FundRaiser Blog
What does a data converter do?
Working mostly from his corner desk by the windows, Joe Salrin quietly fields many data emergencies for both FundRaiser customers and staff. His primary job is data conversion – moving data out of other brands of software and into FundRaiser for new customers. He is also the ‘go-to’ person for difficult, quirky, or just plain obstinate problems that involve technology and data at our office.
I asked him to tell me what he does in a normal day, and he laughed. “There is no normal day,” he answered. “Normal is whatever happens.
On any given day he may work on data conversions; discuss programming challenges with other staff members; fix office equipment; help our tech support staff; or research for future FundRaiser features.
What he was doing at the moment I asked the question was investigating QuickBooks Online. “We want to build a FundRaiser version that interfaces with it, but there are some quirks about it that make that a challenge.
He is also working on two data conversions “For one, I am moving data out of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) type of program. Moving from CRM to a donor database can be complicated. CRM isn’t built for donor data. My job is to make this move as smooth as possible.
The other conversion he is working on is data that is coming out of Raiser’s Edge and going into FundRaiser Hosted. Even though this is a common conversion for him, every one is slightly different because of every organization does things slightly differently.
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