As technology evolves and donors become increasingly comfortable with making payments online, accepting online donations is becoming a standard practice for all types of nonprofits.
If you haven’t yet gotten on board with online giving (or if you’re looking to switch software), there are certainly some best practices to be aware of before you buy. Online donation software can be a major purchase for your organization, especially if you’re searching for a comprehensive, multi-use product (or set of products!).
We’ve put together a list of the 7 best practices for buying online donation software. As you’re shopping around, keep these considerations in mind:
Find features that fit your needs.
Shop with your budget in mind.
Ensure your donation forms can match your brand.
Consider mobile and event-based giving.
Understand the data transfer and management process.
Anticipate the software’s learning curve.
Try before you buy—always get a demo!
When you’re done reading, you’ll be more than ready to make a move toward new online giving software—and one step closer to meeting your fundraising goals!
1. Find features that fit your needs.
If you’re unfamiliar with the scope of online giving software, you might be amazed at everything that these products can do. But, just because you can buy an all-encompassing major product suite, doesn’t mean you should!
Like nonprofits themselves, online donation tools have different specialties, strengths, and shortcomings. Where one tool succeeds, another might fall short, and vice versa. Therefore, you should assess your own organization’s needs before and while you research product features.
Online donation software can come with a lot of features, including (but definitely not limited to):
Donation forms.
Event planning and execution tools.
Membership management.
Donor databases.
Mobile giving capabilities.
Grant management.
Email marketing.
Peer-to-peer software.
Some of the most powerful software even includes all of the above and more!
More than likely, unless you’re an extremely large nonprofit, you won’t need access to all possible software features. You’ll probably rely heavily on a few tools, while others might be used sporadically or not at all.
Keep in mind your organization’s goals as you plan your purchase. If you don’t know what you’d like to accomplish, there’s no way to know what tools will help get you there. Do you want to plan major fundraisers? Look for a software that has powerful event management tools. Do you need to organize and segment a large group of supporters? You might be in need of CRM software with built-in donation tools.
The only way to know what fundraising software is right for you is to be familiar with your own needs and goals.
Takeaway: No two donation platforms are alike! Consider what features would make your fundraising easier and more effective, and look for a software that meets those needs specifically.
2. Shop with your budget in mind.
There are a number of factors that contribute to an online giving tool’s price tag. From features included to number of constituents served, prices will vary depending on the scope of the software (and other components).
It goes without saying that your organization’s budget should play a determining role in the software you purchase. So, just as you have determined what your goals are, you should also determine what your budget is before you start shopping. These considerations can (and should!) go hand in hand.
Take a look at your overall organizational budget and determine how much you’re willing to spend for a software. Not only will this limit your software options (a good thing!), but having a clear budget in mind will also help you decide just how integral to your fundraising you’d like this product to be. If you’re planning to purchase a truly comprehensive fundraising software that will affect many areas of your organization, you may feel more comfortable spending a bit more than if you were buying a single tool with only a few features.
As you’re analyzing your budget, it may also be a good time to check in with your board. Fundraising software can be a major purchase in some cases, so make sure that your board is involved in the buying process, too.
Takeaway: Equipping your organization with the right online donation tools can be a big investment. Take some time to go over your nonprofit’s budget before you begin your search to ensure you can afford the software you need.
3. Ensure your donation forms can match your brand.
Online donation pages are the most fundamental component of online donation software. As such, it’s essential that you’re able to customize your pages in terms of both content and style.
While most online giving software will set you up with the basics of a functional online donation page, you should also look for a platform that enables you to integrate your form with your nonprofit’s website, and tailor your forms to meet your specific needs.
One of the most important ways to personalize your form is to include your organization’s branding. Adding your color scheme, logo, fonts, and other design elements doesn’t just look great; actually, cohesive branding reinforces your organization’s professionalism and trustworthiness with your donors.
When supporters know they’re still interacting with your team, they’ll be more likely to trust that their payments will be securely processed and less likely to walk away from the donation process.
In addition to considering the style of your donation pages, you should determine the content you’d like to include. Many donation tools allow you to add or delete required fields, allowing you to collect donor information that you actually need. If your donation pages integrate with your CRM, the information you collect here can be automatically filed in your database, so it’s a great way to deepen your understanding of your donors.
That said, even though you might be able to include as many fields as you’d like, you should keep your donation forms simple and straightforward. (60 seconds or less is all a donor should need to complete his gift.) A good donation software will help you ensure that your donation forms are functional and user-friendly as well as aesthetically pleasing.
Takeaway: You can use your donation software to create donation pages that fit with your existing organization’s website. Consider the level of branding you’d like to incorporate, as well as how customized you’d like your content to be, as you search for the perfect online giving platform..
4. Consider mobile and event-based giving.
Obviously, online giving tools make it possible for supporters to make donations online, but did you know they can also make it easier and more engaging to give on the go, as well?
When you think of online donations, you might immediately picture a laptop or desktop computer. However, with some dedicated mobile and event-based giving tools, your donors’ giving options can be extended to smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices that they can take with them anywhere, including to your fundraising events.
For example, if your organization hosts silent auctions, consider finding a provider who supports mobile bidding technology. Not only do these tools add a fun twist to the classic silent auction, but they actually help you raise more funds along the way! In fact, mobile-friendly auctions tend to be three times more profitable than traditional counterparts.
