Fundraising Technology Resources
Below are links to articles and resources about donor databases, email marketing, online fundraising, spam avoidance, technology planning, and related issues.
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Donor Databases-Vendors | Donor Databases-Strategy | Email Marketing | Newsletters | Online Fundraising | Online Privacy | Social Media | Spam | Technology Planning | Other Resources
Association of Fundraising Professionals: Advancing Philanthropy Fundraising Technology Roundup May/June 2008 Note: Each listing spans two pages (requires Acrobat Reader)
Campbell Rinker 2008 Donor & Member Database Survey (requires Acrobat Reader)
CASE Currents, October 2002: List of Fundraising Databases for Higher Education (requires Acrobat Reader)
DotOrganize: Database of Data/Donor Management Tools
Grassroots Fundraising Journal: Fundraising Software Comparison Chart (requires Acrobat Reader)
Idealware: A Few Good Tools: Low Cost Constituent Databases
Idealware and TechSoup: Comparing Lower-Cost Online Integrated Applications
IT For Charities: Fundraising Databases for UK Charities
Lyric Systems: List of Fundraising Databases
Leland, Eric (Idealware/TechSoup): A Few Good Donor Management Tools
Leland, Eric (Idealware): A Few Good Association Management Tools
Mills-Groninger, Tim (NonProfit Times): The Soft(ware) Side of Fundraising Effectiveness (includes a vendor listing) (requires Acrobat Reader)
NTEN: 2008 Donor Management Software Satisfaction Survey (free for NTEN members, $50 for non-members)
NonProfit Times: Donor Management Software Round-Up (requires Acrobat Reader)
TechSoup: Donor Management Software Comparison
TechSoup: Open-Source Tools for Fundraising
Weiner, Robert: How Many Donor Databases Are There? (extensive list of donor databases)
Weiner, Robert (TechSoup): Inexpensive Donor Databases
Donor Databases-Vendors | Donor Databases-Strategy | Email Marketing | Newsletters | Online Fundraising | Online Privacy | Social Media | Spam | Technology Planning | Other Resources
Batchelder, Duff (TechSoup): Evaluating & Selecting Fundraising Software
Battin, Tom (TechSoup): Should Nonprofit Agencies Build or Buy a Database?
Grantsmanship Center: A User’s Guide to Selecting Fundraising Software
Campbell, Peter and Quinn, Laura (NTEN): How To Find Data-Exchanage-Friendly Software
Connors, Bill (Advancing Philanthropy): Being Good to Your Database
Heller, Keith (Idealware): Do You Need New Donor Management Software?
Heller, Keith: An Organized Donor Database: The Key to Successful Integrated Marketing
Idealware: The Truth About Hosted Software Packages
Leland, Eric (Grassroots Fundraising Journal): Mind Your Own Business (When the software business is your business too) (requires Acrobat Reader)
Mills-Groninger, Tim (NonProfit Times): The Soft(ware) Side of Fundraising Effectiveness (requires Acrobat Reader)
Mills-Groninger, Tim (NonProfit Times): Build, Buy, or Rent?
