Center for Civic Partnerships

Donor Databases

Developing Individual Donor Bases

A database is an invaluable tool that can help your organization track donation information. In addition to storing basic contact information, a well-designed donor database will sort information (such as dividing entries into current and potential donors) and generate statistical reports (e.g., annual donation totals or giving histories). Additionally, a donor database should allow you to print letters and labels to specific individuals as part of your fundraising campaign. There are a variety of software options available – some cost several thousand dollars and may require a dedicated server; other programs can be purchased for far less but are more basic and may require more time to customize. For a monthly fee of $99, organizations can store 1000-5000 records on a web-based database and avoid purchasing software or hardware. With less than 1000 records, small organizations can access these types of services for free.

Top Tips

Research database options and include key staff in the decision-making. Determine what kind of information you want to be able to generate and be sure to talk to other nonprofit organizations to gain different perspectives.

Select a database that is compatible with other computer programs your organization already uses and will allow current information to transfer to the new program.

Budget for staff training and additional technical support.

Build a potential donor list by asking board members, collaborative members, staff or other supporters to supply names.

Use the Internet to research prospective donors including individuals, corporations, and foundations.

Enter data consistently to ensure that your queries generate accurate reports.

Use reports to plan your fundraising strategy. For example, knowing who gave how much in the last year can help you target your appeal in the coming year.

Online Resources and Tools

BasicFunder
http://www.basicfunder.com
Designed by a group of professional fundraisers, Jellyware Corporation offers this Windows database fundraising software program at no cost. In addition to contact and donation information, BasicFunder helps users to create donor-acknowledgement letters, fundraising reports, labels and custom mailing lists. Fee-based technical support ($300 per year) and a free comprehensive user manual are available upon request.

Charity Village
www.charityvillage.com
Go to the “library” section and click on “Database Marketing” to read a series of articles on building donor databases. Click here for “Twelve Must-Do Tips for Database Newbies.” www.charityvillage.com/cv/research/rdbm3.html.

Coyote Communications
www.coyotecom.com
Visit this site for technology tip sheets, including “Database, Software and Technology Use” at http://www.coyotecom.com/tech/index.html.

NetSource at University of Southern California
www.usc.edu/dept/source
This site includes links to websites for prospect research as well as general fundraising information.

Nonprofit Fundraising Software
http://nonprofit.about.com/cs/npofrsoftware
This page provides links to companies providing fundraising software to nonprofit organizations.

TechSoup
www.techsoup.org
Visit this site for resources related to technology and the nonprofit sector. Click on the “Articles and News” link and then click on “Databases” for a comprehensive overview of managing information using a database. For an index to software that will help you manage your donor information, visit this page: www.techsoup.org/downloadpage.cfm?downloadcat=8. Also, see the “Adopting Technology: Voices from the Field” series on databases and nonprofits at www.techsoup.org/articlepage.cfm?ArticleId=379&topicid=6.

Suggested Reading

About, Inc. (2002). Prospect Research. Read this article for a quick overview of how to use the Internet to research prospective donors. Read at: nonprofit.about.com/library/weekly/aa032398.htm.

Batchelder, Duff. How Do We Select Fundraising Software? Alliance for Nonprofit Management. This is an excellent, in-depth article on choosing the right software. Read at: http://www.allianceonline.org/FAQ/fundraising/how_do_we_select_fundraising.faq.

Middleton Hughes, Arthur. (2002). How Modern Database Marketing Builds Member Contributions. Database Marketing Institute. This article explains how sophisticated analysis of prospective donors can increase returns. Read at: http://www.dbmarketing.com/articles/Art163.htm.

Petualla, Maria. (2002). Nightmare or Rosy Dream? Database Management for Fundraising. Grassroots Fundraising Journal, Volume 21, Number 3. This articles outlines the benefits of organizing donor data and the steps necessary to get started. Read at: http://www.grassrootsfundraising.org/titles/feature21_3.html.

Shepard, David. (1999). The New Direct Marketing: How to Implement A Profit-Driven Database Marketing Strategy. McGraw-Hill Trade. A comprehensive reference guide to database marketing. Section two focuses on “Building a Marketing Database” including such topics as “What do you want your database to do and why do you think it will do it?”