Fundraising Software Product Evaluation Checklist

Fulfilling the mission of your organization requires two elements: energetic and committed people and the financial resources to grow and fund your programs and services.

This is why choosing the right fundraising software is so important. This comparison checklist was created to help your nonprofit organization evaluate the many different systems available to help manage your fundraising efforts. The right fundraising system will enable you to maximize the efficiency of your fundraising and grow your organization to better serve your constituents and your cause.

Please click here for a printable version.

Donor Management
Biographic/demographic data
Unlimited number of donor records
Unlimited number of fields per record
User-defined fields
Joint and separate giving records for spouses
Track relationships between records
Prospect tracking
Donor segmentation
Fields & screen flexibility
Add fields
Remove fields
Change fields
Reposition fields
Secured access to sensitive data
Duplicate record checking tools
Smart search so users don’t have to type full record name
Setup of data entry defaults/pick lists
Global change of data
Multiple donor addresses & salutations
Track updates to records
Archive records
Student/Alumni features

Contact Management (CRM DRM)
Unlimited history and notes
Assign due dates to tasks
Automatic To-Do/Tickler List
Tracks donor for each contact item
Automatic logging of e-mails, solicitations and thank-yous
Moves Management

Membership Management
Track membership levels, dues, and renewal
Membership cards
Print/e-mail renewal notices
Acknowledgements
Reports
Membership Analysis
Membership Lists

Gift Management
Unlimited gift history
Unlimited gift coding
Campaigns
Appeals
Fund Designation
Automatic summary of gifts by
Year
Type
Split gifts
Honorariums and memorials
In-kind gifts
Matching gifts
Anonymous gifts
Other                
User specified criteria
Allows assignment of appropriate acknowledgements at entry
Receipts
Gift batching and audit trails
Deposit slips
Soft credits
In-kind gifts
Matching gifts
Anonymous gifts
Giving Analysis Reports
LYBUNT
SYBUNT
Largest
Most Recent
Reports

Pledge Processing
Track pledges
Track unpaid pledge balances
Unlimited payment schedules
Automated pledge reminders
Pledge reminder letters
Reports
Delinquent pledges
Pledge listings
Cash flow projections
Credit card payments
ACH payments

Queries and Reports
User-friendly query interface
One or two-click access to data
Create custom queries on any field
Save and/or sort queries
Standard, pre-designed development reports
User-determined ranges, summaries, counts and totals
Graphical analysis (internal or exported to other software, e.g., Excel™)
Modify pre-designed standard reports
Save modified reports for future use
Large selection of standard development reports
Statistical analysis
Solicitation analysis
Income analysis
Donor Profiles
Campaign analysis
Custom Report Writer
Built-in or external report writer
Create reports on any field, including user-defined fields
Sort, select and sub-total on any field
Use any formats, fonts, spacing, colors, images, and placement
Print preview
User-friendliness (step by step guide, graphical interface)

Mailings and Communication
Create solicitations, thank-you letters, other correspondence
Mail merge (personalize correspondence with donor data)
Maintain history of mailings per donor
Track solicitations, acknowledgments/thank-you letters
Track success of solicitations
Mass mailings
Ability to select full or subset of donors
Overwrite auto-created addressee/mailing names
Multiple-mailing addresses
Mailing restrictions option (No mail, no solicitations, etc.)
Batch processing
Automated thank-you notes
Address labels
Bulk Mail Reports
Exports to mail houses
E-mails
E-mail personalization
Broadcast or specific email letters, campaigns
HTML formatted
Surveys

Volunteer Management
Maintain contact data
Track skills and interests
Track availability
Create/maintain schedules
Track actual work time

Grants Management
Calendar for grants deadlines
Track proposal tasks
Research (interface with grants research capabilities)
Track grant disbursements
Distinguish between requested & actual funding
Track grant funding status

Special Events Management
Banquets, dinner dances and shows
Walk-a-thons, bike-a-thons, telethons
Auctions
Golf tournaments
Sponsored events
Track registration and actual attendance
Track volunteers assignments
Payments
Online
Offline
Issue/create tickets

Accounting Interface
General ledger summaries
Interface to any accounting application
Automated interface
Transaction data
Chart of account allocations

Internet Functionality
Web Content Management
Online Giving
Donations
Event Registration
Product Sales
Donor / Supporter Pages
Opt-in Prospect/e-mail collection
Browser-based version
Security
Links to third party resources (maps, telephone directories, etc.)
ASP or Installed
Hosted service (ASP)
Subscription payment
Full outsourcing of IT/software maintenance
Data backup
Automatic software enhancement

Data Services
Data conversion
Data enhancement
National Change of Address (NCOA)
Phone Number Appending
Decease Record Identification
CASS Certification
Prospect Research

Product Support
Support hours:                
Includes product updates
Update frequency
Phone support
Online support tools
Size of support department
Longevity of support staff
Newsletters
Online User Forums
User Meetings

Training
Recommended training package
Costs
Training methods
Classes (Offered where?)
On-site
Telephone
Webinars / Online Seminars

References and Endorsements
Multiple references
References for nonprofits similar to yours
Recent references
Endorsements
Well-known associations or organizations

Partnerships
Value-added products and/or services
Development consultants
Information Technology (IT) consultants