tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10077938328907053092010-02-22T14:52:58.967-08:00Nonprofit Technology News and Nonprofit Technology Management Advice from an industry leading expert in the field. Publishers of the blog also produce DonorPerfect Fundraising Software and are experts at helping Nonprofit organizations make technology work for them.SofterWare Inc.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15116814237610602907noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-43676819494449515672010-02-22T06:41:00.000-08:002010-02-22T14:52:58.982-08:00

Are you struggling for ways to increase online donations? Do you think your online donation process is clear and simple?If it isn't, you are almost certainly losing potential gifts and the truth is -- you're probably too close to the process to judge for yourself.So why would I suggest asking your parents to test your online donation process? Well, hopefully they're willing to do you a favor, but

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-19344650451374316662010-01-18T15:02:00.001-08:002010-01-19T20:09:30.217-08:00

The tragedy in Haiti is horrific and the outpouring of financial support to aid in the relief efforts demonstrates, once again, the compassion & generosity of Americans. As with other recent disasters, much of the support is coming via online donations, but there has also been much press attention paid to substantial sums being raised by the Red Cross and a few other charities via text message

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-20624436247432708092009-11-23T05:49:00.000-08:002009-11-24T05:20:08.461-08:00

A few nights ago the phone rang at about 8pm. When I answered, a woman introduced herself and said she was calling in regard to my support of a non-profit called The Steppingstone Foundation that helps inner-city children attend private schools. "Oh great," a late-night solicitation call I thought -- but I was wrong. She explained that her children were beneficiaries of my donation and were

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-1307474816244357982009-10-01T06:20:00.000-07:002009-10-01T14:15:05.304-07:00

Competition is a powerful motivator and the Jewish Community Heroes campaign is a great example of how to harness people's competitive instincts to achieve multiple benefits. I learned about the campaign when I recently received an email encouraging me to vote for noted holocaust survivor and author Gerda Weissmann Klein to be recognized as a Jewish Hero. She is a very worthy hero in my mind, so

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-15624259011286519222009-08-10T06:34:00.000-07:002009-09-08T11:24:19.512-07:00

Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance refers to a set of security standards for protecting cardholder data. Here are some basic Dos & Don'ts for any organization that is accepting (or considering accepting) credit card payments.Don'ts1) Don't think PCI doesn't apply to you - Most non-profits process fewer than 20,000 transactions per year and are thus considered Level 4 Merchants. Currently this

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-45965389793742583162009-07-13T10:25:00.000-07:002009-07-20T05:15:35.226-07:00

Seem obvious? It is -- but yet it's really easy to get tempted into investing lots of time and effort in pursuit of the latest "hot idea." A good example is all the buzz around using social network sites like Facebook and Twitter. They do offer intriguing potential to communicate and develop stronger relationships with supporters. But how much have you seen or read about nonprofits really

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-85770655665230145612009-06-30T09:54:00.000-07:002009-06-30T14:40:37.878-07:00

We recently conducted a client focus group to get insights from customers who are using a new product of ours called DonorPages. It helps nonprofits use social networking to assist supporters soliciting donations or sponsors for events (or virtual events). Anyway, the feedback was really interesting and incredibly useful -- and not entirely what we expected.I suspect that most nonprofits have

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-77339404302084316632009-06-10T09:18:00.000-07:002009-06-30T14:41:28.147-07:00

Many non-profits are thinking about using social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter to expand their communication with donors, volunteers and other constituents. We recently decided to setup a Facebook page for our fundraising product, DonorPerfect (check it out). I also created a personal facebook page to get some first hand experience with what this is all about.I learned a lot. Besides

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-25452310987615836652009-05-15T06:20:00.000-07:002009-05-17T08:06:20.050-07:00

Like everyone in the non-profit community, I've been horrified by the Bernie Madoff scandal and its impact on so many non-profits and foundations. Most of what I've read has focused on the magnitude of the fraud, how it could go undiscovered for so long, and the impact of this massive loss of resources on the nonprofits affected.There's no doubt that the charities and foundations that lost money

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-38085512827072807402009-01-20T13:13:00.000-08:002009-01-20T09:10:28.725-08:00

Everyone's mother did, and thanking donors is a basic rule of successful fundraising. That's why I'm amazed at how often I don't receive a gift acknowledgement or when I receive a thank-you letter weeks or months after my donation. I'm pretty certain the charity's Executive Director or Director of Development isn't aware that this is happening, so here are a few potential causes (and suggested

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-40250205279408059012008-12-16T13:30:00.000-08:002008-12-16T13:43:49.581-08:00

Last week, I listened to Gerda Weissmann Klein speak at the school my kids attend. She was simply amazing. She spoke about her experience as a survivor of the Holocaust, but her real message was that we still live in a world where millions of people suffer from intolerance; but it is also a world of great compassion where everyone of us can -- and should -- do something to make things better.I

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-84472228557632530242008-12-08T08:18:00.000-08:002008-12-11T08:00:41.648-08:00

