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.

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Many of you may know that the training office at FundRaiser Software is detached from the main business office which is in West Plains, Missouri.  Our training office is in Arizona, originally in Tucson, but now in the smaller-than-West-Plains town of Oracle.  Having this separation can be a challenge, as it tends to make communications both less frequent and more crucial to achieving our common goals, and it tends to lead to a sense of disconnection from the company.
In a meeting today, it hit home that, as the training manager, I need to have a better sense of "connection" to our users; to be more accessible; and to bring more of the finer points of using FundRaiser software to the table than can be presented in a classroom (read: webinar) setting.  As a part of the solution to that challenge, I'm turning to "blogging" to be able to present ideas, hints, tips, tricks, and answers to questions from you, our users.
As I become more familiar with this venue, video "snippits" will appear from time to time, to reinforce the written explanations.  Occasionally a link to another organization may appear (with their permission, of course) so that users who wish to do so can become more familiar with other non-profits using the software.  I would also hope that you folks will offer feedback on what you see here, to keep me informed about your primary concerns with using the software, etc.
My mini-bio:  Born in 1946, reared in Ohio, Navy Sonar Technician, married/divorced/remarried (about to celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary), myriad occupations along the way, including (but no limited to, heh heh) in no particular order:  truck driver, insurance salesman, Harley mechanic (certified), corporate trust clerk, on-air radio personality, musician, computer tech, programmer, software salesman, trainer.
In every position I've held, there were certain tools of the trade, some quite physical in nature, others psychological, but each tool had its place.  I'm hoping to show you, over time, the nature of the tools in FundRaiser software, because, when it comes right down to it, FundRaiser is just a tool, and the key to success in using it is learning how it works.  And it helps to work within the design of the tool, rather than trying to "bend" the tool to the task at hand.  Hammering with a pipe wrench is not good for the pipe wrench at the least, and fixing the resulting mess can be more time-consuming and costly that having found a hammer in the first place!!
So I may be using a lot of tool metaphors, and phrasing things in non-fundraiser oriented terms, but that's because, when it comes down to it, I'm no fund raiser.  That's your job.  To help teach you how to use your tools, how to clean them, store them, and keep them from becoming lost, is my job.
Thanks.
Larry Weaver, Training Manager
FundRaiser Software
http://www.fundraisersoftware.com
800-880-2997 Training (direct)
Need Help with FundRaiser?? 800-543-4131 Tech Support

Many of you may know that the training office at FundRaiser Software is detached from the main business office which is in West Plains, Missouri.  Our training office is in Arizona, originally in Tucson, but now in the smaller-than-West-Plains town of Oracle.  Having this separation can be a challenge, as it tends to make communications both less frequent and more crucial to achieving our common goals, and it tends to lead to a sense of disconnection from the company.

In a meeting today, it hit home that, as the training manager, I need to have a better sense of "connection" to our users; to be more accessible; and to bring more of the finer points of using FundRaiser software to the table than can be presented in a classroom (read: webinar) setting.  As a part of the solution to that challenge, I'm turning to "blogging" to be able to present ideas, hints, tips, tricks, and answers to questions from you, our users.

As I become more familiar with this venue, video "snippits" will appear from time to time, to reinforce the written explanations.  Occasionally a link to another organization may appear (with their permission, of course) so that users who wish to do so can become more familiar with other non-profits using the software.  I would also hope that you folks will offer feedback on what you see here, to keep me informed about your primary concerns with using the software, etc.

My mini-bio:  Born in 1946, reared in Ohio, Navy Sonar Technician, married/divorced/remarried (about to celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary), myriad occupations along the way, including (but no limited to, heh heh) in no particular order:  truck driver, insurance salesman, Harley mechanic (certified), corporate trust clerk, on-air radio personality, musician, computer tech, programmer, software salesman, trainer.

In every position I've held, there were certain tools of the trade, some quite physical in nature, others psychological, but each tool had its place.  I'm hoping to show you, over time, the nature of the tools in FundRaiser software, because, when it comes right down to it, FundRaiser is just a tool, and the key to success in using it is learning how it works.  And it helps to work within the design of the tool, rather than trying to "bend" the tool to the task at hand.  Hammering with a pipe wrench is not good for the pipe wrench at the least, and fixing the resulting mess can be more time-consuming and costly that having found a hammer in the first place!!

So I may be using a lot of tool metaphors, and phrasing things in non-fundraiser oriented terms, but that's because, when it comes down to it, I'm no fund raiser.  That's your job.  To help teach you how to use your tools, how to clean them, store them, and keep them from becoming lost, is my job.

Thanks.

Larry Weaver, Training Manager

FundRaiser Software

http://www.fundraisersoftware.com

800-880-2997 Training (direct)

Need Help with FundRaiser?? 800-543-4131 Tech Support

 

 

 

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

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