Donor Management
From MissionTechWiki
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Description of Donor Management
Donor Management software helps missions (and many other types of non-profits) track details about thier donors, produce receipts and manage communications with their donors. Depending on the fund raising philosophy of the mission, the database may contain everything from name and address to golf handicap.
Managing the donor relationship and dealing with fund raising is one of the major functions of a mission's home or sending office. As such this application is one of the focuses of IT for most mission home offices.
How is Donor Management used in Missions?
There is range of ways in which Donor Management is used. Some faith missions make no financial appeals at all. These missions would just track information about donors so that receipts can be supplied, and possibly details of who to send receipts to. The other end of the spectrum is very active fund raising.
Some missions provide information about donations recieved from donors to the missionaries who the donors are supporting, so that the missionary can keep in contact with the donor/supporter. This leads to a variation of this application just for missionaries.
Issues with Donor Management
A lot of missions have tried to develop their own systems. The problem is that missions are generally not software developers, so they end up having support problems, or spending too much.
A lot of these packages are expensive. The non-profit industry is very big, and missions are only a small part of it. Often the same software is sold to clubs and missions.
Different implementations and solutions using thing
Australian packages
- dTracker is a MS Access application developed specifically for missions. It integrates with Quickbooks and MYOB. There is no reason this pacakge can't work in other countries (it is used in New Zealand).
- Open Alms is an Aussie package used by some missions.
- Raisers Edge is being used by Mission Aviation Fellowship in Australia, UK and New Zealand.
US based packages
- Raiser's Edge http://www.blackbaud.com/default.aspx : This is the package that we use at CCCA. It combines both contact and donor management. Will try to find out the $$$ It is also used by Wycliffe USA, Wycliffe UK and Wycliffe NZ.
- It isn't cheap, but it is powerful.
- Denarisoft
- Donorware
- mpower
- Giftworks
- many more can be found at Nonprofit matrix
UK based packages
Raiser's Edge, (see US based packages above) is customised for the UK.
International packages
DonorWise is a full-feature donation processing package, designed from the start to be used by ministry organizations in many different countries. The user interface can be translated into any language, and address and other data can be configured to local conventions. This package can also integrate with many General Ledger packages, import data from banks, and upload data for staff who use TntMPD to download. Developed by Campus Crusade for Christ, this package is free for any mission organization.
Packages for Missionaries
Oscar has a list of packages ranging from personal to corporate.
Ministry Manager is a decent product for tracking contacts, fundraising goals, and other personal missionary interests.
Donor Manager developed by a missionary for his own purpose and offered for others.
TntMPD developed first for Campus Crusade for Christ.