NPower: Selecting Donor Management Software
Petulla , Maria (Grassroots Fundraising Journal): Making Order Out of Chaos: How a Good Fundraising Database Can Help You Raise More Money (requires Acrobat Reader)
Sage Software: A Nonprofit’s Guide to Purchasing Fundraising Software (requires Acrobat Reader)
TechSoup: Donor Databases: Three Nonprofits Tell Their Stories
TechSoup: Managing Constituent Relationships: Four Case Studies
Weiner, Robert (Grassroots Fundraising Journal): Finding the Perfect Fundraising Database in an Imperfect World (requires Acrobat Reader)
Weiner, Robert (Idealware): Ten Common Mistakes in Selecting Donor Databases (And How to Avoid Them)
Weiner, Robert (Nonprofit Quarterly): Looking for Databases in All the Right Places (requires Acrobat Reader)
Weiner, Robert (AFP eWire): Choosing a Donor Database
Weiner, Robert (NTEN Forecast): Why Building Your Own Database Should Be Your Last Resort
Weiner, Robert (CASE Handbook of Institutional Advancement): Buying and Implementing a Development System (requires Acrobat Reader)
Weiner, Robert (CASE Currents): Recipe for a Successful Conversion (requires Acrobat Reader)
Weiner, Robert (TechSoup): Database Outsourcing: When To Look For Help, and How To Do It
Email Marketing and Fundraising
Donor Databases-Vendors | Donor Databases-Strategy | Email Marketing | Newsletters | Online Fundraising | Online Privacy | Social Media | Spam | Technology Planning | Other Resources
Alder Consulting: E-Newsletter Tools on a Shoestring
Algeri, Catherine (Fundraising Success): E-mail Appends: The Good, the Bad and the Realistic
Allen, Nick: 13 tips for raising money online
Allison, Rachel: 10 steps to a great e-mail
Allison, Rachel: Testing e-mail without testing your sanity (email newsletter checklist)
Bronto Mail: E-mail Marketing 101 (Free registration required)
Bronto Mail: Email Marketing Whitepapers
Campaign Monitor: Articles and Tips on Email Marketing
Coyote Communications: Tips for Nonprofits Using Email Newsletters
Dean, Katie (TechSoup): Wait, That Newsletter’s Not Spam!
DMNews: Essential Guide to E-mail Marketing (requires Acrobat Reader)
dotorgEssentials: Best Practice for Email Campaigns
Email Experience Council: Wall of Questions (Q&A about email campaigns)
Email Labs: Email Marketing Best Practices (requires Acrobat Reader)
eROI Resource Center: Email Marketing Guides, Quarterly Statistics, and Case Studies (requires Acrobat Reader)
eROI: Designing and Coding HTML Emails - What Works? (Free registration required, requires Acrobat Reader)
Fuel4Arts.com: Email Promotions – How To Guide
Gilbert, Michael: The Gilbert Email Manifesto
Gilbert, Michael: Twelve Ways To Fail at Email
Gilbert, Michael: Do Your Stakeholders Think You’re a Spammer?
Groundspring.org: Online Fundraising Handbook (chapter 3 discusses email newsletters)
Gundrey, George (TechSoup): Upgrade Your Organization’s Image with Slick HTML Newsletters
Hrywna, Mark (NonProfit Times): Subjects Matter (writing strong subject lines)
Idealware: Choosing Bulk Email Software to Match Your Communication Goals
Idealware: A Few Good Email Newsletter Tools
Interactive Advertising Bureau: Marketer & Agency Guide to Email Deliverability (requires Acrobat Reader)
Lasa: Bulk Email Software Review (requires Acrobat Reader)
Lasa: Choosing Bulk Email Software
Livingston, Brian: Don’t Count On Your E-Mail Being Delivered
M + R Strategic Services: Do Images Help or Hurt Email Appeals? (requires Acrobat Reader)
Mathieu, Blaine (iMedia Connection): 3 steps to superior email snippets
MarketingProfs: Top 100 words NOT to use in your subject lines
Matheson, Karen and Fox, Eve: Why open rates are dropping
Mathias, Devin, University of Michigan: Before you hit send… Guidelines for using email effectively. (requires Acrobat Reader)
Mitchell, Lynn (TechSoup): Spam Legislation’s Impact on Organizations’ E-Mail Lists
Mutrux, Zachary (TechSoup): How Not to Get Dubbed a Spammer
Nielsen, Jakob Targeted Email Newsletters Show Continued Strength
NP Advisors: 9 Things to Test in an Email
NP Advisors: Are E-mail Recipients Better Direct Mail Givers?
