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SaaS vs. Installed Donor Management Software
 Traditionally, people have purchased their donor software, and
then installed it onto their computer or computer network. This
is the prevalent method used today, and remains ideal for certain
nonprofits. Your data resides on your own computer (or network),
and you are responsible for its infrastructure, backups and maintenance.
A one-time investment provides a perpetual license, and a support
plan provides essential product updates and enhancements for the
donor management software.
Thanks to the Web, your choices have expanded to include not
only different donor software products, but different methods
of accessing your donor data. Now, some donor software vendors
are SaaS (Software as a Service providers), which means they host
the software, and your data, on a secure server that is connected
to the Internet. This way the information can be accessed anywhere,
by any authorized person, using web browsers like Internet Explorer.
This is not to be confused with online access to donor management
software installed on your PC, which may not offer the speed,
hyperlinks, and other unique capabilities associated with a solution
developed on a Web platform.
The other unique aspect is the way most SaaS sell their solution:
as a subscription. You typically pay a volume-based monthly fee,
instead of a one-time inclusive payment. As a subscriber, you
don't have to worry about infrastructure issues, such as installing
or maintaining donor software and hardware. Even backups of your
data are handled by the SaaS.
The range of offerings has grown dramatically with donor management
software. Some vendors offer both installed and online versions
of their fundraising products. And if your nonprofit is large
enough, you may be interested in hosting the online version yourself,
which some providers now offer as an enterprise-type solution.
Every nonprofit has unique requirements. Check out vendors that
offer installed, online, or both fundraising solutions to see
which best matches your particular needs. You should also note
that not all Web-based systems for donor software provide the
same robust speed and features. Make sure you do a thorough comparison
of vendors, and that the vendor you choose has an established
history in the nonprofit market and financial stability (many
Internet companies come and go these days.)
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