tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358638162010-03-04T16:00:59.790ZMy views on the database market for charities and NFPs: packages, CRM and bespoke developments. In particular, but not limited to, fundraising and membership.Ivan Wainewrightnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35863816.post-48707247325011203002010-03-04T15:40:00.003Z2010-03-04T16:01:00.093Z

I know money talks in the NFP sector but I am still constantly amazed at how often the question, 'Which database should I buy?' is answered with MySQL, Zope or PostgreSQL, just because "it's free" and "you can build it yourself". So what? Aside from the fact that it's not necessarily zero cost (you still need to host it, develop it, support it, maintain it, maybe be trained in it etc), it doesn't

Ivan Wainewrightnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35863816.post-41703251422399413982009-01-30T11:59:00.004Z2009-01-30T12:11:23.673Z

There are only so many times that I can take being told that a database is rubbish when actually it has nothing to do with the poor database, and everything to do with how an organisation is working. This was brought home to me again recently when I was asked by two organisations how they could improve the usage of their databases.The first was a small charity who were using a good, industry

Ivan Wainewrightnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35863816.post-24223020442121754562009-01-15T17:20:00.005Z2010-01-07T14:48:21.502Z

I heard a rather shocking story recently of a charity who, when they tried to move their data from their incumbent database supplier to a new database they had purchased, were told by their existing supplier that they (the charity) did not actually own the data, the supplier did! And, therefore, the charity would have to pay the supplier in order to have the data! Unfortunately, when the charity

Ivan Wainewrightnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35863816.post-68703739840482374962009-01-05T16:53:00.008Z2009-01-05T17:15:10.275Z

In the last few years, acquisitions have increased in the charity database market: Blackbaud have acquired eTapestry (and before that, Fund-Master and AppealMaster), as well as ticketing and gift-aid systems; Systems Group bought Minerva, and then CSG bought Systems Group, and also Consensus and Care, and then IRIS bought CSG... Then ASI Europe acquired Fisk Brett and IRIS bought Donor Strategy.

Ivan Wainewrightnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35863816.post-85172659192651918972009-01-01T17:29:00.010Z2010-02-11T14:57:32.781Z

So the start of a new year seems the right time to make my predictions as to what will be happening with the sector database market for fundraising and membership systems. One un-surprising prediction is that I expect there to be even more consolidation/acquisitions amongst the database package suppliers. Even in the last few months, IRIS have bought Donor Strategy and ASI have acquired Fisk

Ivan Wainewrightnoreply@blogger.com2