NP Advisors: Guidelines for Preparing E-mail Copy
ONE/Northwest: Comparison of Email Service Providers
OnPhilanthropy: Seven Things You Need to Know to Start an In-House Email Newsletter
Patrick, Jeff (NTEN): An Intimate Look at a Successful Online Fundraising Campaign
Pearson, Jerold: @Stanford and Institutional Advancement (requires Acrobat Reader)
Pepperrell, Véro (Digital Web): The Seven Deadly Sins of Email Marketing Management
Pollard, Stefan (ClickZ): Crafting a Compelling Text Message
Return Path: Deliverability 101 – Getting your email into the Inbox (requires Acrobat Reader)
Schwartz, Nancy: Checklist for E-News Service Provider Selection
Schwartz, Nancy: Selecting the Best E-News Service Provider
Stanionis, Madeline: Eight tests worth trying online (testing email appeals)
Stein, Michael: Growing your e-mail list
Stoner, Michael: Creating Effective Email Campaigns
SubscriberMail: The Seven Dirty Words you can’t say in subject lines (plus 100 others)
SupportingAdvancement.com’s collection of e-solicitations
TargetX: articles on email marketing
Web Marketing Today: Ten Ways to Keep Your E-mail Marketing Effort From Bombing
Weiner, Robert (E-Philanthropy Review): Email Campaigns - The Technical Side
Weiner, Robert (E-Philanthropy Review): Email Addresses: Collect The Whole Set
Newsletters about online marketing and fundraising
Donor Databases-Vendors | Donor Databases-Strategy | Email Marketing | Newsletters | Online Fundraising | Online Privacy | Social Media | Spam | Technology Planning | Other Resources
CharityChannel: E-Philanthropy and Technology Review
Mal Warwick and Associates: Successful Fundraising Online
Ralph Wilson: Web Marketing Today
Donor Databases-Vendors | Donor Databases-Strategy | Email Marketing | Newsletters | Online Fundraising | Online Privacy | Social Media | Spam | Technology Planning | Other Resources
Affinity Resources: Comparison of Online Donation Services
Affinity Resources: The Donation Process - A Four Step Process for Online Donations by Credit Card
Alder Consulting: Accepting Credit Cards Online on a Shoestring
American Express: 2007 Charitable Gift Survey (requires Acrobat Reader)
Barney, Jim (from AFP’s Advancing Philanthropy): How Secure Are Your Online Donations?
Blackbaud: Online Gift Donor Profile
Blackbaud: Internet Assessment Survey Responses (requires Acrobat Reader)
Care2: Analysis of fundraising through Facebook Causes
Care2, Sea Change, & Free Range: The Procrastinators’ Guide to Online Fundraising (requires Acrobat Reader)
Care2: ROI Calculator for Social Network Campaigns
Christ, Rick and Fignar, Heather (AFP eWire): Shattering Online Fundraising Myths
CompassPoint: The eNonprofit: A Guide to ASPs, Internet Services, and Online Software
Conry-Murray, Andrew (TechSoup): New Laws for Organizations that Accept Online Payments
Convio: 2008 Online Marketing (eCRM) Nonprofit Benchmark Study (free registration required)
Convio: Using the Internet to Build Alumni and Donor Relationships: Tools, Tips and Techniques for Boosting Donations (free registration required)
Convio: The Wired Wealthy: Using the Internet to Connect with Your Middle and Major Donors (free registration required)
DonorDigital: Perfecting Your Page: Can donation page optimization boost online giving? (requires Acrobat Reader)
EmailStatCenter: Collection of statistics and research on nonprofit online fundraising
ePhilanthropy Foundation: Code of Ethical Online Philanthropic Practices
Gaffny, Tom: Best Practices: Destination Marketing
DMA slides, January 2008 (55 MB, requires Acrobat Reader)
George Washington University Institute for Politics Democracy & the Internet: The Political Consultants’ Online Fundraising Primer (requires Acrobat Reader)
Gilbert, Michael: Online Donor Cultivation: The Quest for Metrics
Groundspring.org: Online Fundraising Handbook
Guidestar: Is Mobile Fundraising the Next Frontier for Charities?
Guidestar: On-line Monthly Giving—A Review of Nonprofit Programs
Guidestar: The State of Fundraising On-line: Results of a 2008 Giving USA Survey
Howard, Don and Weber, Ken: Seeing the Internet’s (Not So) Obvious Benefits
Howard, Don and Weber, Ken: Toward e-engagement: How Nonprofits and Individuals Engage Online
Kanter, Beth: Exploring Online Fundraising for Nonprofit Arts Organizations (archived version - may be slow to load)
Idealware: Selecting an Online Donation Tool (requires Acrobat Reader)
M + R Strategic Services: 2008 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study (free registration required)
One Northwest: Accepting Credit Cards on Your Website
One Northwest: Online Donation Tools
One Northwest: Online Donation Tools Comparison Matrix
Org 2.0: The 59 Smartest Organizations Online
MobileActive: Strategy Resources for Mobile Campaigns (Registration required)
National Association of State Charity Officials: Charleston Principles for online solicitations
Network for Good: The Wired Fundraiser (requires Acrobat Reader)
NonProfit Times: Online payment system options abound
Soper, Michael: Understanding E-Relationships
Stoner, Michael: Web/Internet Strategy Must-Reads for Decisionmakers
Stoner, Michael: Making a Difference Online: What Really Matters to Potential Donors
SupportingAdvancement.com: Survey Results: What are you doing with Web 2.0?
