Fundraising databases and the alternatives to Raiser's Edge
Howard Lake | 16 March 2004 | News
The Institute of Fundraising’s IT special interest group discussed fundraising databases and alternatives to Raiser’s Edge at its last meeting. The group has permitted UK Fundraising to reproduce their report on the event.
In February 2004, at the Chase conference in London, the IT Special Interest Group (“IT SIG”) held its largest ever event on the subject of “Fundraising Databases – The Alternatives to Raiser’s Edge”. Over 180 people came to listen to six users from different charities discuss why they did or did not use The Raiser’s Edge.
Each user explained the benefits they got from their database, any downsides and why they had chosen to buy the system in the first place. Reasons for buying the systems varied from price and ease-of-use through to the adaptability and helpfulness of the database suppler. Interestingly, several users placed great emphasis on the pre-sales customer service they received from the different suppliers – both the one they finally bought and the ones they didn’t buy.
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The Raiser’s Edge itself was praised for its flexibility and ability to help the charity do their fundraising and how the Blackbaud customer support had been good for them; other users said their packages gave them all they needed and at a cheaper cost than The Raiser’s Edge and/or with a less complex system; issues of data conversion, training and support were discussed. Some users also commented how they found their particular supplier more adaptable than Blackbaud on occasions. All of the users were keen to emphasise the need for a structured and thought-through implementation and most said it took them between three and six months to do it.
The event ended with a Q&A session which, having such a high degree of interest from the audience, easily could have lasted much longer.
The following speakers spoke in a voluntary capacity: David Jenkerson from British Red Cross (Visual Alms), Roland Sadler from Everychild (who use iMis), Roma Sharma from Mental Health Foundation (Raiser’s Edge), Yan Fitterer from Royal Academy of Music (Advantage Fundraiser), Debbie Harland from Royal Opera House (Progress), and Andrew Stockbridge from Scripture Union Trust (ThankQ).
The SIG’s next event will cover be held on 12 May 2004 in London and its topic will be “Everything you never knew Excel could do!”
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.