Description
Book SynopsisA non-technical guide to The Raiser''s Edge-the most widely-used fundraising database package on the market-for the fundraising professional The first-ever guide to The Raiser''s Edge database package for the fundraising professional, Fundraising with The Raiser''s Edge: A Non-Technical Guide educates your nonprofit about what The Raiser''s Edge can do for you and will help you more effectively work with the staff who are responsible for data entry and output.
- Helps your organization get much greater return on The Raiser''s Edge, and use it to raise more money more effectively and with less stress
- Contains specific and clear direction on the key areas you should know without technical discussion
- Includes numerous checklists to give you practical takeaways
Providing you with the non-technical details you need to know to recruit, manage and retain quality database personnel, Fundraising with The Raiser''s Edge: A No
Trade Review
"The book has a simple premise: If you are smart enough to be a professional fund raiser, you're smart enough to learn to properly use the software. Connors' work has a 3-fold purpose: to enable the professional to work with database staff to meet objectives with the least possible confusion and stress; to familiarize the professional with the parts of the database that it is necessary to master, in order to best utilize it; and, finally, to enable the organization's staff to set up, maintain, and maximize the database's usefulness. The fact that Connors meets these objectives in a concise and readable manner makes this book a "must-have" for every professional fundraiser." (SanFranciscoBookReview, June 2010)
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xi
About the Author xiii
Introduction xv
Chapter 1 Organizing Fundraising 1
Getting Started with the Raiser’s Edge 2
Accessing Campaign, Fund, and Appeal Records 3
Defining Campaign, Fund, and Appeal 5
Funds 10
Appeals 12
Campaigns 14
Other Considerations 16
Summary 20
Note 21
Chapter 2 Prospects, Donors, and Other Constituents 23
Who Should Be Recorded in the Raiser’s Edge 24
Who Should Be a Constituent 26
Constituent Tabs 29
Constituent Tabs for Optional Modules 58
Tools for Fundraisers 62
Summary 64
Chapter 3 Gifts and Giving 65
Gift Types 67
Gift Tabs and Concepts 69
Functionality by Gift Type 77
Adjustments 82
Constituent Giving Totals 83
Understanding Gift Processing 85
Summary 92
Chapter 4 Direct Marketing and Other Mailings 95
Four Steps 96
Step 1. Output Format 98
Step 2. Recipients 99
Step 3. Fields 112
Step 4. Field Content 115
The Mailing Process 120
Staff Training 123
Reporting 124
Putting This Together 124
Summary 125
Chapter 5 Events and Membership 127
Events and Membership in Context 127
Events 128
Membership 135
Summary 140
Chapter 6 Major Gifts and Grants 143
Basic Major Gifts Fundraising Tools 146
The Life Cycle of a Major Gifts Donor in the Raiser’s Edge 151
Protecting Your Prospects 171
Major Gifts Process Reports 173
A Word to Corporate and Foundation Fundraisers 177
Making It Happen 178
Summary 179
Note 179
Chapter 7 Reporting, Lists, and Other Output 181
Output Tools 181
Dashboards and Reports to Run 189
Event, Membership, and Volunteer Reports 199
Custom Reports 200
Summary 201
Chapter 8 Database Oversight 203
Development or IT? 203
Database Administrator Roles and Responsibilities 204
Hiring 216
Retention 220
Version 8 of the Raiser’s Edge 222
Summary 223
Conclusion 225
Appendix A Converting to and Implementing the Raiser’s Edge 229
Purchase Process 230
Project Participant Training 230
Project Planning 230
Conversion and Business Process Development 231
Custom Reports and Customizations 233
Final Push for Go-Live 233
After Go-Live 234
Appendix B Database Administrator Task List 235
Technical Oversight 235
User Oversight 237
Data Oversight 240
Summary 243
Appendix C Policy and Procedure Documentation Example: Generating Direct Mail File 245
Criteria for Include Query 246
Criteria for Exclude Query 246
Merge Query Results 247
Parameters for Export Files 247
Uploading Data 249
Marking Appeals and Packages on Constituent Records 249
Bibliography 251
Index 253
