Fundraising and Donor Management Software

Frequently Asked Questions - Raiser's Edge NXT

• How does Raiser's Edge NXT benefit my business?

  Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT streamlines data and the reporting processes—increasing operational efficiency—and provides insight to every stage of the constituent lifecycle, helping organizations attract new supporters, engage them with the right communications according to their unique preferences, and grow their impact on the organization’s mission.

• Why does my organization need database management software?
  Dedicated donor relationship management software allows your team to operate more efficiently though fundraising-specific collaboration tools which streamline back-office tasks, allowing you to spend less time on administrative tasks, and more time engaging donors and championing your cause. The result is a more effective communication strategy and a supporter experience worthy of investing in.
• How do you manage a donor relationship?
  Donor relationships rely on proper stewardship and respect. Acknowledge gifts by sharing the impact they have on your organization, and provide consistent communications (according to your supporters’ unique preferences). Proving you appreciate and value your supporters lends to more-valuable, mutually-beneficial, lifelong relationships.
• How do you keep track of donors?
  Keeping track of donors requires tracking every touchpoint a supporter has experienced, such as emails or direct mailings received (including their responsive action or lack thereof), volunteer hours, event attendance, giving history, relationships, and program involvement in order to understand what motivates them. Additionally, it is critical to maintain healthy data and contact information.
• What are donor relations?
  Donor relationships rely on proper stewardship and respect. Acknowledge gifts by sharing the impact they have on your organization, and provide consistent communications (according to your supporters’ unique preferences). Proving you appreciate and value your supporters lends to more-valuable, mutually-beneficial, lifelong relationships.
• How can donor relationships be improved?
  • Sending tailored messaging as opposed to blasting communications to all supporters
  • Personalization
  • Avoid overlapping communication through an internal culture of cultivation, reporting, and transparency
  • Properly acknowledge gifts—and demonstrate the impact they have on your mission
  • Multi-channel communications which contribute to a cohesive message or story
• How do you retain donors?
  Donor retention is done through stewardship and respect. Acknowledge gifts by sharing the impact they have on your organization, and provide consistent communications (according to your supporters’ unique preferences). Proving you appreciate and value your supporters lends to a more-valuable, mutually-beneficial, lifelong relationship.
• How do you create a donor database?
  The most basic form of a donor database includes the names, contact information, and gift amounts of people who have given to your cause, but a more-established fundraising database tracks relationships more deeply, recording every single contact made. This allows the organization to view each engagement opportunity a supporter has experienced, and report on the actions—ideally donations—that are subsequently triggered.
• How do you communicate with donors?
  Effective donor communication requires audience segmentation, personalization, and multi-channel delivery. Different supporters in your base, e.g., millennials and baby boomers, absorb information differently, therefore you have to be strategic in tailoring the messaging—and the medium—to unique audiences.
• How do you categorize or classify donors?
  Donor classification will vary by organization according to its mission and goals, but donors can be classified based on demographics and interests, or gift size and frequency—such as major donors and monthly donors. The importance is segmenting your audience to tailor relevant and engaging communications, as opposed to blasting messaging to your entire supporter base.
• What are the different types of donors?
  Donor classification will vary by organization according to its mission and goals, but classifications could include:

  • Size of gift (tiered according the organization’s average gift size)
  • First time vs. recurring donor
  • Giving frequency (e.g., monthly, yearly, sporadically, etc.)
  • Communication preferences
  • Association level (e.g., board member, annual fund contributor, volunteer, event attender, crowdfunding campaigner, etc.)
  • Demographics (age, location, wealth/assets)
• How do you structure a fundraising campaign?
  A fundraising campaigns structure revolves around an integrated strategy prior to launch. Starting with a case for support will allow organizations to set their monetary goal and identify their audience. Other critical components include: start/end date, acquisition goal, targeted communication channels, buy-in support and a clear call-to-action. Sticking to the plan and structure that’s built will increase the campaign's success.
• What makes a good fundraising campaign?
  A successful fundraising campaign will instill a sense of urgency, increase awareness and connect an organization's mission throughout the community and beyond. It will need to be innovative, inspiring and engaging while appealing to the masses through multi-channel efforts. A donor centric focus will allow the organization to align goals and connect with their supports while sustaining their mission.
• What are the principles of fundraising?
  Effective fundraising is done through personalized engagement, mission education, and supporter involvement. Supporters want to know the impact of their gifts, so it’s crucial to articulate the value of your mission and the value of their support. Treat supporters respectfully and individually, and steward them towards a larger investment in your mission.
• What is donor management software?
  Donor management software tracks crucial information about your supporters—such as contact information, giving history, communication preferences, associations, event attendance, and more—in one place to provide a holistic view of unique supporters, allowing you to operate more efficiently and communicate and engage more effectively.
• What are the benefits of using donor management software?
  By viewing all supporter information and touch points in a single place, you’ll better communicate and steward your supporters towards a more-valuable, mutually-beneficial, lifelong relationship through a 360-degree view of all the connections they’ve made with your organization combined with analytics-driven insight into their financial, demographic, behavioral, and lifestyle characteristics.
• How does donor management software work?
  Donor management software tracks crucial information about your supporters—such as contact information, giving history, communication preferences, associations, event attendance, and more—in one place to provide a holistic view of unique supporters, allowing you to operate more efficiently and communicate and engage more effectively.
• What should I look for in donor management software?
  • Constituent Relationship Management Database
  • Fundraising Moves Management
  • Mobile and Web Access to data
  • Online Giving Forms (Website Embedded)
  • Email Marketing and Reporting
  • Crowdfunding / peer-to-peer fundraising
  • Payment Processing and eReceipting
  • Data Health Tools
  • Wealth Analytics
  • Contact Appends
  • Dashboard Reporting