

24. Databases Don’t Raise the Money
But the right database can assist with:
• Prioritizing and segmenting lists.
• Prospect management and tracking.
• Stewarding your current donors.
• Identifying future donors.
• Time-management.
• Measuring and forecasting.
• Asking the right person for the right gift at the right time for
the right purpose.
This is only possible if data is captured and made
available to appropriate staff.
Don’t forget: databases don’t run themselves.

25. Resources
Batchelder, Duff: Evaluating & Selecting Fundraising Software
www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/software/page4829.cfm
Battin, Tom: Should Nonprofit Agencies Build or Buy a Database?
www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/databases/page5028.cfm
Petulla, Maria: Making Order Out of Chaos: How a Good Fundraising Database
Can Help You Raise More Money
www.fundraising123.org/article/making-order-out-chaos-part-i-database-reports-proof-effectiveness
Idealware: A Consumers Guide to Low Cost Donor Management Systems:
www.idealware.org/reports/consumers-guide-low-cost-donor-management-systems
Idealware: more articles on constituent databases
www.idealware.org/articles/managing-constituents
Mills-Groninger, Tim: The Soft(ware) Side of Fundraising Effectiveness:
www.nptimes.com/07Sep/070901SR2.pdf

26. Resources
TechSoup: Selecting Donor Management Software
www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/databases/page4797.cfm
TechSoup: Technology for Fundraising discussion forum
www.techsoup.org/forums/index.cfm?fuseaction=list&forum=2022&cid=117
Weiner, Robert: Finding the Perfect Fundraising Database in an Imperfect
World
www.rlweiner.com/grf/grf_finding_perfect_database.pdf
Weiner, Robert: Ten Common Mistakes in Selecting Donor Databases
www.idealware.org/articles/ten_common_mistakes_in_selecting_donor_databases.php
Weiner, Robert: Why Building Your Own Database Should Be Your Last Resort
www.rlweiner.com/nten/why_building_your_own_database_should_be_your_last_resort.pdf
More resources are posted at www.rlweiner.com/resources

27. Questions?
Submit your questions using the chat box.

28. Questions?
Submit your questions using the question box.

29. More Questions?
Robert Weiner
robert@rlweiner.com

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Chris Dumas
Chris@NonprofitWebinars.com
707-812-1234
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