System
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Configuration
Configuration is just a fancy word for “system set-up”, and in this data-driven world finely-tuned Raiser’s Edge Configuration is absolutely essential to fundraising success.
Poor, or out-dated Configuration costs time, causes frustration, results in missed opportunities, and increases the potential for poor decision making, every single day.
By bringing your Raiser’s Edge Configuration right up-to-date we equip you to capture all the data you need, with supreme efficiency.
Plus, we ensure your Raiser’s Edge is completely in-sync with your online giving system, and any other source you regularly rely on for donor information
Say “Goodbye” to siloed data, half-baked analytics, and challenging segmentation, and “Hello” to an always-current Raiser’s Edge system you understand, enjoy, and trust.
That’s the game-changing difference great Configuration makes!
Here are the 100’s of Configuration elements we will take care of for you:
Tables
- Biographical
- Addresses
- Consent
- Language
- Ratings
- Campaigns, Funds, and Appeals
- Actions
- Solicitor
- Prospect
- Event
- Volunteer
- Membership
Attributes
- Constituent
- Gift
- Participant
- Event
- Volunteer
- Relationship
- Spouse
Letters
- Gift
- Action
- Membership
- Constituent
- Event
- Appeal
Business Rules
- General
- Duplicates
- ID’s
- Batch options
- Merchant Accounts
- Gifts
- Constituents
- Alumni
- Event
- User defined rules – Constituents, Gifts, Actions
- System access
Fields
- Action
- Address
- Appeal
- Assigned Solicitor
- Campaign
- Constituent
- Credit Card
- Education/School
- Event
- Financial Information
- Financial Relationship
- Fund
- Gift
- Honour/Memorial
- Individual Relationship
- Job
- Job Assignment
- Mandate
- Media
- Membership
- Membership Transaction
- Notepad
- Organization Relationship
- Package
- Participant
- Phone
- Proposal
- Prospect
- Ratings
- Time Sheet
- Volunteer
Administration
- How serious would it be if your organization lost all its donor information? Pretty devastating, yes?
- Which begs the question, “How secure is your Raiser’s Edge”?
IT infrastructure
- If you host the system on-site, how robust is your IT infrastructure?
- How often do you back up? When did you last test a back up by using it to restore?
User rights
- The most common security issue we find – whether using Raiser’s Edge on-site or in the cloud – is user access which is far too lax.
- Deliberate data sabotage seems unlikely – but why take the risk?
- But that’s not the biggest threat. Most data problems aren’t caused by malicious intent, they result from user error– because of too little training, too many privileges, and unreasonable expectations.
Security first
- Tight Security is to everyone’s advantage – donors, staff, and those who rely on your support.
- That’s why bolting down Raiser’s Edge Security is the very first thing we do for every client we work with.
Controlled access provides peace of mind
Once everything is under control we train primary users to work carefully and confidently with the Raiser’s Edge’s most powerful tools:
- Imports
- Exports
- Global Changes
- Merge Constituents
Reduce your risk today
One quick call is all it takes.
Queries/Lists
Who gave? Who came? Who should we ask? Who should we invite? Who did what? Who joined? Who has an outstanding pledge?
Then it multiplies. Who gave more than once? Who came last year, and the year before? Who took part in event A and event B, or Who took part in event A but not event B.
You get the idea. Querying expertise is vital to fundraising success.
We are Query experts, and we train our clients to be Query experts in their own data.
We teach you how to use all 14 Query types, which one to choose, how to build it, and how to test and verify your findings.
- Action
- Appeal
- Campaign
- Constituent
- Event
- Fund
- Gift
- Giving Score
- Individual
- Job
- Membership
- Organization
- Participant
- Relationship
FBC’s Query coaching is the quickest way to gain experience and build your confidence.
Find the right prospects every time.
One quick call is all it takes.
Batches
The FBC team sets validation rules to ensure your data issues are resolved prior to import.
We also build great Batch templates that standardize and simplify data capture – and as every data entry person knows – every key stroke saved is a time saver.
Import-o-Matic
We are proud to be an O-Matic consulting partner. If you are fortunate to have access to Import-o-matic we can help you leverage your investment in that product too.
Streamline all your new data capture
One quick call is all it takes.
Campaign, Fund, and Appeal structure
Furthermore, we recommend every Gift be assigned a Campaign, Fund, and Appeal.
- Campaigns please the Executive and Board who like to see everything rolled up to “the big number”.
- Funds are Finance favourites that match to the General Ledger and the Gift’s intended use.
- Appeals satisfy the fundraiser’s need to know which initiative stimulated the donor to give.
The importance of structure
A cohesive Campaign, Fund, and Appeal structure supports understanding and strategic analysis of:
- Current year giving
- Year-over-year giving
- Future giving potential
Annual or Perpetual Appeals?
- We most frequently recommend an annual Appeal structure because it’s easiest for a novice (or infrequent) user to work with.
- Perpetual works just as well – if you have the experience.
Consistency and clarity above all
Whichever system we implement there are 3 keys to success:
- Consistent coding
- Clarity in naming
- Completeness of information
If your Raiser’s Edge Campaigns, Funds, and Appeals are unstructured, or your structure is inconsistent, you are missing valuable analytical opportunities.
It’s time to put that right.
Get the right Campaign, Fund, and Appeal structure for your organization
One quick call is all it takes