Ten Ways Technology Can Help School Fundraising
By: Stuart Manewith
Technology has the potential to improve every aspect of your school’s operation. But where do you start? What is most important? How do you know where you should invest the majority of your resources — time and money alike?
Although your challenges may be numerous, there are many areas in which technology can really make a difference in your school’s fundraising efforts.
1. Single, Holistic View of Supporters
The ability to get a holistic view of all the ways an individual interacts with your school is vitally important. The right technology solution can allow you to understand and therefore effectively manage every connection you make with the members of your school community.
2. Relationship Management
Successful fundraising is centered on the ability to cultivate and manage relationships with current and prospective donors. Technology can help you with everything from tracking valuable biographical information to ensuring each touch is furthering the cultivation process and reflecting positively on your school.
3. Analysis Reporting
Capturing and accessing the information you need about your school is critical. But, once you have the information, you want to be able to understand and use it. The right reports can help you take a flood of data and turn it into insight and action.
4. Accountability and Stewardship
As nonprofits are increasingly scrutinized and regulated, your ability to demonstrate that designated funds are managed correctly is critically important. Your technology solution should allow you to share timely, accurate information while also ensuring that donated funds are being used as intended.
5. Online Donor Service
An online giving program is vital for a growing school. Your technology should support timely content updates, message personalization, coordinated online and offline marketing, as well as efforts such as integrated advocacy and volunteer fundraising.
6. Direct Mail
Direct mail not only makes up a large portion of the communication you have with your school community, but it also takes up your time and resources. Managing your mailings is less challenging, less costly and less time-consuming with the right technology solution.
7. Pledge Management
By allowing your donors to pay over time, you are putting your school in position to receive more major gifts. A good technology solution can help you successfully set up payment schedules, keep track of when payments come in, and report on who has missed a payment to ensure the appropriate follow-up.
8. Recurring Giving
Recurring giving is one of the most cost-effective, long-term fundraising methods available, providing you with a predictable revenue stream and requiring little ongoing staff involvement. The right technology solution can manage recurring gifts by providing modern, convenient giving and tracking methods.
9. Matching Gifts
A matching gifts program can greatly increase the contributions your school receives. The problem is that many of your donors don’t know that their companies will match their gifts! Technology can help you target your donors and prospects more effectively in order to maximize their giving potential.
10. Saving Time
Technology should improve your daily processes and drive efficiency within your school. The most important thing it can do for you is to help your staff, processes and the people you serve all work together seamlessly, providing the best experience for everyone involved.
Stuart Manewith, CFRE is the business solutions manager for Blackbaud, www.blackbaud.com.
