Creating user-friendly, forward-thinking technology is what we do. We believe that technology exists to make your organization more efficient— we want technology to pick up some of your tasks so that you have time and energy to devote toward creating relationships with your donors and increasing your fundraising. However, learning to leverage technology can be a time-consuming task in itself, so we’ve devoted this post to the most common issues nonprofits face, and how you can overcome those issues.
Problem: My donor management system doesn’t do what I need it to.
Solution: If you have problems with your donor management system, it’s likely that your current system has limited customization abilities. A good donor management system shouldn’t just store information— it should actively help you manage your supporters by tracking giving history and other analytics, easily creating custom reports, and allowing you to send mass emails. We recommend looking at Salesforce, a system that allows ten free licenses for nonprofits, and also has infinite options for customization.
Problem: I’m having trouble keeping track of my volunteers
Solution: The best solution for tracking volunteer engagement is a solid volunteer management system. Ideally, you should be able to integrate this software with your donor management system so that donors who double as volunteers will have all their information in one place. You can use the system to schedule volunteers, send them reminders, or have them register for opportunities on the computer or on their phones.
Problem: My website isn’t drawing in donations
Solution: If your website doesn’t seem to be encouraging donors to give, you may need to consider an overhaul. Often, many organizations have outdated sites that make it confusing for visitors to discover how to donate. When evaluating your website, check the following:
- Is your website responsive? A great site will look just as great on mobile devices.
- Is your donate button prominent? Make sure supporters can easily see where to give.
- Is your layout user friendly? Having a site that’s beautiful and easy to navigate will encourage more website traffic (If you’d like more tips about creating a great website, we’ve written a whole post about it!)
Problem: My online giving platform has too many steps and donors aren’t giving
Solution: Most organizations raise about 10% of their yearly income online. Whether your percentage is above or below that average, you need an online giving portal that allows donors to give easily and conveniently. If a potential donor has to click through too many screens, or is asked to enter too much information, he or she will likely leave without donating. When choosing an online giving portal, you should choose one that allows you to explain a bit about where a donor’s support is going, so that he or she will be able to see the difference a contribution to your organization can make.
Problem: Crowdfunding isn’t working for me
Solution: We’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is that crowdfunding isn’t always successful. The good news? There are ways to create a strong crowdfunding campaign. Crowdfunding depends not only on the fundraiser creator, but also on the assumption that a donor will be emotionally invested in the fundraiser’s description enough to give. This means that it’s essential you choose a crowdfunding platform that allows you some sort of control over the fundraisers being created. You’ll be able to make sure that the campaigns accurately reflect your message, and that the campaign pages have great images and your logo.
A successful crowdfunding campaign should be simple to set up, so that the fundraiser can create the campaign, and easily share it with his or her social networks. For an example, check out GiveSuite, our all-in-one crowdfunding, online giving, and event registration platform.
If you’re struggling with any of these technology issues, we’d love to help. We offer technology consulting on everything from websites to donor management. Get in touch with us!