Joined on 05-05-2003
TechSoup Member
We're about 70% through our technology planning process. Suddenly it turns out that we may be able to put together the funds to invest in Raiser's Edge. I like everything I've seen, but I believed my mother when she said, "If something seems too good to be true..."
I was hoping there are more than a few people out there who would be willing to share with me their RE experiences, good and bad. If you have worked with another system and prefer it, I'd like to know why as well. If you switched to RE from another system, could you share with me some of the reasons why?
Thanks in advance.
Joined on 05-07-2003
TechSoup Member
I would also check out Mission Maestro from Third Sector Systems.
I've worked with Raiser's Edge now for about 4 years. Although they have come a long way, it is a highly cumbersone program to administer and manage. Its not a plug and play database...very high maintenance.
I strongly suggest doing a database needs assessment prior to purchasing something that costly. The maintenance fees alone are astronomical.
Also, don't believe everything the sales people tell you. They have an amazing ability to promise you the world, then when it comes to getting the infomration out of it that you need for your organzation, it all of a sudden becomes your problem...not theirs.
Good luck and feel free to email me if you want more beta.
Sonny
Iwill dito what Sonny said .. RE looks real cheap until you need to start getting all the modules.
then you cannot afford them and you have an expensive snazzy steering wheel and dashboard and engine but nothing else. And you thought you bought a car..
No application will generate money but just facilitate your ability to ask for some ..
lol
How may many donors do you have and what do you want to do ..
Joined on 10-14-2002
TechSoup Member
We Set up RE for our small foundation and LOVE IT! If you can afford it, it's a great way to go because it's so flexible. We use volunteers to run it, with one paid part time staff as the administrator.
On our last fund raising effort RE saved us 40 hours of labor by being able to get particular data out in the way we needed.
The key to set up is understanding what it can do and what you want it to do. The only caution I give you is to get to know it before you set it up - it's easy to use when set up correctly, it's hard to undo a set up design flaw once you are already live.
As for the additional modules, it's a case by case basis. We won't need any other modules in the forseable future, so it's not as issue.
We did, however, buy Meastrosoft Auction2000 to run our silent auction - and I wish we had pnied up the money for Event Planner (anRE module) instead. The extra $1k would have been worth it because RE is a much more stable product than the Access based program we bought. I spent many hours re-posting data and fixing something related to jet-engine - I wold not buy that product again.
Bottom line, if you can afford it, do it. That's my opinion.
Jill
Joined on 06-04-2003
TechSoup Member
Hi. My name is John and I work for Aslan Youth Ministries. This is my first time in this forum.
I am also in the process of reviewing fundraising software and we have about $8,500 to spend. I have looked at RE, as well as Campagne Giftmaker and Paradigm (which run about $1,500-2,000 less). The later two seem to sufficiently meet the need of my small organization, but I don't want to end up with low quality software. Any thoughts or experiences?
Joined on 06-11-2003
TechSoup Member
I have the same question- my organization (an MS Foundation) is looking to purchase fundraising software as well. We are currently Mac based, and I''m having some trouble finding software for Macs. Any suggestions?
Joined on 08-21-2002
TechSoup Member
Although my experience with other databases is minimal, I have to say that I highly recomend RE if you have the resources to maintain it and a strong dedication from the entire staff. (This may be difficult for smaller organizations with limited staff/volunteers and money to invest in training.)
I recommend:
1. Make sure staff are fully trained by Blackbaud. You may want to send them to formal training on MS Office, as well.
2. Educate staff about the potential uses of the database, ROI, time that can be saved, how information can be shared, etc.
3. Get your organization working on a long term technology plan. You don''t necessarily need to have one in place, but you do need to be thinking about the reoccurring costs associated with the database (annual fee, increasing licenses, upgrading software, etc.)
My organization has used RE for a number of years (even when it was in DOS!) Overall, I find the software to be user-friendly and the company to have great customer service. I agree with what others have said about the additional modules, however I have had great success creating "work arounds" for many of the functions not provided in the main component.
Remember when you are evaluating software the best method is if you can get a demo and try it ..
I can tell you Checkpoint and Pix firewalls are easy to work with and to me they are ..
Only because I have been hacking away at them both for years..
My rule of thumb is that I need to pay a software company to learn how to use a product that tells me it''s not that easy to learn..
