Title: Choosing Software for Your Foundation Henry A' Bromelkamp, President Bromelkamp Company
1 Choosing Software for Your FoundationHenry A.
Bromelkamp, PresidentBromelkamp Company
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
2Software Tasks
- contacts tracking
- grants management
- fundraising
- accounting/fund accounting
- matching contributions
- volunteer tracking
- scholarship management
- event registration
- timesheets
- document management
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
3Why?
- speed
- accuracy
- public accountability
- service to constituents
- ease of use
- reliability
- adaptability
- integration Never type the same thing twice.
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
4Contacts Tracking
- make labels
- record seasonal addresses
- compose single and group emails
- generate single letters
- generate form letters
- dial the phone
- look up geographic information
- record relationship management events
- store documents, images, media
- prevent duplicate entries
- allow for multiple salutations
- connect to email/Outlook and your PDA
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
5Grants Management
- automate acknowledgements, reminders
- connect to accounting
- store documents/images
- keep track of when weve talked to them
- integrate with mapping
- connect to Guidestar.org
- check antiterrorism lists
- show applicant history
- prevent grants when reports overdue
- print checks or do direct deposit
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
6Accounting/Fund Accounting
- print ledger, balance sheet, income statement
- print checks
- direct deposit
- accrue payables and receivables
- keep funds distinct (fund accounting)
- payroll
- budget/actual comparison
- assess fund administrative fees
- calculate spendable allotment
- allocate joint investment income
- integrate with grants management and fundraising
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
7Fundraising
- donor prospects
- record gifts
- thanks donors, remind of pledges
- acknowledge memorials/honorary gifts
- record appeals
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
8Shopping
- locate options
- view demonstrations
- get estimates
- talk to references
- negotiate
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
9Software Vendors
- Installed Software
- MicroEdge (Gifts, FIMS, FoundationPower)
- Bromelkamp (Pearl, First Pearl, Community Pearl)
- do-it-yourself
- ASP (Application Service Providers) on the web
- CyberGrants
- Collaborative Standards
- Stellar Financial
- FoundationSource
- Dyna-Quest Technologies (Grants Administrator)
- Arlington Group (Easygrants)
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
10Vendor Evaluation
- availability of product
- reputation references
- support
- expertise
- ability to understand and communicate
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
11Costs
- one time ongoing
- software licenses
- customizations
- data conversion
- add-ons bridge to accounting, Outlook,
guidestar, antiterrorism, online application,
other databases - training
- travel or other expenses
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
12Finance
- rent/lease
- phase in your project
- share costs in group training
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
13Twists
- Integration how connected is the software
within itself and to other data? - Flexibility how will the software fit your
process, now and in the future?
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
14Justification
- lower printing costs
- less staff time
- more accurate reports
- faster reports
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
15Installation Cycle
- order
- customizations
- data conversion (you cant edit your data for a
few days or weeks while the vendor works on it) - training
- testing (verify the data matches the old system,
and that the software works) - warranty (what happens when something doesnt
work?) - adjusting (give yourself more time and leeway to
make a few mistakes and learn) - long-term support
- re-evaluation every few years
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
16Support Services
- help line
- training
- data conversion/importing
- customization
- data cleaning (removing duplicates, unused codes,
etc.) - internal procedures and customs (abbreviations,
etc.)
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
17Marriage
- You are not purchasing a file cabinet. Youre
beginning a long-term relationship with a
business partner.
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
18Dont
- dont hire a consultant to choose your software
- dont expect youll cut staff
- dont be the guinea pig for untested technology
- dont shortchange training
- dont shortchange long-term support
- dont think software makes bad processes good
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
19Do
- check out all your options
- talk to colleagues
- plan well
- expect change
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
20You Have Choices
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004
21Questions?
- Thank you.
- Henry A. Bromelkamp, President
- Bromelkamp Company
- 106 E 24 St, Minneapolis MN 55404 USA
- 888-290-9087
- www.bromelkamp.com
Conference of Southwest FoundationsOctober 2004