Database software for a nonprofit?

[TechLady]

I help a local nonprofit sometimes and they have asked me to give them suggestions on software for a new database. Currently they are using a homegrown by a guy that is very nice but very old, and nobody knows the slightest thing about the clunky old thing except this guy...who may not be around much longer. They also use Access but they're not finding it terribly intuitive.

So...do you have any suggestions in regards to databases for nonprofits? I am guessing they'll will need to have one for client information, and another for fundraising / donors / volunteer hours, etc. But if there is one that could do it all, obviously that would be great.

Last database program I used myself was Filemaker and that was over 15 years ago, so I am not much help in this department.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

What type of non-profit? What kind of needs?

For "foundations"...a brand called MicroEdge is popular. Their products such as FIMS or Gifts.

Blackbaud is another software brand that makes quite a few products for non-profits, on the accounting side of things, as well as fund raising.

 

[Computech2]

I have used a program called Donations. It provides all you need in one package for fundraising, tracking etc, and prints receipts. You can find more information here.

software4nonprofits dot com

Sorry about the URL format, not enough posts yet.

 

[acscva]

What are their database needs?

Techsoup.org provides a lot of free software for certain types of non-profits also.

 

[Tech Savvy]

You can make their access db more intuitive with vba and forms.

I can help you with that if you'd like.

Access is pretty powerful and vba can make things a lot simpler.

 

[Markverhyden]

Filemaker is still around and in use by many. They also have many programmers in the ecosystem.

http://www.filemaker.com/solutions/

 

[TechLady]

Hmmm, well they are a group that helps poor moms, usually single moms. They give them car seats, clothes, diapers...stuff like that. I don't actually know how many clients they have but nothing huge I'm sure, as we're a smallish county.

Edit: Here's their website, maybe this gives you a better idea: http://www.sloalpha.org

 

[cmonova]

You can try this: http://ebase.org/home

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Hmmm, well they are a group that helps poor moms, usually single moms. They give them car seats, clothes, diapers...stuff like that. I don't actually know how many clients they have but nothing huge I'm sure, as we're a smallish county.
]

Sounds like a Womens Shelter? I have a pretty large one for a client, multi-site. They used to run off of an Access based database called Alice...by Infocus. Pretty much written and maintained by one guy.
http://www.infocuskc.com/index.html

They recently changed to an online hosted program (run through a browser)....I forget the name, I sent the HR woman I work under an e-mail asking for it...think their office is closed today though, when she replies back I'll post it.

They also used to use a separate program for donations/campaigns, it was called DonorPerfect.
http://www.donorperfect.com/
I believe the new online program they replaced Alice with, also replaced this.

 

[Mainstay]

If you want it to be something that passes between committees and meets the lowest common denominator, I would recommend using a simple Excel spreadsheet.

Download OpenOffice, configure it to save as .docx / .xlsx / .pptx , set up their columns.

Done.

Yes, very much less sexy than a DataBase, but by God it will work and they can feel like they understand their data.

I've been down this road several times with my non-profits... FileMaker, Access, Act!, using financial software like QuickBooks as a CRM, etc. etc....

If they need collaboration on the same file (i.e., have it in the office AND have a volunteer updating it while at home / on-location / whatever) then switch it to Google Drive and use their Sheets. If they need something even more, then SmartSheets or ZoHo, but I doubt they need that much (just based on what past councils have told me they NEED and, after much hair pulling and teeth gnashing, me figuring out what they ACTUALLY need).

This approach is super-intuitive to learn / understand, immediately solves the current problem, and is relatively future-proof, low cost to setup, low cost to maintain, low cost to migrate (if needed), and readily transferable to the next council.