fundraising software vs generic crm systems for charities
TRANSCRIPT
Fundraising Software is Dead – Long Live Fundraising Software!
Ivan [email protected]
http://blog.itforcharities.co.uk @itforcharities
Agenda
A little bit of history and statistics Benefits comparison What does all that mean for charities
So is Fundraising Software dieing…?
‘Dedicated’
Fundraising Packages
Generic ‘CRM’ Solutions
How did we get where we are…
1981 1985 1988 1990 1999 2003 2005 2008
WWW
MS Windows CommonGround
Blackbaud MS CRM
DonorFlex Salesforce
Westwood Forster CiviCRM
Charisma Touchstone Ch/Point
2012
Dedicated Fundraising Packages
Benefits Written specifically for
fundraising operations Experience of other
fundraisers and charity staff
Supplier knowledge/ Support
Speed of implementation Future-proofing…
Downsides Over-complex? Lack of
flexibility? Companies can go bust
or get taken over! Proprietary Solutions
(Enhancement requests) Lower R&D budgets Technology?
Generic CRM Systems
Benefits You may get the best of both
worlds… plus “templated” charity options & apps
Software license costs Flexibility of using different
support companies/ suppliers Often very customisable &
have third party apps Often good for organisation-
wide databases Technology… High levels of development &
a far wider customer base (inc. commercial clients)
Downsides No default fundraising
functionality… templated versions are just a starting point
Cost NOT just the software Need more staff time (?) &
project management (-> risk?)
Suppliers’ (re-sellers) fundraising knowledge?
Fewer charity users (currently)
How will cost change?How will resource requirements
change?
Will we (should we?) be buying “Fundraising software” in the
future?
Will “Fundraising software” die?
NoHowever…
So what do I think will happen…