Blast from the past

It's interesting what events can jog your memory.

One of our newest clients, National History Day, Inc. did just that. Almost exactly 17 years ago, when I was a junior in High School, 3 friends and I were 'encouraged' (OK, required) by our History teacher to compete in the one day History Day competition.

It's fairly similar to a science fair, with most students displaying projects, table-top booths, etc. We chose to put on a play, basically a mock trial, and through hard work and a LOT of luck, we found our way to the National Finals in Washington, DC.

While we didn't win, we had a great time as we toured Washington, DC and generally drove our chaperones nuts.

It's great to see that 17 years later, I'm able to give back to this great organization. It looks like I'll be able to volunteer and be one of the judges, and see what it's like 17 years after the fact again.

Providing Value

Like our clients, we also deal with a lot of vendors that provide us additional services- from database licensing fees to our server farms, to internet and simple telephone service.

I recently received a renewal from one of our newer vendors, and was rather shocked that they automatically increased their fees every year based on the CPI- which in the last year was 3.3 %.

I wasn't sure how to react- I guess 3.3% is not that much in the grand scheme of things, however, I was offended that they just assumed that I would be OK with it, especially if it was never included with anything I signed.

This also presented an opportunity to provide an explanation of the way we price our services. Since the inception of DonorPerfect Online almost 5 years ago, we have NEVER raised our prices of DonorPerfect Online. Unlike our competitors, who have routinely raised prices, we believe that the best way to provide additional value for our services is to either keep our prices the same or even lower them. When you factor in inflation, this is greater than a 15% discount for the many clients that have been with us since 2001.

I'm proud of our company, our people, and our ability to hold the line with all of our costs. We're looking after our clients, because it's a win-win scenario for all of us.

Don't forget your Backbone!

I was driving through Florida yesterday on my way to a conference, when I realized I was very close to the headquarters of Save the Manatees. A fantastic organization, I've known them (and specifically Connie Graham, the program director) for over 5 years when they first purchased DonorPerfect for their membership based organization.

I called information, and within 15 minutes I was talking to my old friend and we laughed about everything that's happened over the last few years, including the good (they had a spectacular holiday fundraising season), and the not-so-good (our issues with their first data conversion, which I personally had to redo and can luckily laugh about 5 years later).

Though I'm no longer in direct sales or in support (though occasionally I still wear those hats), it was great to see my friend doing so well and she was genuinely touched that I took the 10 minutes to stop by. I thanked her, and as a parting gift, she gave me a 'manatee Purse' that I know my 6 year old daughter will absolutely love.

In fundraising, it's also important to take the time to thank your long-time supporters. All to often we overlook this group of donors/staff/volunteers that form the backbone of an organization. Give them a shout, pat them on the back, or if you're like me and driving around in the middle of Florida, call information and pay them a visit- you'll both appreciate it!

Let it Snow

I was returning home from the West Coast on Sunday, right in the middle of one of the largest blizzards in recent memory, about to land in Philadelphia. As we were skidding down the runway, my thoughts naturally ran to how often DonorPerfect Online will be accessed OUTSIDE the office over the next two days.

OK, not really- at the time I was too worried thinking about my family- but as I was safely driving home, it did occur to me that quite a large number of people will be able to use DPO because it's entirely web-based.

So I ran some analysis today, and found that we had a nearly 300% increase in the number of logins from remote sites. So where other people might have enjoyed our wintry weather, quite a few also enjoyed accessing their fundraising database from the comfort of their own homes, probably with a cup of hot cocoa or coffee nearby.

That's one of the reasons I love DPO- remote access from anywhere- that frees our users from trudging into their office on a cold winter day. Perfect!

The SuperBowl of Fundraising

I was watching the SuperBowl yesterday with some Steelers fans- needless to say they were a pretty happy bunch- and my thoughts turned to our SuperBowl of fundraising conferences, the 43rd AFP International Conference on Fundraising.

If you haven't been to a prior International conference, you're missing out on a great experience. There's over 2500+ other fundraisers who attend, and the knowledge and networking gained from this event helps us and our clients really focus and improve our fundraising efforts.

We'll be attending again this year (Personally, I think it's my 9th year) and we'll be showing off our latest versions of DonorPerfect and DonorPerfect Online Fundraising Software at booth # 416. In addition, we'll be highlighting WebLink, our new Web form solution that will streamline any organizations data collection needs over the Web.

The conference will be held in Atlanta this year, and I'm looking forward to going because I've always enjoyed the downtown area and I also have several college friends who live in the area.

PS- If you are attending, the first person to mention this blog will receive a free gift! Good luck and see you at the conference!