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Donor Management Software Product Evaluation Checklist
 This checklist was created to help your non-profit organization evaluate the many different donor management features available to help manage your fundraising efforts. The right system will enable you to maximize the efficiency of your fundraising and grow your organization to better serve your constituents and your cause.
Please click
here for a printable version.
Donor Management
 Biographic/demographic
data
 Unlimited
number of donor records
Unlimited
number of fields per record
User-defined
fields
 Joint and
separate giving records for spouses
Track relationships
between records
Prospect
tracking
Donor segmentation
Fields & screen
flexibility
Add fields
Remove
fields
Change
fields
Reposition
fields
Secured
access to sensitive data
Duplicate
record checking tools
Smart search
so users don't have to type full record name
Setup of
data entry defaults/pick lists
Global
change of data
Multiple
donor addresses & salutations
Track updates
to records
Archive
records
Student/Alumni
features
Contact Management
Unlimited
history and notes
Assign
due dates to tasks
Automatic
To-Do/Tickler List
Tracks
donor for each contact item
Automatic
logging of e-mails, solicitations and thank-yous
Membership Management
Track
membership levels, dues, and renewal
Membership
cards
Print/e-mail
renewal notices
Acknowledgements
Reports
Membership
Analysis
Membership
Lists
Gift Management
Unlimited
gift history
Unlimited
gift coding
Campaigns
Appeals
Fund
Designation
Automatic
summary of gifts by
Year
 Type
 Split
gifts
Honorariums
and memorials
In-kind
gifts
Matching
gifts
Anonymous
gifts
Other
User
specified criteria
Allows
assignment of appropriate acknowledgements at entry
Receipts
Gift
batching and audit trails
Deposit
slips
Soft
credits
In-kind
gifts
Matching
gifts
Anonymous
gifts
Giving
Analysis Reports
LYBUNT
SYBUNT
Largest
Most
Recent
Reports
Pledge Processing
Track
pledges
Track
unpaid pledge balances
Unlimited
payment schedules
Automated
pledge reminders
Pledge
reminder letters
Reports
Delinquent
pledges
Pledge
listings
Cash
flow projections
Credit
card payments
ACH payments
Queries and Reports
User-friendly
query interface
One or
two-click access to data
Create
custom queries on any field
Save
and/or sort queries
Standard,
pre-designed development reports
User-determined
ranges, summaries, counts and totals
Graphical
analysis (internal or exported to other software, e.g., Excel™)
Modify
pre-designed standard reports
Save
modified reports for future use
Large
selection of standard development reports
Statistical
analysis
Solicitation
analysis
Income
analysis
Donor
Profiles
Campaign
analysis
Custom
Report Writer
Built-in
or external report writer
Create
reports on any field, including user-defined fields
Sort,
select and sub-total on any field
Use any
formats, fonts, spacing, colors, images, and placement
Print
preview
User-friendliness
(step by step guide, graphical interface)
Mailings and Communication
Create
solicitations, thank-you letters, other correspondence
Mail
merge (personalize correspondence with donor data)
Maintain
history of mailings per donor
Track
solicitations, acknowledgments/thank-you letters
Track
success of solicitations
Mass
mailings
Ability
to select full or subset of donors
Overwrite
auto-created addressee/mailing names
Multiple-mailing
addresses
Mailing
restrictions option (No mail, no solicitations, etc.)
Batch
processing
Automated
thank-you notes
Address
labels
Bulk
Mail Reports
Exports
to mail houses
E-mails
E-mail
personalization
Broadcast
or specific email letters, campaigns
HTML
formatted
Surveys
Volunteer Management
Maintain
contact data
Track
skills and interests
Track
availability
Create/maintain
schedules
Track
actual work time
Grants Management
Calendar
for grants deadlines
Track
proposal tasks
Research
(interface with grants research capabilities)
Track
grant disbursements
Distinguish
between requested & actual funding
Track
grant funding status
Special Events Management
Banquets,
dinner dances and shows
Walk-a-thons,
bike-a-thons, telethons
Auctions
Golf
tournaments
Sponsored
events
Track
registration and actual attendance
Track
volunteers assignments
Payments
Online
Offline
Issue/create
tickets
Accounting Interface
General
ledger summaries
Interface
to any accounting application
Automated
interface
Transaction
data
Chart
of account allocations
Internet Functionality
Web Content
Management
Online
Giving
Donations
Event
Registration
Product
Sales
Donor
/ Supporter Pages
Opt-in
Prospect/e-mail collection
Browser-based
version
Security
Links
to third party resources (maps, telephone directories, etc.)
ASP or
Installed
Hosted
service (ASP)
Subscription
payment
Full
outsourcing of IT/software maintenance
Data
backup
Automatic
software enhancement
Data Services
Data
conversion
Data
enhancement
National
Change of Address (NCOA)
Prospect
Research
Product Support
Support
hours:
Includes
product updates
Update
frequency
Phone
support
Online
support tools
Size
of support department
Longevity
of support staff
Newsletters
Online
User Forums
User
Meetings
Training
Recommended
training package
Costs
Training
methods
Classes
(Offered where?)
On-site
Telephone
Webinars
/ Online Seminars
Self-taught
References and Endorsements
Multiple
references
References
for nonprofits similar to yours
Recent
references
Endorsements
Well-known
associations or organizations
Partnerships
Value-added
products and/or services
Development
consultants
Information
Technology (IT) consultants
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