EveryChild centralises supporter database with ASI's iMIS
Howard Lake | 21 May 2007 | News
International development charity EveryChild has used ASI’s iMIS product to centralise its growing supporter database to enable it to carry out regular marketing activities to all its 350,000 donors and sponsors.
In selecting a new supporter database EveryChild set a range of requirements, not least the need to record donors’ communication preferences and comply with Gift Aid regulations. The database’s ‘front-end’ also had to be easy to navigate to enable both administrators and marketers to change supporter contact details quickly and easily.
After researching other products, including entire replacement systems, EveryChild selected ASI’s iMIS. Roland Sadler, EveryChild’s Database Manager, who oversaw the project, said: “iMIS is flexible and robust. Bringing the database in-house has meant that not only do we save on supplier costs but we also have complete control of our own data.”
Advertisement
iMIS enables EveryChild to record all incoming and outgoing supporter correspondence against the supporter’s record. This means that everything from the method of communication, the communication source, and the reason behind the contact can be measured and analysed.
With the system in place EveryChild now automatically scans in Gift Aid declarations and retains its 16,000 forms for safe-keeping as a visual back-up within iMIS.
The system includes integrated QAS (Quick Address System) for rapid and accurate address verification, automated sending of supporter thank you letters, and links directly to Crystal Reports so that users can produce fundraising or management reports.
Events fundraisers at the charity use the Events module to manage registrations for a range of challenges that the charity runs. They create events within iMIS and then add the relevant participants within iMIS to the event.
EveryChild runs a child sponsorship scheme to generate income, and iMIS supports this by creating and updating billing records for sponsor and presenting payments. Bi-monthly reminder notices can be issued if payments fall behind and the account falls into arrears.
EveryChild has subsequently upgraded iMIS from version 10 to 10.5. Future plans include integrating it more closely with the charity’s website, possibly allowing supporters to be able to view and update their own contact records online.
iMIS was delivered by ASI’s UK implementation partner, Fisher Technology Plc, which also gave EveryChild the ability to communicate with supporters via SMS.
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.