Target Analysis Group: 2006 Online Giving Benchmarking Analysis (free registration required)
TechSoup and One/Northwest: Online Donations: Sorting Out the Chaos
Warwick, Hart, Allen: Fundraising on the Internet
Weiner, Robert: Online Donations Checklist (requires Acrobat Reader)
Donor Databases-Vendors | Donor Databases-Strategy | Email Marketing | Newsletters | Online Fundraising | Online Privacy | Social Media | Spam | Technology Planning | Other Resources
Customer Respect Group: Online Privacy - Best Practice Pays
AB 68, California Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003 (requires a posted privacy policy on web sites that collect personally identifiable information from California residents) (requires Acrobat Reader)
Donor Databases-Vendors | Donor Databases-Strategy | Email Marketing | Newsletters | Online Fundraising | Online Privacy | Social Media | Spam | Technology Planning | Other Resources
The Bamboo Project: Using Facebook in Your Nonprofit
Bonfield, Brian (Idealware): Should Your Organization Use Social Networking Sites?
Broitman, Robin (Interactive Insights Group): How To Grow Your Social Media Network
Care2: Analysis of fundraising through Facebook Causes
Chronicle of Philanthropy Special Report: Face Time - Charities flock to social-networking sites
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Advice for Charities on Making the Most of Twitter
CollegeWebEditor.com: (How) Should higher ed institutions use MySpace?
Connecticut Student Loan Foundation: What is Web 2.0 for Higher Education?
Cravens, Jayne: Online Action Should Create & Support Offline Action
Cravens, Jayne: Before you jump on the micro-blogging/Twitter band wagon
Davies, Tim: Facebook groups vs. Facebook pages
Diosa Communications: Facebook Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations
Diosa Communications: MySpace Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations
Diosa Communications: YouTube Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations
.eduGuru: Setting up a LinkedIn Alumni Group for your College
Evans, Dan: Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day
Feld, Peter (Ad Age): What Obama Can Teach You About Millennial Marketing
Foster, Kristin (Ogilvy PR): The Creation of Twitter Best Practices: Round 1
Guidestar: Tips for Entering Your Nonprofit into the Social Media Environment
Haydon, John: Twitter Jump Start: The Complete Guide for Small Nonprofits
Kanter, Beth: Beth’s Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media
Kanter, Beth: The Six Signs That Twitter Isn’t For Your Nonprofit
Kanter, Beth: Twitter, What’s Twitter?
Kanter, Beth: What, Why, and How of Facebook Pages
Lo, Kevin (TechSoup): Six Ways to Make Web 2.0 Work
Notes for Nonprofits: Ten Things a Nonprofit Should Do Before Setting Up Social Media
Ochman, B.L. (BusinessWeek): Debunking Six Social Media Myths
Owyang, Jeremiah: Testing Facebook Pages
Pitman, Mark: How Twitter can transform your fundraising
Pogue, David: Twittering Tips for Beginners
Smarty, Ann (Search Engine Journal): Facebook Group vs. Facebook Fan Page–What’s Better?
Social Media Today: Best Practices for Facebook Pages
Stelzner, Michael A. (MarketingProfs): The Dark Side of Twitter: What Businesses Need to Know
SupportingAdvancement survey: What are you doing with Web 2.0?
