Fundraising Tools to Help You Prepare for End-of-the-Year Campaigns

With #GivingTuesday and end-of-the-year campaigns only a few months away in December, we wanted to round up some of the best fundraising tools from the TechSoup catalog. Up the donation ante with donor management tools, crowdfunding platforms, mobile giving solutions, and so much more.  

TechSoup's Fundraising Solutions

Donor Management and Other Constituent Relationship Management Tools

Constituent relationship management (CRM) tools can help you keep track of donors as well as your organization's other constituents. If you only need a donor management solution, be sure to check out our donor management comparison chart so you can pick the best tool for your organization.

Donor Management Tools

• Bloomerang is a cloud-based CRM (constituent-relationship management program) that lets you capture new donors and donations through email and annual appeal letters.
• CitySoft is a web-based CRM and content management system for eligible nonprofits and public libraries.
• DonorPerfect Online can track donors, prospects, and volunteers — all from your browser.
• BlackBaud's eTapestry lets you track donors, prospects, members, and alumni while managing gifts, pledges, and payments.
• Exceed! Basic by Telosa allows you to streamline and automate many of the routine but time-consuming tasks associated with fundraising and donor management, and focus more time and resources on your mission.
• Little Green Light is a cloud-based CRM that lets you manage volunteers, members, events, and fundraising campaigns from a single interface.
• NonProfitEasy is an online all-in-one data management software for managing grants, donors, members, volunteers, tasks, and more.

Other CRM Tools That Include Donor Management

• NetSuite is a CRM solution for accounting, enterprise resource planning, e-commerce, and more. One of its many features is the ability to track constituent activities through dashboards, reporting, and database tools. You can also budget, track, and report on expenses. Read more about what you can do with NetSuite.

Mobile Giving Solutions

Reach your donors via their cell phones with mobile-friendly fundraising tools from TechSoup.

• Connect2give lets you collect donations and update constituents with important information via mobile devices and mobile web.
• Guide by Cell can help you optimize your website for mobile donors.

Crowdfunding and E-Commerce

Take your fundraising online with a crowdfunding campaign or by launching a web-based store. TechSoup has everything you need to kick off a creative online fundraiser!

• CauseVox can help you create fundraising sites that support donation pages, crowdfunding campaigns, and peer-to-peer fundraising pages for individuals and teams.
• Shopify's e-commerce platform lets you raise funds for your organization by setting up an online shop for selling merchandise.
• TeeSpring provides an online crowdfunding and fundraising platform that can help you fundraise by offering custom-branded apparel and products. 

Payment Processing Tools

Payment processing tools turn your mobile device into a credit card terminal, which makes them ideal for bake sales, auctions, concerts, and other away-from-the-office fundraising events.

• PayAnywhere  is a mobile and web-based payment processing service that lets you accept donations from just about anywhere. Any staff member or volunteer with a smartphone can plug in the PayAnywhere card reader and take donations on the spot.
• Sage Payment Processing converts your cell phone, smartphone, or tablet into a secure and convenient "use anywhere" credit card terminal.
• Dharma Merchant Services is a flexible mobile payment processing service that is available through TechSoup. Eligible nonprofits can request card readers for mobile phones as well as other credit/debit card and check processing equipment.

Grantseeking

A solid grant can help you kick off fundraising season. TechSoup offers a few different grantseeking tools.

• GrantStation offers a comprehensive set of online grant research tools. You can use GrantStation to research current sources of grant money and learn how to secure available funding. On September 22 and 23, TechSoup will be offering a promotion on GrantStation: $99 for an annual subscription! The regular discounted cost of an annual subscription at TechSoup is $299, and the retail price of this same one-year subscription is $699. (Editor's note: The September GrantStation promo has now ended). 
• PhilanTech provides online grants management software, which your organization can use to find new funders, write grant proposals more efficiently, track deadlines and due dates, and manage all grant information in a secure centralized location.
• NOZASearch from Blackbaud is a web-based database of charitable giving intended as a prospect-research tool for nonprofit organizations.
  
  

TechSoup Boost

Need a fundraising boost? Subscribe to TechSoup Boost today for a bundle of year-round services through TechSoup. With Boost, you receive a stream of special offers, including nonprofit fundraising tools. Many of these offers have zero admin fees so you can try out a few different programs and see what works – at no extra cost! The fundraising programs included in Boost are:

• Shopify (regularly $100 for small organizations and $200 for large organizations)
• Dharma Merchant Services' credit and debit card processing (regularly $36)
• A 1-year subscription to Connect2give (Complete Plan regularly $119 and Suite Plan regularly $58)
• A discount to Teespring (regularly $35)
• Learn how to craft a competitive proposal with an online proposal writing course from Foundation Center for $195 (regularly $295)

Get Boost

Some Fresh Fundraising Resources

We're constantly thinking about different tools, strategies, and tactics for effective fundraising. Here are some of the best fundraising articles and blogs from TechSoup:

• 5 Steps for Beginners in Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
• What You Can Learn About Cultivating Community from The Lord of the Rings
• Funding Technology Projects
• 44 Ways to Build Trust and Gain Donors Online
• 5 Tips for Getting Media Pickup for Your Fundraising Campaign

Got a favorite fundraising tool? Tell us what you use in the comments.

Image: melis / Shutterstock

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