I think folks think along the lines of the more you pay for donor stuff the more you get and it's just not true..
If you only have to track a 1000 people an access database will do just fine..
The way things are changing soon you will have mysql /php deal which can do all the donor stuff and much more..
You could find a decent programmer and hack http://www.phprojekt.com/ and probably do all you donor stuff and much more..
You can run it locally on linux or windows or on a virtual web site..
if you could find a few NPO's that needed it you could build an excellent deal for maybe 10K and have no license or client side issues and be totally extensible..
If databases today cannot talk HTML ( native ) IMHO they are a bad investment
just a thought
Joined on 07-03-2003
TechSoup Member
Some clients of mine have requested I evaluate eBase for them. eBase is a competitor of Raiser''s Edge but since it is based on FileMaker Pro it can be used on Macintosh or Windows equipment. The FileMaker Server software can even be deployed on a Linux server.
I have used FileMaker to develop and deploy solutions for single users and very small workgroups. This is the area of the market most people think it is for, and it is very good in this type of installation.
On the other hand, I have also used FileMaker to support over 85 simultaneous data entry and customer service people in one solution which took in over 20,000 forms a day while 50 customer service agents queried over 6 million records. It obviously can handle more than a few hundred records and still be a friendly option for most users.
It all depends on what you want your solution to do and how you choose to go about it.
I would love to hear about people''s experience with eBase and/or FileMaker itself.
Joined on 09-23-2001
TechSoup Member
I''m very familar with Blackbaud & have installed two full versions in past years. I''m now recommending to nonprofit clients the new Donor Management module that is part of the NonprofitBooks Office suite. While it''s new, it is very good for small nonprofits and can do about 70& of what Raiser''s Edge does. The whole suite including NonprofitBooks is under $1,000.
Blackbaud is good, but is overkill for many organizations. Like others have said the annual cost is very high, and some users complain Blackbuad has lots of bugs.
Joined on 04-11-2003
TechSoup Member
Our organization, a Boys & Girls Club, is also looking for the best yet cheapest way to manage our donor information. We hadn''t looked at Raisers Edge however our national office suggests Donor Perfect. They all look very expensive and too complicated. We''re seriously looking at using Access since our info is on Excel and Word. What I''d like to know is if there are suggestions or outlines for the most important and used info to include on any management program?? And, no we don''t have thousands to spend...or extra personnel to train and use.
Joined on 03-16-2002
TechSoup Member
I don''t directly use Raiser''s Edge, but am familiar with it. I have little knowledge of other fundraising packages. I am the person here who is responsible for keeping all the computers and software behaving properly. I agree with lots of the previous comments. Raisers Edge is costly and requires lots of maitenance. However, I have found the the direct cost of any software is a small part of the total picture. Can the software do what you want it to do? It is easy to say you need a plain vanilla software package, but after 6 weeks of using it, you realize that you wish it had more ''bells & whistles."
Raisers Edge is an excellent product. It also has solid support. It''s interaction with Micorosft Office products is good. The learning curve is steep. The ongoing technical requirements are significant. It requires an ongoing agency commitment. It may seem to be overkill if you never worked with database software, but you quickly start using features that you never realized you needed until you get elbows deep into to a fund rasing campaign. If you agency income has a high percentage of donations, then strongly consider Raiser''s Edge.
Joined on 03-22-2002
TechSoup Member
Having been in fundraising for decades, I''ve used many different data management programs - eBase, Access, FileMaker, eTapestry..., and found that Raiser''s Edge meets my needs better than any of them. It does take training to use it correctly, and correct set-up is vitally important, but the built-in reports makes it worth the effort. What good is a software program if you can''t get needed information back out? Their tech support is very good, too!
Joined on 07-07-2003
TechSoup Member
What do you all think about ASP solutions as compared to installed software such as Raiser''s Edge and DonorPerfect? How would you compare some ASP solutions such as Convio, eTapestry, and 3rd Sector with installed software solutions such as Raiser''s Edge and DonorPerfect?
Thanks,
Mete
Joined on 02-01-2002
TechSoup Member
Interesting discussion! I would like to get more information about the Donor Management module from NonprofitBooks Office Suite that was mentioned by "gsweitzer"....Is it available through Discountech?