Investing in a tool that fulfills your nonprofit’s precise needs and connects to the rest of your tech can transform your fundraising efforts. However, too often nonprofit leaders aren’t sure where to start their search, whether a piece of tech is truly necessary, or how a new tool will integrate with the rest of their tech stack.
Before implementing another tech tool, you need to audit what you already have. In this guide, we’ll cover how you can conduct a tactical audit of your current stack to find missed opportunities for insightful data and increased revenue, plus the tech that can patch these gaps.
Map the Donor Journey Step by Step
The first step in any tech audit you conduct should be to challenge yourself to think like a donor. You need to walk through your own donation processes to see where the road gets bumpy so that you can invest in the tech that will streamline their experience.
For example, let’s say your organization hosts an annual community fun run. If a participant signs up to be a fundraiser, how long does it take for them to access and share their personal fundraising page? If the interface is clunky and unintuitive, that’s a gap that can hurt user experiences and discourage future participation.
Some other common friction points to test include:
- Making an online donation
- Registering for your newsletter
- Signing up for a volunteer shift
Identifying areas for growth in the donor journey is the first step in improving them. Conduct these reviews regularly—at least once a year—to ensure your processes remain healthy.
Address Data Silos and Manual Re-Entry
Having to export data from one system and manually import it into another is a major hindrance to your efficiency and a data security risk. Manual data entry introduces human error, consumes valuable staff hours, and delays your ability to thank donors in real-time.
Instead, ensure that your fundraising tools integrate, creating an interconnected web of information that empowers data-driven insights. DonorSearch recommends prioritizing integration among your donor database, your prospect research tools, and your event management solutions. Your email marketing platform and your payment processor should also be a part of the same ecosystem.
Ideally, an action in one of these tools should trigger an update in the others. If a connection is broken or nonexistent, flag it as a priority fix.
Evaluate Staff Adoption and Burnout
The best software in the world is useless if your team refuses to use it. Sometimes, the gap is cultural, not technical. The root cause of low staff adoption is usually a disconnect between leadership and daily users of the tech. To avoid running into this issue, implement these strategies:
- Poll your staff. Regularly check in with your team to see which tools are working and which aren’t. Ask them about workarounds they’re using, such as keeping side spreadsheets because the CRM is too difficult to navigate. If you find that your team is bypassing your official tech stack to complete their work, you have identified a usability gap.
- Involve staff in the selection committee. If you decide to invest in new technology, it’s vital that you include staff members who will actually be using the tech in the selection committee. This allows you to confidently choose a solution that aligns with your team’s needs and their level of technical expertise.
- Designate a tech expert. When you introduce a new piece of technology, allow time for an experienced team member to become an early adopter. This team member can learn the ropes and advocate for the new system’s uses, acting as a resource for the rest of the team as they grow accustomed to the tech.
Taking these steps not only helps you identify gaps and ensure you’re choosing the right tech, but also demonstrates to your staff that you genuinely care about their experience and value their input.
Analyze Your Reporting Capabilities
Your tech stack should provide answers, not just store data. If you cannot easily answer basic questions about donor retention, campaign performance, or donor lifetime value, you have a reporting gap.
According to 99Pledges’ guide to fundraising platforms, reporting and analytics capabilities are one of the most important features to look for in your software, as these tools help you track progress toward your goals and rally support.
However, it’s also important to avoid fragmented data so you can cross-reference results across various fundraising events. This can help you compare which events are best for ROI, participation, and awareness, allowing you to make more informed decisions in the future.
Look at your last board report and reflect on how long it took to compile those numbers. If your team spent days cross-referencing spreadsheets to generate a simple year-over-year comparison, that’s a sign your tech stack is failing you. Effective technology should automate reporting so you spend your time on more high-priority strategic tasks.
By mapping the donor journey, hunting down data silos, checking in on staff adoption, and testing your reporting, you can build a streamlined ecosystem that supports your mission.
With these insights in mind, you can make strategic decisions regarding whether it’s time to invest in a new tool or to enhance the connections between tools you already have. When your systems work together, your team can focus less on data entry and more on building the relationships that drive your mission forward.
About the Author
Vinay Anne
Vinay Anne is the Founder and CEO of 99Pledges, a peer-to-peer fundraising platform trusted by hundreds of schools, booster clubs, and youth teams to launch engaging, effective fundraisers with ease.
Vinay leads 99Pledges in combining intuitive technology with online fundraising strategy to empower engaging community campaigns like Walk-a-thons and Read-a-thons. With extensive experience in fundraising technology, Vinay is committed to helping community organizations maximize fundraising impact while minimizing administrative effort.