Why do these modern auctions raise so much? Simply put, mobile bidding is engaging, convenient, and streamlined. Bidders can browse and place bids on items directly from their smartphones, and will receive notifications when they’ve been outbid. Donors can even automate their bids on items they’re determined to take home, so no more running to and from the auction table!
You’ll be able to communicate with donors through these tools as well, providing them timely updates throughout the night or sending other important messages instantly.
Plus, their payment methods are pre-authorized, which means they won’t have to re-enter their credit card information all night long. And even more importantly, you won’t have to deal with the intensive check-out process that comes along with paper bid sheets.
Since donors will already likely have their phones in tow at your next auction, mobile bidding is a no-brainer. This process is designed to be user-friendly, so even the least tech-savvy supporters can get on board.
Another form of mobile giving that’s great for auctions as well as more general fundraising events is text giving. As simple as it sounds, once you’ve partnered with a text-to-give provider, your donors will be able to give using just their texting app and a mobile web browser.
Text campaigns have become extremely popular in the past decade. Since an overwhelming majority of American adults own a cell phone, it’s no surprise that nonprofits have begun modernizing their fundraising strategies to fit in in the digital age.
Text giving works great as part of any campaign, but it works especially well during fundraising events! Make sure you have staff or volunteers to walk your donors through the steps should they hit any snags.
Takeaway: Mobile and event-based giving is perhaps the most convenient feature of online giving. Consider implementing mobile bidding or text-to-give to meet your donors where they already are—their smartphones!
5. Understand the data transfer and management process.
Unless your organization is starting from scratch (with no donor information or donation history), there will be some form of data migration necessary to get your new software up and running with all your existing data.
Transferring data can be a complicated process, but the level of difficulty does vary by product. Before you commit to a new product, make sure that your staff is well aware of the transfer process and understands the resources it will require.
Additionally, be sure that you have a plan for managing your data once you have your new software in place. If your fundraising tools can’t communicate with one another, you may be left with disconnected data across multiple platforms, which just isn’t very useful. If possible, find tools that you can integrate with your existing database or software.
Or, look for a comprehensive software that offers all the fundraising and donor management solutions you need in one place!
No matter how helpful a product is on its own, if it can’t work with all the other aspects of your fundraising efforts, it won’t be sustainable or efficient long-term.
Takeaway: Data migration and management are integral parts of software setup and use. Make sure your new product will allow you to transfer your existing data in a manageable way, and look for software that can work with the platforms you already rely on.
6. Anticipate the software’s learning curve.
No matter how many giving tools your organization has used, adopting a new software can take time and, in some cases, training, before you get used to navigating new features. A little research (and a demo) can give you some idea of how much effort it will require to learn the ins and outs of your new product, but you should plan to spend extra time setting up, trying out, and troubleshooting your new software nonetheless.
When you first take home (or in this case, download) your software, there will inevitably be some form of setup and installation process. The involvement level here will vary from product to product, but for the most complex processes, this can require the help of a software consultant. You’ll want to be aware of this before purchase, since consultants can require time and (potentially) additional money.
Even if you do need a consultant’s guidance to get you set up, your staff will need to understand how to use your new giving software themselves. Consider how user-friendly your new tools are before you commit to them. If the learning curve is especially steep, you might want to consider how this will affect your organization’s resources. Do you have the time to learn a complex new system? Do you have the funds to hire training consultants?
The need for support doesn’t stop at setup, either. Your software should definitely come with some level of IT support, but you should consider how hands-on you’d like that support to be before you buy. If you have a high level of in-house tech knowledge, you may not require as much ongoing assistance as an organization who doesn’t.
However, each tool is designed differently and will have its own quirks and challenges, so become familiar with their level of support as early in the buying process as you can.
Takeaway: Even the most technologically advanced nonprofits should plan to dedicate some time and energy toward learning a new software. Consider how much support and training you’ll need from your provider before you buy, so that you don’t get stuck with a product you don’t know how to use!
7. Try before you buy—always get a demo!
Once you’ve found a product that seems perfect for your nonprofit, you’ll want to see the software in action. Luckily, most providers offer in-person, online, or over-the-phone demonstrations of their software so that you can get a realistic feel for what it’s like to use the tools.
Check with your vendor to see what their demo process is like. If possible, make a list of any questions or concerns you have before your demo date so that you can have your representative walk you through specific features.
No matter how much research you’ve done on the product, you won’t know if it’s truly the choice for you until you’ve seen it in real time. Have staff sit in on the demo so that everyone on your team has a clear picture of the product’s user-friendliness. Remember, it doesn’t matter how much you like the features of a product if no one knows how to use it.
If the demo still leaves you with questions, or if you’re between a few different product options, see if you can request a personal trial from your vendor. Even better than a demonstration, a trial will allow you to navigate the product yourself. If you’re able to secure a trial run, have a few different staff members play around with the software to see if it’s a good match for those who’ll be using it.
Takeaway: Even if you’re sold on a product from the beginning, a demo can clear up any confusion and allow you to see the software in action. Request a demo (or a trial) from your vendor before you purchase a product.
Investing in new fundraising software can be a big move. From features to user-friendliness, you should be as familiar as possible with your prospective products before you sign the contract. By following these best practices, you can find software that will supercharge your fundraising.
The post 7 Best Practices for Buying Online Donation Software appeared first on BidPal.