Selecting and Managing a Donor Database
December 30, 2015 | Read Time: 2 minutes
The start of a new year often brings resolutions to change one’s behavior — in the budgeting of calories, time, or money, for example.
Many people set professional goals as well. For nonprofit fundraisers, an imperfect donor database often rises to the top of the list of items needing improvement.
Having good, well-run donor databases is critical for strong fundraising, but they can be difficult to select and expensive to purchase. Plus, it’s not always easy to persuade staff members to use them or donors to pay for them.
If your New Year’s resolutions include overhauling your database to better cultivate passionate supporters, here is a list of Chronicle resources to help you.
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Advice
How to Work With Pro Bono Tech Support
Questions to ask, skills to look for, and other things to consider before you enlist volunteer technical help. -
Advice
6 Pitfalls of Donor Databases and How to Avoid Them
An expert on nonprofit database management offers tips for anticipating and preparing for common challenges. -
Advice
7 Steps for Picking a New Donor Database
From determining your nonprofit’s needs to training staff, what you need to know about selecting new software — or staying with the database you already have. -
Advice
A Questionnaire for Database Companies
Greenpeace USA used this questionnaire — which asks about methodology, staffing, rates, and timelines — during its search for a new donor database. -
Advice
7 Ways to Get Staff Support for Technology Projects
New tools work only if employees actually use them. This checklist provides steps to get staff members on board with new technology. -
NewsCleaning Up a Messy Donor Database Can Lift Giving
Advice on how to deal with haphazard records that hobble fundraising efforts. -
Advice‘But It’s Free!’ and 9 Other Lines About Technology You Don’t Want to Hear
Sometimes the technology itself is not the issue. Here’s how to deal with challenges like money, employer and employee attitudes, and organizational and staffing decisions. -
Advice
Case Study: How a Small Nonprofit Set Up a New Donor Database
The group had been using four systems and needed to consolidate its information to start a major-gifts program and to operate more efficiently. -
Advice
Case Study: Lessons From a Midsize Charity’s Donor-Database Upgrade
How a summer education program in San Francisco worked through a complicated and challenging change with a consultant.
