If you even suspect that your nonprofit needs a software solution, the odds are pretty good that you do.
The reason behind what brought you here today could be something small, like simply feeling that your processes could be streamlined, or it could be something big, like losing a crucial staff member.
In either case, if any of the points we explore today resonate with you, it’s worth browsing your options to see what a solution, such as Wild Apricot, could do to help your organization. If you’re not sure you’re there yet, keep reading.
1. Your Information is Trapped with One Person
Most nonprofits are running on a small budget, with a hardworking and dedicated staff. This often means that some employees are required to wear multiple hats.
This runs the risk of your organization’s information being “trapped” in a single employee’s brain or on their laptop. What happens if you suddenly lose that employee?
They may be the only person in the organization that knows how to update the website or send a membership-wide e-blast. Losing them could mean basically starting over from scratch.
The right membership management software can help prevent information from being trapped with a single employee. The info and processes they use to carry out their tasks can be made centrally available and transferable if someone else needs to take over for any reason.
2. You’re Too Reliant on Excel
It’s also possible too much of your information is also trapped in complex spreadsheets. Or, nobody in the organization can tell you which one of the spreadsheets has the most up-to-date numbers. Excel was never intended to do about 80% of the things we ask it to do.
It can be hard to calculate exactly how much this is costing you. A famous copy and paste error once cost JP Morgan about $6 billion dollars. Of course, your organization is probably not dealing with that much money. However, it’s been estimated that 90% of spreadsheets have some sort of error hidden in them.
What could that mean for you?
It could be time to take all of that information out of cells and columns and put it somewhere that was actually built to accommodate it.
3. You Get a Lot of One-time Donors
Every donation is a win. At the same time, every donation presents a chance to build a long-term relationship and make that person a long-time donor.
If you seem to have a disproportionately low number of ongoing supporters, you might be struggling to follow up and engage with them to build a long-lasting relationship.
Fostering these relationships means more than simply asking for another donation. It means inviting them to events to show appreciation. It means ensuring that you’re on their minds with regular outreach and reminders of of all the great work you’re doing.
The right membership software can streamline this process, while making it easier than ever to build and maintain relationships.
Did something on this list relate to a struggle your organization faces? These are only a few of the ways that membership software can help your nonprofit. There may also be something else happening within your organization that is telling you that things could be done better or more efficiently. Whatever it may be, start looking for your solution today!