Creating a donor advised fund with the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Trust was one of the best philanthropy decisions I've made in the last couple of years. Why? It has dramatically reduced the time and effort required for me to make donations of appreciated securities.In general, giving shares of appreciated stock is incredibly tax-efficient because you eliminate paying taxes on the capital gain

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-69181313054432632102008-10-30T06:09:00.000-07:002008-10-30T14:37:24.000-07:00

Over $600 million dollars, with a record breaking $150 Million raised in September -- in the midst of a steeply declining stock market and widespread economic worries. What is the Obama campaign doing right and what can your non-profit learn from this success?Small donations can really add-up - Consider this quote from a recent LA Times Blog post:"The Wall Street crisis appears to have had little

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-64166971813915179992008-10-02T10:45:00.000-07:002008-12-10T06:51:19.384-08:00

There is no question that the current financial crisis is serious and that economic downturns and declining stock markets create a tougher environment for fundraising. It's hard not to worry when the press is filled with articles like this one from the NY Times Economy Expected to Take a Toll on Charitable Giving. So why do I say don't panic? Three reasons:It doesn't help - Worrying just takes

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-15089226489350675422008-09-09T11:15:00.000-07:002008-09-11T06:29:10.433-07:00

Testing and measuring the results of direct mail is one of the most basic concepts for mailing success. Small changes, like the size of the envelope and use of a stamp vs. metering actually have a dramatic impact on your results. Only by experimentation and then comparing and analyzing your results can you find the most effective direct mail piece.Well the same principal applies to constituent

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-58319537077833443182008-08-18T06:56:00.000-07:002008-09-10T10:33:27.221-07:00

First let me remind my readers that I'm the CEO of a software company whose business is providing fundraising software to non-profits, so I can't claim full objectivity on this topic. That said, I'm pretty tired of reading blog postings and articles from non-profit consultants espousing the virtues of "free" software for various aspects of nonprofit administration -- from constituent relationship

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-82738906267977131902008-08-01T09:46:00.000-07:002008-08-04T05:45:53.498-07:00

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal noted that sales of luxury goods are holding up much better than retail sales in general. The reason is simple: rising gas prices and the slowing economy just have a more dramatic impact on the middle-class. Unfortunately, non-profits are likely to see a similar effect on their fundraising campaigns, with less wealthy donors being more cautious in

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-77717742107595374452008-07-10T08:56:00.000-07:002008-07-14T13:28:55.135-07:00

A few months ago I wrote a paper entitled Demystifying Credit Card Processing for Non-profits. The document has a lot of great information to help not-for-profit organizations understand the types of processing solutions available, merchant account and processing fees, etc., but I have to admit that I was wrong when I said, "I can't imagine someone who has stolen a credit card going online to

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-49716115030780704322008-07-07T09:00:00.000-07:002008-07-09T14:05:37.549-07:00

Sure it's a rhetorical question. But are you really encouraging online donations in your direct mail solicitations? Not just by mentioning it as an option, but making it clear that it is the fastest, easiest and most cost effective way for the donor to give to your cause. Why not even offer an incentive for those who make their donation online?Why push donors to give online?It generates larger

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-72009859375451881422008-07-01T07:04:00.000-07:002008-07-03T13:10:18.122-07:00

Why do donors stop giving?Sometimes they may no longer be interested in your cause, but frequently it is just that they forget or misplace your solicitation, given the many distractions in their busy lives.Every time we ask for their support, we're asking them to take action -- write a check or go to a website to make a donation. Even if a high percentage of them do it, some percentage won't.

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-64087260238783076752008-06-16T05:06:00.000-07:002008-07-03T11:00:12.528-07:00

Calculating the life time value (LTV) of a typical donor is relatively simple and very useful. You just need to know your average annual donation amount per donor and your donor attrition rate (the percentage of donors that stop giving each year). To compute LTV just plug those numbers into the following formula:Avg Annual donation / (attrition rate) = Life time expected donations($100/yr)/(.10)

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-2172935998693792202008-05-21T14:04:00.000-07:002008-06-02T13:12:11.976-07:00

Email is far and away the quickest, cheapest and easiest way to communicate with donors, volunteers and other constituents, but most non-profits have current email addresses for only a small percentage of their mailing list. Here are 10 simple things you can do to increase the size and accuracy of your email list:1) Include a space for email address on every type of reply tool you use. That not

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1007793832890705309.post-13280557027461472022008-05-21T13:08:00.000-07:002008-06-02T13:09:47.477-07:00

First, let me introduce myself. I'm Douglas Schoenberg, CEO of SofterWare Inc. We provide software for a variety of purposes including DonorPerfect and DonorPerfect Online for fundraising management, EZ-CARE2 for child care center administration, EZ-CAMP2 for camp management and MMS for Schools which is a student information system (SIS) for public and private schools. Through our business I have

dschoenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18317231680428346130noreply@blogger.com0