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Initial
Thoughts on ThankQ's Acquisition by The Access Group
Monday
December 3, 2012
The
Access Group (Access) have just announced that they
have acquired fundraising database supplier, ThankQ.
These are my initial thoughts on what this means to
ThankQ users and to the UK NFP sector as a whole. Read
more...
Should
We Buy Fundraising Software Anymore?
Tuesday November 20, 2012
It
is highly likely that on your fundraising database,
you will have donors or prospects who also have at least
one other "type" of connection with your organisation.
e.g. they may have bought products of some sort from
you, they could be a ticket buyer, they might be a benefactor,
a trustee, a volunteer, a subscriber/user of your website
and so on. In which case, you may also hold their details
on another database as well. So if that's the case,
then should we really be buying fundraising software
anymore or should we be buying an organisation-wide
system which can manage all this information? Read
more...
Keeping
Changes of Database Supplier in Perspective
Friday November 9, 2012
If
you are considering the procurement of a new fundraising
database package and you talk to another charity about
what they use, then you may well find that they have
migrated from one "recognised" fundraising
package supplier to another. e.g. to or from companies
such as ASI, Blackbaud, IRIS, ThankQ and so on. Or indeed,
if you peruse internet discussion boards, then to and
from CRM systems such as Microsoft CRM, Salesforce and
SugarCRM. As such, you might therefore wonder why someone
is no longer using the very package which you were considering
buying. Read
more...
How
long does it take to implement a new database?
Tuesday
November 6, 2012
...
and the Influence of Project Scope. One of the hardest
things about implementing a new CRM system or fundraising
database is going at the right pace: too fast and you
may rush things, forget something, not do enough testing
etc; but too slow and you can lose impetus and enthusiasm
– “sorry, why are we doing this project,
again?” It’s a tough call. Read
more...
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How
do you compare like-for-like on CRM Suppliers’
Professional Services?
Wednesday
April 18, 2012
I’ve recently had
several discussions with charities and database
suppliers about how difficult it can be to compare different
suppliers’ Professional Services during a database
procurement. This is partly in terms of comparing the
specific services/options they are offering, but of
course it is often about being able to compare like-for-like
in terms of cost. So, for the benefit of all, I've listed
here a few tips as to how I approach this potential
conundrum and some specific things to look out for.
Read
more...
The
Need for Cross-Team Knowledge in a CRM Implementation
Wednesday February 28, 2012
If you have never implemented
a fundraising database before – or even if you
have - it can be difficult to apply the workings of
a new software package to your fundraising, CRM and
charity's ‘business’ requirements. The database
supplier will of course have their views, knowledge
and experience and some of your charity’s staff
might have similar know-how, but there is a real risk
that you won’t be able to apply all this joint
knowledge to create what you really foresaw when you
purchased the new system. So, enter The Bridger. Read
more...
The
Impact of the New CRM Systems on the Fundraising Database
Market: A 5 part series
Monday
January 23rd, 2012
For the last few years
I have written about the “new” generic CRM
systems (e.g. Microsoft CRM, Salesforce etc) and their
potential as a fundraising database for charities. Now,
for the first time, I feel these systems have far more
potential to challenge the dedicated (“traditional”)
fundraising packages in the domain of fundraising and
membership. I thought it would therefore be a useful
time to review the impact which these systems are having
on the fundraising software market in a bit more depth.
So I have written a 5 part series starting today...
Read
more...
The
Raiser's Edge: Why does one person like it and the next
hate it?
Tuesday July 13, 2010
I have recently been talking
to several charities who use The Raiser's Edge. And
it seems to me that whenever you gather together a group
of fundraisers, throw in a few charity DBAs (and a pinch
of technology consultants), and start talking about
The Raiser's Edge, then, almost inevitably, some of
the group will sing its praises and others will slate
it and tell you it’s rubbish. But why? It’s
the same software being used at the different charities
(possible version differences aside), with the same
functionality (modules aside) and surely all organisations
could use it the same way? So why then, if one person
loves it, does the next person find it just doesn’t
work for their charity? Read
more... |
