Blackbaud completed its purchase of Convio. The next adventure starts today, as we wait to see what the future holds for their various systems.
Filed in Advancement Services,Databases,Donor Databases,Email Marketing,Fundraising,Nonprofit Technology,Online Fundraising,Software No Responses yet
The Department of Justice signed off on Blackbaud’s acquisition of Convio last week, and it looks like the deal will close this week. This is just the beginning of the story. I expect that it will take at least several months, and probably several years, before the dust settles and we know what’s left behind. [...]
Filed in Advancement Services,Cloud Computing,Databases,Donor Databases,Fundraising,Nonprofit Technology,Online Fundraising,Software No Responses yet
Since this scam is on the rebound I’m republishing the following: A friend forwarded the following description of a scam aimed at a well-known college. Fortunately, they didn’t fall for it. I would like to make everyone aware of a recent situation here that is most likely a scam to launder stolen credit card funds, [...]
Filed in Advancement Services,Fraud,Scam 11 Comments so far
I’ve been enjoying the discussion in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s LinkedIn group in response to the question, “What’s a good, affordable donor database program for a small non profit?” (you’ll probably need to join the group to read the responses). There have been 120 responses so far, and they’ve been all over the map, from [...]
Filed in Advancement Services,Donor Databases,Fundraising,Nonprofit Technology 2 Comments so far
Lots of people have already weighed in on Blackbaud’s purchase of Convio (two of my favorites: http://www.frogloop.com/care2blog/2012/1/18/blackbaud-buys-their-rival-convio-now-what.html and http://nonprofit-force.org/2012/01/20/the-convio-blackbaud-merger-one-customers-perspective/). Here my perspective. Disclosures: I have clients that use both companies’ products, as well as products from their competitors, open source products, and homegrown solutions. I don’t invest in these or other companies that I advise [...]
Filed in Advancement Services,Donor Databases,Fundraising,Nonprofit Technology,NTEN 13 Comments so far
NTEN published my somewhat snarky predictions for nonprofits’ use of fundraising technologies in 2012. My overall predictions are that most things will be pretty much the same as last year (and 2010 and 2009, etc.): many nonprofits will struggle with out-of-date systems. No surprise — many will also lack the funding to replace them. But [...]
Filed in Advancement Services,Fundraising,IT Management,Mobile Communications,Nonprofit Management,Nonprofit Technology,NTEN,Online Fundraising,Social Media,Web,Web 2.0 No Responses yet
As the calendar year draws to an end, charities (and ideally, donors) are focused on year-end donations and tax deductions. Here are a few scenarios for U.S. charities to keep in mind. (Note: I am not a lawyer. When in doubt, contact an attorney who specializes in nonprofit law or contact the IRS for a [...]
Filed in Advancement Services,Fundraising,Online Fundraising 2 Comments so far
NTEN just published a short piece of mine on data management in their Change magazine. It’s in their DIY series — short tips for implementing something for your organization without extensive tech know-how or extra budget. The topic they gave me was managing decentralized data entry.
Filed in Advancement Services,Databases,Donor Databases,IT Management,Nonprofit Management,Nonprofit Technology No Responses yet
I’m planning a new workshop on selecting donor databases, focusing on the question, “Why is this so friggin’ complicated?” Some initial thoughts: The maxim “Fast, cheap, or good–pick two” is true. You want the technology to be forward-looking but also want to avoid shiny object syndrome. You want to make a reasonably quick decision but [...]
Filed in Advancement Services,Databases,Donor Databases,IT Management,Nonprofit Technology No Responses yet
A member of the PRSPCT-L listserve (for prospect researchers) asked “What do other institutions do to regulate or “police” data entry work, specifically when you have multiple users with authority to make updates?” It’s a tough problem. Here are a few approaches (other than locking down data entry): Policies. You need clear data entry standards. [...]
Filed in Advancement Services,Databases,Donor Databases 2 Comments so far
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