High-quality data can be the difference between an effective and ineffective fundraising campaign, drive or initiative. An assessment of the quality of data in the donor relationship management, Blackbaud Salesforce or other data collection software for nonprofits should factor in these five questions about data optimization.
What Data Collection Software Should I Be Using?
The main questions about nonprofit data involve the systems that are in use. Depending on the way your organization operates, you may use one or more types of non profit organization software. Since the 1980s, Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge has been the gold standard in this sector. The latest offering from Blackbaud, Raiser’s Edge NXE, finally adds cloud-based functionality to this powerful, nonprofit-specific data collection software.
The first question you should ask involves where data can be reliably stored and accessed. Raiser’s Edge is one reliable but costly option for mid-sized to large organizations. Salesforce is a more affordable and popular choice for nonprofits and other operations. The leading customer relationship management software company launched a Nonprofit Success Pack in 2005. Salesforce for Nonprofits could be the best fit for organizations that primarily pursue digital and phone-based fundraising strategies. This software may also be better for large or enterprise-sized organizations.
In addition to the type of fundraising you do and the size of an organization, it is also important to factor in the cost of licensing and use associated with data collection software. While a nonprofit organization of almost any size can benefit from the functionality of Raiser’s Edge NXT, the cost of licensing this software could be prohibitive. Salesforce for Nonprofits comes with 10 licenses built into the software subscription price paired with a much more affordable per-license, per-year software as a service subscription model. To sum up the second question: which nonprofit management and donor relationship software provides the services you need at a price you can afford?
Is My Constitunet Data Accurate?
The third question pertains to the accuracy of the donor and supporter data maintained by an organization. Human error during manual data entry and missed opportunities to update constituent data can both lead to less accurate records. Many outreach-related tasks that formerly had to be done manually in Raiser’s Edge or other nonprofit management software can now be automated.
A fourth question involves cross-platform data use and whether data will remain siloed in Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce NPSP or any other donor relationship management system an organization uses. It may be possible to maximize the functionality of data by using software for specific purposes and transferring any relevant changes to data back across platforms. If your organization needs to move records, the fifth question pertains to which integration solutions will make it possible to reliably transfer data with minimal need for manual interference.
These five questions can guide practically any organization toward a strategy to improve the condition of data. An organization’s answers to these inquiries will determine the likely level of effectiveness of any data-driven fundraising initiatives and suggest ways to optimize information quality and integrate organizational data across software and systems.
