Software Advice surveyed fundraising and donor management software users about which systems they use, the key benefits and challenges and where they plan to invest in the future.

1. Software Advice UserView:
Fundraising Software Report
Lessons from real software users

2. In 2015, we surveyed 190 fundraising professionals in the U.S. and abroad to
find out how they use fundraising and donor management software, the benefits
they’ve gained and the top challenges they’ve overcome. Here are five key
findings:
• Thirty percent of fundraising professionals greatly rely on their software’s built-
in donor interaction tracking functionality.
• Ninety-nine percent of professionals surveyed reported an increase in the
number and amount of donations they collected.
• Fundraising software improved recordkeeping, financial reporting and
workflows for 98 percent.
• A high learning curve and a lack of customization options are the most
common types of software challenges nonprofits face.
• Overall, 56 percent of respondents expect their nonprofits to increase spending
on software in 2015.
Abstract

3. Nearly a third of our sample—30 percent—indicated donor interaction tracking
features were used most often to support decisions and daily fundraising tasks.
Interaction tracking30%
Accounting integration20%
Automatic receipts11%
Reporting11%
Web/mobile access9%
List segmentation9%
Email marketing5%
Task reminders5%
Interaction Tracking Features Used Most Often

4. Every core fundraising activity was positively impacted with the implementation of
fundraising software and 99 percent reported an increase in donations collected.
Core Activities Greatly Improved by Software

5. High learning curve
Lacks customization options
Lacks integration capabilities
Reports not in-depth
Difficult to import/export data
Too many bug/errors
Lacks features/functionality
Reduced productivity
0% 25% 50% 75%
32%
49%
50%
53%
54%
63%
67%
67%
Percent of sample
While there are more pros than cons to using software, problems do arise—67
percent said their software had a high learning curve or was difficult to customize.
Users Challenged by Learning Curve, Few Customizations

6. Fifty-six percent of respondents expect their organizations to increase spending
on software in 2015, either by upgrading the current system, or purchasing new.
Interaction tracking56%
Accounting integration43%
Automatic receipts1%
Nonprofits Will Increase Spending in 2015

7. Read the full report
Get free price quotes on top
nonprofit software
Get unbiased reviews & free
demos on top nonprofit software
Learn More About Nonprofit Software
Read Report
Get Free Quotes
Get Free Demos