TechSoup: Using Facebook for Your Nonprofit
We Are Media Project: The Social Media Starter Kit for Nonprofits
Wild Apricot: Best Practices for Nonprofits’ Use of Facebook
Wild Apricot: Get Started Right with Your Nonprofit on Twitter
Worthwhile Films: Collection of Social Media Networking Groups for Non-Profits
Donor Databases-Vendors | Donor Databases-Strategy | Email Marketing | Newsletters | Online Fundraising | Online Privacy | Social Media | Spam | Technology Planning | Other Resources
Brown, Alexandria: 20 Words That Kill - At Least When It Comes to Spam Filters
Center for Democracy and Technology Research Report: Why Am I Getting All This Spam?
The Direct Marketing Association: CAN-SPAM summary and FAQ (archived version - may be slow to load, requires Acrobat Reader)
Email Tools: How To Get Off An Email Blacklist
Guidestar: What Nonprofits Need to Know about CAN-SPAM
Lucid Images: Stop Spam Harvesting
Nonprofit Navigator: CAN-SPAM Act Could Affect Charities
Philanthropy News Network: Are Nonprofits Immune to the CAN-SPAM Act
Rimmer, Steven: Death to Spam - A Guide To Dealing With Unwanted E-Mail
Schwartz, Nancy: Avoiding Filters - 11 Tips for E-Newsletter Success
SpamLinks: Everything You Didn’t Want to Have to Know About Spam
St Sauver, Joe: Winning the War on Spam
Summary of State Anti-Spam Laws
TechSoup: CAN-SPAM Legislation’s Impact on Nonprofits
Templeton, Brad: Origin of the term “spam” to mean email abuse
TidBits: Spam Filtering – Killing the Killer App
Web Marketing Today: 20 Ways Opt-in E-Mailers Can Outsmart Spam Filters
Donor Databases-Vendors | Donor Databases-Strategy | Email Marketing | Newsletters | Online Fundraising | Online Privacy | Social Media | Spam | Technology Planning | Other Resources
Benton Foundation: Technology Literacy Benchmarks (requires Acrobat Reader)
CompuMentor: Restoring IT Infrastructure - A Manual for Disaster Recovery (requires Acrobat Reader)
Nonprofit Times: Making Technology Work For, Not Against You
NPower: Selecting the Right Technology Vendor
NPower: Technology Guide for Nonprofit Leaders: Arts and Culture
NPower: Technology Guide for Nonprofit Leaders: Community Development
NPower: Technology Guide for Nonprofit Leaders: Education Services
NPower: Technology Guide for Nonprofit Leaders: Health and Human Services
NPower: Total Cost of Ownership Calculator
TechSoup: Technology Planning Resources
Description of TechAtlas from TechSoup
Donor Databases-Vendors | Donor Databases-Strategy | Email Marketing | Newsletters | Online Fundraising | Online Privacy | Social Media | Spam | Technology Planning | Other Resources
Capaciteria : Links to peer-reviewed capacity resources, including technology, fundraising, legal, accounting, communications, HR, and volunteer management.
Charity Village : An extensive array of nonprofit resources.
Consultant Resources : Resources for nonprofit consultants, from a presentation at NTEN’s 2008 Nonprofit Technology Conference. (requires Acrobat Reader)
FUNDSVCS.org : A listserve for Development Services professionals, where a variety of back-office issues are discussed. Typical topics include IRS regulations, records management, policies, and systems. It also offers a file sharing area for exchanging manuals, policies, forms, etc.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Technology Guide
Innovation Network’s Assessment and Evaluation Tools
Nonprofit FAQ : From the Internet Nonprofit Center and Idealist.org, an extensive collection of answers to questions on organization, management, regulation, development, and a variety of other issues.
Nonprofit Good Practice Guide : Information on evaluation, advocacy, fundraising, governance, management, technology, and more.
R I Arlington Information on Advancement Services, systems, job postings, and survey results.
SOFII: The Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration : Described as “a comprehensive, easily accessible archive of the best fundraising creativity from around the world.” (free registration required)
SupportingAdvancement : Links to a wide variety of Development Services resources, including a collection of job descriptions.
Third Sector New England: Information Technology Resources for Nonprofit Organizations : Links to resources to help nonprofit executives, managers, staff and “accidental techies” use technology effectively.
Donor Databases-Vendors | Donor Databases-Strategy | Email Marketing | Newsletters | Online Fundraising | Online Privacy | Social Media | Spam | Technology Planning | Other Resources
