FundRaiser Blog

The FundRaiser Software Blog is an excellent resource for nonprofit organizations looking to learn more about fundraising, donor management, membership management, and much more.

The Pros and Cons of Engaging Volunteers in Fundraising

VolunteerFundRaisers

Dear Kim,

For years I have been told that board members and volunteers need to be trained and enlisted in reaching out, meeting with donors, thanking them and asking for support. I work somewhere that has prioritized that. But all of that comes with the cost of a lot of staff time. Some volunteers aren’t very good at it with training. What’s the downside of just having staff do that work?

Continue reading
6523 Hits

Can FundRaiser Track Volunteers?

volunteers

Many organizations separate volunteer management from donor management, which means that often two separate systems are involved. Volunteer Coordinators often rely on spreadsheets or personalized databases to track who is actively volunteering, when they work, scheduling, and even tracking availability, skills, or work preferences. Grouping these volunteers into teams or crews becomes problematic, because it is often a manual process. Since many volunteers also financially support an organization, wouldn’t it make sense to have them both in the same database?

Continue reading
2019 Hits

The Power of Volunteer Reports

volunteers-2

When it comes to keeping track of your volunteers there are several important pieces of information it’s helpful to know at a glance. Who are your volunteers? When did they work? How many hours your volunteers have worked and how much have they saved your organization over the course of a year?

Continue reading
1971 Hits

Case Study: Parkesburg Point Surges to Success with #GivingTuesday Crowdfunding Campaign

POINT-Campaign-Photo

Parkesburg Point is going for it this year for #GivingTuesday. Although it isn’t even Tuesday yet, they have already succeeded at reaching their goal. Now they are moving with confidence into their total year-end fundraising. “We were involved with GivingTuesday last year, but didn’t have an effective strategy in place,” says Debbie Shupp, development director for The POINT. “We really wanted a strategic approach this year and Sarah has successfully done that. Sarah created a full strategy and social media campaign.” Parkesburg Point offers extensive services to youth in the area with the help of volunteers, many drawn from local churches. They are FundRaiser Select users. 

Sarah Daniels, the new grants and communications manager who joined The POINT in May, says that the most important aspects of this success were:

Continue reading
3990 Hits
Wait a minute, while we are rendering the calendar
follow up role of nonprofits operating systems government grants major donors data analysis donor preferences nonprofit fundraising GivingTuesday announcements transparency user interface animal rescue updates monthly giving online donations pictures Donor Portal salutation community arts nonprofits phoning donors Cloud mission driven tech tip spreadsheets campaign case study segmenting donors mailing donor recognition foundations donation history motivation code Reminders donor prospects Codes how-to videos donor targeting donor advised funds building donor relationships operational costs Groupings letter templates disaster relief premiums LYBUNTS holiday giving tribute gifts flash sales customer service NCOA processing happiness raffle online donations Resiliency solicitors Personalizing Crowdfunding Campaign annual maintenance plan donor slip features password protection moves management Facebook importing csv FundRaiser Basic appeal letters SYBUNTS product news tax summary letters gift notes field general donor retention rate charity golf tournaments small donations the Ask planning FundRaiser Hosted change of address updating donor communications new leadership large donations training look and feel Thanksgiving publicity materials Task List In-Kind gifts new version banquet add ons membership benefits advanced tab adding personal notes to letters thank you letters accounting software holiday letters appeal social media support Tickles donor profile merge notes entering auction gifts development director backing up data donor relations fundraising campaign management grants capital campaign arts Snow Birds Volunteer module merge fields membership programs office letter Excel increasing giving amounts upgrade endowment campaign annual campaign community supported gardens relationship tracking data conversion how to handle auction gifts new donors repeat donors Reporting to IRS customer portal donor source overview volunteers National Change of Address data entry gift acceptance policy ROI planned giving memorial giving corporate sponsors brick campaign pledges Company culture major gift prospects community broadcasting motivation auction donor attrition texting donors Network for Good Facebook campaign user spotlights word processor passwords Importing Data in honor of donations understanding giving trends Alternative Addresses email upgrading donors PayPal personalizing letters reports giving history grassroots campaign recurring gifts security Constant Contact lapsed donor fundraising letters donor loyalty FundRaiser Spark board members new features correspondence membersip benefits budget vacation spare fields ticketsales legacy giving donor attrition rate on site training #GivingTuesday volunteering End of Year Letters anonymous donors ticket sales prospects new nonprofit alumni Thank You donor contact information Congratulations targeted mailings giving levels custom page gift entry donor retention GoFundMe project direct mail welcome packet correspondance mode code holiday technical support donor engagement event management training tip New Year

Connect With Us

  800-880-3454 ext 3
  Email Us
  Request More Information
  Monday-Friday
      8:30AM-5:30PM CST

Customer Portal Login Form

User Name:
Password:

If you are not sure about your Customer User Name, please call 800-543-4131 and we will be able to help you.

Or you have lost your password, Request Password