Rejoice, because the days of sifting through mail and ripping open letters is over. Ok, maybe not completely. But there is an easier way for constituents to get you their contributions, to take down data and more—without the hassle of postage and (eventually) the no-Saturday delivery. It’s time to make it easier for people to help your cause.
Let them donate online, with the simple click of the mouse. Make it easy for yourself to keep track of your current donors to contact them. Utilize the resources that the web has to offer.
These are some of our picks for online tools for nonprofits made easy. Plus, they’re affordable so you can save the cash for your mission.
CRM Tools
The acronym should stand for “Constituents Really Matter.” And in a way, it does. But CRM really stands for “Constituent Relationship Management.” Think of any relationship in your life. Whether it’s with family, friends or a significant other, it would suffer greatly if you didn’t put time into it. And with your constituents, paying attention to your relationships will save your donor retention rates from suffering dramatically. CRM tools help you track donor relationships at each stage of development.
We’re a fan of Bloomerang’s CRM tool, which provides an interface designed by a graphic artist, built to reflect what people like on the web. That means it gives your constituents the appeal that they want, but it gives you the data that you need. Plus, the system is designed so that each person who works with your charity can easily use the system and input information to the system.
Online Donation Tools
Nobody wants to take the time or effort to write a check, find an envelope, buy a stamp and finally send in a donation. Especially when there are ways to donate with the click of a button. And some constituents may not donate if it’s an inconvenience to them. So make sure you’re ready to assist when they’re ready to give.
We suggest online tools for nonprofits such as Piryx. And the best part about Piryx? It gets our stamp of approval for offering services for free. Your organization can also enjoy benefits like multiple online campaigns and tools to measure the results. Also, free web and social marketing tools, fundraising tips and hosted donation pages are available for an in depth experience. With all of those tools at your fingertips for free, it’s silly to not take advantage.
Check out more online donation tools that are both easy to use and affordable for nonprofit organizations.
Online Partnership Tools
Everything’s better with a partner. You’ve got Bert and Ernie, Bonnie and Clyde and Batman and Robin. Each one could stand alone, but they’re best known for their partnerships of epic proportions. And with online resources, you could join a meaningful and legendary partnership.
Sites like Missionfish.org allow your organization to team up for a safe and secure donation option. MissionFish has a partnership with PayPal that allows businesses to give monetary contributions to organizations that correspond with their interests. Nonprofits can sign up at no cost and get 100 percent of the donations directly into a PayPal account.
How have online donation and retention tools helped your organization achieve success?
