Data Base Software

Looking for software for Windows that can accommodate our small mailing list and donations that we receive for our non-profit.

Hi Ann,

There are a gerat many databases available for Windows ranging from the smallest simple applications to large enterprise DbMS (Database Management Systems).

Microsoft Access is usually a good starter database for small projects, and even Microsoft Excel is frequently used for data repositories of less than a few hundred records.

How simple (or complex) would you like the database to be? - If all you need to do is to is record some contact details and donations, Excel might be more than enough.

Cheers, Don

Ann,

Don's right, there are many options for you.

Excel can be a great place to start, especially if you know in advance how you will handle growth, if and when it happens.

Be aware that if you use Excel, there may be some issues in the future if your needs get more complicated. For instance, if you record more than one gift per donor, things can get complicated when tracking in Excel. In addition, more than one gift per donor can lead to complications if you ever want to move your data into another program. Here is some info on that aspect in How to Plan for a Data Move particularly in the sections on how much data and what kind of data you want to move.

I come at this from the perspective of someone who works for a company who sells donor management software. One of the main things we do is help people deal with the issues of moving their data out of Excel and into something different. From that place, I believe that if you use it Excel, you need to know that certain choices may make your move into something else later down the line easier or harder.

Best wishes,

Rather than look for a generic database, of which Access is a good one, but where you have to build the program yourself, why not look for donor management software? That way you are looking for a full solution, not just a tool that you - if you understand the tool well enough - or someone else can build a solution.

Bob

Ann,
Having answered the question many times for dozens of organizations and with many different solutions, I'd be happy to talk with you about your situation (I'm a consultant but I don't charge for a conversation).

Find my contact information here: http://www.chelpdesk.com/

Dan

Ann NPower has created a toolkit for nonprofits on how to choose the right donor database for your nonprofit. It's completely free. You can download a copy on our site here.


Jon Frank
Training Manager
NPower Seattle

Hi Ann,

We also went the route of Excel then Access but we finally settled on a web-based database developed intially for us but is now available to small organizations. The web-database is Akubo (www.akubo.net). It's exclusively designed for small organizations and most of its users came from Excel, Access and even ACT! so check it out. It can do mailing lists and track your donations and more.

Robin Abello
Tapulanga Foundation