One of the major struggles with raising funds is using the right software. Getting people to notice and contribute is also a big task, but nothing hurts more than getting people interested only for the software to ruin the process. Nonprofit organizations do a lot of hard work to get attention. Therefore, they can’t afford to let software stand as an obstacle to raising the needed funds. In that regard, this article looks at some of the features to look for in fundraising software.
5 Important Features of Nonprofit Fundraising Software
Whether you’re choosing a free fundraising software or a paid one, there are essential things the software should do seamlessly. These are some of them:
Compatibility With Your Strategy
Every organization has a strategy for doing most of its important tasks. You should choose software that fits perfectly into this strategy. So before you head out to the market or the internet to look for software, you should define this strategy as accurately as possible. This step will simplify your search for software.After creating your strategy, you can start asking questions about software that can help you achieve your goal. Some of the questions you want to ask include:
- Does this software fit the kind of work ?
- Does it fit your prospects’ payment process? For instance, if the participants and contributors are salary earners, does the software allow them to make monthly donations? What if the contributors are a mix of people who want to make one-time or irregular donations? Is there room for that ?
- Does the software allow you to execute some of the tasks your organization wants to do aside from accepting donations? For instance, can you do a few things like invoicing and accounting ?
- How well does this tool work with other tools you use for spreading the word? For instance, can you integrate it with your content management system, social media, or website ?
Compatibility is necessary to make fundraising easier for your organization, but you have to create a plan first. Start inward before you begin to look outward.
User Experience and User Interface
User experience is the key difference between good software and bad software. A good one makes things easy to use, buttons are easy to understand, and features don’t need rigorous tutorials. A bad one complicates things, and users get annoyed every minute.
Therefore, before you pick a fundraising tool, even if it’s free fundraising software, try to test it out. Check out the interface, and think of the contributors’ experience and how your employees will work with it.
Data Analytics
In this modern age, data analytics is the best way to understand how people interact with your campaign. You need this feature to create campaigns and understand what works and what doesn’t.Therefore, your fundraising tool should be able to analyze, collect, and provide insights into your campaign’s performance. This can be valuable in improving your strategy, saving you time, and bringing your attention to factors that you wouldn’t have known on your own.
If you have a technical support team, data analytics features can save your team a lot of work and money. It means they don’t have to get external tools to understand the performances of campaigns.
Automation
As part of spreading the word, you want to use a software system that can help you do the job faster. For instance, if most of your interactions and donations are coming from a specific location, automation tools can help you focus your campaign on that location. With data and reporting, automation tools can simplify your strategy so that you do less work in planning and execution.
Ease of integration
The software should not only work with other tools you use every day, but it should be easy to integrate into the overall strategy and other tools. You shouldn’t hire an expert to help you integrate your fundraising tools into your Content Management System. The providers should have a guide for users, and this manual should be easy to use.
Choose A Fundraising Software That Makes Your Goals Easier To Achieve
Good software will help you achieve your goal faster. It will also influence the experience of your contributors and stand as either a barrier or a tool that facilitates their decision to support your course. If you have employees, software will significantly influence their productivity.
