Many nonprofits get off to a promising start, but then struggle to make the jump from small to mid-sized, or larger. Why? Is it because they don’t have strong enough support yet?
… Not necessarily.
The problem simply lies in a lack of options. It can feel like you just don’t have enough time in the day or room in your budget to keep up with the endless demands of a growing organization. Plus, data management is hard enough, and only gets more confusing when you throw in a management software you aren’t quite sure how to use, right?
This is a common underlying anxiety for nonprofits: over half report not having enough experience using data, and almost as many (42%) lack the tools to help analyze the data they do have (Nonprofit Hub study, 2018).
But, manually collecting and monitoring all your donor data on spreadsheets and random documents might work for a nonprofit in the beginning. But, this isn’t best practice for your data if your nonprofit hopes to eventually make the jump to mid- or large-sized!
If anything, it’s an unwieldy system that keeps your nonprofit playing small — and why play in the little leagues when your nonprofit’s on a mission to impact the community on a larger scale?
"Well, it’s like you said, we’re already stretching our budget thin as it is,” you might think with a shrug. "We can’t afford to scale right now.”
Is it true that enterprise software can get expensive (usually, for a bunch of features you won’t even make use of at this stage of your nonprofit’s growth)?
Yes, it can be expensive… but it doesn’t have to be.
The right software should scale with your nonprofit to help you grow — not drain your budget and leave your team scrambling to play catch-up.
Finding the right software for you should always take precedent over whatever buzzword features a software salesperson might throw at you. Your organization, no matter how small right now, deserves great software that will increase your efficiency and free up your team’s time.
What’s more, a great database is about more than simply tracking information. It enables you to easily segment your donors according to various demographic markers, how much and how often they contribute, how long they’ve supported your cause, and much more. Armed with these insights, you can make calculated decisions for your marketing campaigns, communication and retention strategies, and future projects.
Think it’s time to make the jump from unwieldy spreadsheets to an automated, all-in-one donor management software? You may just find your team members thanking you because you’ve freed up a ton of their time! They’ll no longer need to micromanage tiresome spreadsheets every day and can instead pursue more meaningful and fulfilling work.
If you’re curious whether Donor Engine might be the right fit for your organization at this point in time, we offer our software on a sliding scale to match the needs and size of your organization. Get in touch today to learn more.
