David Drinnon on Choosing and Using Fundraising Software

Here are some more responses to questions webinar attendees submitted from David Drinnon, pastor and director of information technology and Web sites at the Second Baptist Church in Houston.

Q: How many demos should we look at before deciding [what fundraising software to use]? What should we have done before checking out demos?

A: First, define your absolute core requirements that you know would be the most difficult to find in a solution. This will narrow the selections quickly. Then eliminate options by:

a. talking with other organizations in your industry;

b. searching the blog aggregators for insights on features and failures of the solutions they are evaluating; and

c. reading as much product info as you can find on company Web sites, product brochures or self-guided demos.

Finally, narrow down your selection to three to five before doing live demos.

Q: Once an organization makes a commitment to donor relationship management technology, how long — realistically — should they expect to be in the training/implementation stage, before it’s all up and running smoothly?

A: This depends on the following:

1. size of your organization (e.g., staff, departments, etc.);

2. how many databases you will be migrating data from; and

3. how many gap items must be resolved prior to go-live.

To expedite the timeline, one might consider a phased approach to the project.

Q: Do we have to issue an RFP when researching software?

A: No, but it helps.

To hear this free webinar in its entirety, log on to www.fundraisingsuccessmag.com/story/story.bsp?sid=96240&var=story. For information about other archived and upcoming FS webinars, www.fundraisingsuccessmag.com/docs/webinars.bsp