subject: Nonprofit Fundraising Software [print this page] A lot of people make the common misconception that managing and working out the finances of a nonprofit organization is a pretty simple and easy job. As the name implies, nonprofit organizations dont have to worry about making profit, therefore the organizations accounting system should just very well be recording the comings and goings of money from donor to donor. Of course this isnt the case, not by a long shot.
The resources that nonprofit organizations have are controlled by their donors. Their accounting entities are grouped into three classes, namely unrestricted, temporarily restricted, and permanently restricted. These organizations flourish with the help of different programs and support activities. These activities include public service, research, fund raising, and donations. Due to the complexity of financial resources that nonprofit organizations have, such organizations demand a competent, defined accounting system than those that deal with commercial accounting systems.
Nonprofit organizations have to carefully look at a number of things in a fundraising activity alone, like recording of funds, support for cross transactions, support for multiple entities, report generation, and so on. With these factors, one should be careful in picking the right software for their organization. Fundraising software serves a lot of purposes than just helping you stay organized.
One of the key features in looking for good nonprofit fundraising software is the ability to customize your database. Another would be the ability to plan, chart, and provide accurate analysis of your fundraising efforts. Its essential for any fundraising organization to have the ability to produce professional reports for clients, along with generate sound fundraising plans with analysis of your findings.
Some things to consider asking your fundraising software provider is how gifts and grants are recorded, how it tracks donors and prospective donors, how are constituents segmented, and so on. The best nonprofit fundraising software should be able to provide these services and more. Try to ask your provider how long theyve been in business how many clients they have serviced. Also try to ask your software provider if users of the software need to undergo some training and if theres a 24/7 access to technical support.
If you truly want quality software, then Sage fundraising software is your best bet. This software provides customizability and scalability that other software applications simply dont have. This software will do the job just fine and will surely meet your organizations demands.
