How to get up to speed when you've inherited an existing FundRaiser database.

What have I gotten myself into??

As the training manager here at FundRaiser Software, I often hear phrases similar to this from users who have inherited the responsibility of maintaining and utilizing an existing database in FundRaiser.  The challenges that present themselves in this situation range from learning what has already been done, and how it's been done, to making changes that will make it easier to do what is needed without having to start from square one.  To my mind, it's rather akin to buying a home, as I did just last month, and discovering that, while the structure is sound, and most everything is functional, there are a lot of small (and not-so-small) improvements to be made before it will be truly comfortable.

Status Quo vs. Ad Libitur

The "state in which" we find the situation, whether database or "new" house, is not very often the "as desired" situation we would prefer, so how do we go about changing that?  There are different approaches, of course, and some people will jump right in and work with what exists while being on the lookout for ways to improve.  Other folks will take the road of thorough examination, planning, and restructuring before trying to do anything more than the basics.  At our house, it was a matter of necessity to move in, work with what we had, and, step by step, identify and change those things that we can, as we can afford the time, expense, and effort.  And, even though we love our house, I'm sure we'll be doing this for a long time.  Here are some steps that may help when trying to figure out the current state of affairs and a path to the desired outcomes for your FundRaiser database.  Keep in mind that you will, most likely, be constantly finding new ways to use the database and "tweaking" the way you currently use it to make it easier, better, etc.

Do we have the latest version?

Often times updates to the program are postponed for one reason or another, so to make certain you have the latest release, simply go to the Help menu, and click on the choice of "Check for Updates".  This will take you to a page on our website that will show you your current release number, as well as the latest releases available for download.  Make certain, of course, that you are downloading the proper version, whether Spark, Select, or Professional.  If you don't know which you have, simply look at the upper left corner of the program when you have it open.  The top line, or Title Bar, will have the version name.  If you need help with any of this, of course, give our Tech Support folks a call (800-543-4131), and they will be happy to assist you.  It makes it easier for them, too, when you are working with the current release of the program.

What's with all these codes?

One of the easiest ways to get familiar with the status quo in your copy of FundRaiser is to print out the Code Listing Report (found near the bottom of the Print menu).  Set it up so that ALL the codes are chosen, including INACTIVE codes (since they still exist and can be used in various ways), and make sure to let FundRaiser RECALCULATE the code usage (to insure accurate usage figures for the codes).  If you don't see a way to recalculate from the report window, you probably have an older version of the software and need to update it, by going to the Customer Portal section of our website.  With this list, you can familiarize yourself with the code types, and the codes that your predecessor has set up in each of those code types.  Just reviewing the descriptions can go a long way in getting a feel for the way the codes were being used.  If you want to learn more about codes, use that Customer Portal section of our website to access training videos (including the Coding & Spare Fields class), or sign up for a live webinar using the Training Calendar.

How many Name and Gift records do we have?

There are many ways to pull information from FundRaiser, as you may have already discovered, and your approach will depend on how much or how little detail you need to answer your question.  If you just need a number of name records or a number of gift records, then the easy way is through the File menu, selecting the File and System Details choice.  There you will find a simple total of the number of name records (labeled "Master List"), and a simple total of the number of gift records ("Gifts").  You DO need to be aware that, for those of you who have Households in use (multiple name records that are all members of a single "household" record), the number of name records will include each individual name and household record, making it seem as though you have a lot more records than you do.  If in doubt, contact us and we'll help you make that determination.

Reports are my friends !!

Another way to pull information, of course, is through reports.  When focusing on name information, the Master and Donor reports are handy, and there will be counts at the end of the reports to indicate the number of name records included in the report.  The Donation/Deposit reports are great for looking at gifts in various ways, with, you guessed it, totals at the end to indicate the number of gifts and total dollar amounts for the report.  You can create your own user-defined reports if you want specific columns of information (phone numbers, etc.) to be displayed or printed.  As with most basic functionality, there's a class for learning that.  

Train if you want to finish the race:

Athletes know this, but we sometimes forget that our efforts are also a race: usually against time.  We need our cause to be furthered; we need to do this now; and we need to do it in a way that will benefit us in the long run, as well.  In order to get the best effort, we need to learn the mechanics, the best practices, and then tailor what we've learned to accomplish our goals within our organization.  Let us at FundRaiser be your "coaches" in these learning steps, and let us help you shorten the learning curve with our experience.  When you reach your goals, it helps everyone, including those of us at FundRaiser Software.

To learn something new about using your FundRaiser Software,

Check out the current offerings of live online classes in our webinar training schedule