Article by Staff Writer, Posted: November 19, 2003

Agency Software

An element of success for non-profit organizations is to operate with the same standard of efficiency as for-profit companies. Agency software can create needed efficiencies in communications and information management. Due to budget and personnel constraints that many non-profits face, it is imperative that time and cost effective tools are utilized in day-to-day operations.

Most non-profit organizations include a small staff of paid employees, but the bulk of the work is dependent on dedicated volunteers. The frequency of time commitments from volunteers may vary from hours to days. The sporadic nature of volunteer schedules makes it difficult to maintain clear, consistent communication.

Agency software can be used to not only distribute information to the general volunteer pool, but it can personalize this information to individual volunteers as well. An example of this would be sending an email to volunteers which have recorded occasional participation, informing them that their time and talents are needed for an upcoming campaign. A separate campaign can email a letter of appreciation to volunteers who have given a substantial amount of time to the organization.

Another aspect of operations central to non-profit organizations is fundraising through donations. As previously mentioned, volunteers, and the time they have to give, may be scarce. Email fundraising campaigns alleviate the need for traditional telemarketing approaches or door-to-door campaigns, both of which require a large staff and quite a bit of time.

Professional agency software can smooth the progress of fundraising campaigns through cost-effective email. The software can help determine how to target potential donors through segmentation of demographic information, or identify incorrect data through email bounce-back capabilities. By keeping track of who has or has not opened email messages, the non-profit organization can follow-up with a potential donor via telephone or another email address.

The livelihood of any non-profit organization relies on its donors. Agency software can serve as a tool for contact management after fundraising campaigns. As with the volunteers, thank you letters can be promptly emailed to recent donors. Software can also help trigger emails to donors for upcoming annual campaigns or events, such as dinners, golf tournaments or silent auctions.

Additionally, individual donor demographics can be organized to receive emails targeted to their interests or location. Agency software can filter contacts based on different demographic information, and campaigns can be then be organized based on interest.

For example, an email for an AIDS walk in San Francisco can be sent to volunteers or donors who live in the area. For a non-profit organization that operates nationally, this can be done simultaneously for all cities that could be organizing charity walks at the same time.

Another area where agency software can be used is in political campaigns. A political candidate can keep contributors, volunteers and constituents informed with emails throughout the course of the campaign, from the time they announce their candidacy to that all-important night before the election.

The different facets of running a non-profit organization call for time and cost efficient measures. Agency software provides these organizations with a tool to manage email communications with its volunteers and donors, all of whom the agency could not operate without. There are many applications that make this solution valuable to a variety of non-profit institutions.