8 essentials to consider before investing in charity donation software
Introduction
Donation software for charities can streamline your accounting and fundraising capabilities. But before you invest, you should check if the various features fulfil your donation requirements.
Keeping track of your sponsors and donations can prove a real pain in the neck for charities, especially when budgets are low and accountability is high.
As the giving and donations process has become more modernised with online software now available, charities should be updating their methods with new technology and automated processes.
However, with only 41% of charity leaders adopting online fundraising and an entire quarter not knowing how to make online fundraising effective, it shows progress is needed in the sector to increase donations.
In this blog, we'll reveal the eight crucial aspects to expect from charity donation software to make sure you get the ideal solution that suits your organisation's operations and requirements.
8 things all charity donation software should provide
Donation software for charities should offer a few essential functions to make all your accounting headaches disappear. So, here are the eight factors to expect from your charity donation software:
1. Security
First and foremost, all your funds and donations need to be secure. In 2021, The Charity Commission warned all charity leaders to protect their organisations against fraud and cybercrime, with almost £8.6 million of lost funds reported in the previous financial year.
So, before investing in charity donation software, ensure it has the appropriate security against cybercrime Plus, all staff with access to the software must receive the relevant training to avoid falling victim to fraud.
2. Features
Secondly, different donation software for charities can have alternative features. Therefore, choose software that suits your specific processes and donation goals.
These features can include online donation processing, reporting, and website integration. After all, the features and the way the software functions should be its main selling point. However, you should still check whether the features align with your needs.
The vital features will include the donation capacity, accounting and overall financial management with the software efficiently managing your donations, fundraising campaigns and donor information.
In supporting various types of donations, your charity donation software should include gift aid capacity, recurring donations and one-time contributions. The accounting and financial management features should help you budget, report and track expenses while navigating complex non-profit accounting processes.Plus, reporting and analytics can give insights into your fundraising performance, donor behaviour and general campaign success.
All the features should contribute to a high-performance user experience (UX). Across the entire software sector, UX is considered the most critical feature. Its focus is fulfilling user needs with an intuitive design that streamlines the overall experience, whether for your team or donors.
3. Compliance
Thirdly, dealing with charitable donations comes with its rules and regulations, such as specific reporting compliance while filing annual financial returns, reports and accounts as standard. For example, all charities with a yearly income above £25,000 require an independent accounts examination or audit.
Charities with an annual income above £1m or £250,000 with assets above £3.26 million also require an audit. You can look for charity donation software that gives you control over these processes so you can remain compliant with your financial regulations.
There are also data protection and privacy regulations to oblige, such as GDPR. If your charity donation software processes personal data about your staff, donors, clients, and suppliers, it must comply with GDPR as a legal responsibility.
4. Integration
Keeping all your donation records, accounting and data aligned in one location relies on compatibility and integration as another vital aspect of your charity donation software.
Before investing, check if the software is compatible with existing systems, such as your CRM or other website capabilities. This sophisticated integration will help facilitate efficient data management processes while reducing manual data entry and mistakes.
5. Costs
Advanced security, features, compliance and integration within your charity donation software are all ideal, but it still needs to be financially feasible.
Like any investment, you want to witness a worthwhile return. Therefore, evaluate the costs, including the installation, maintenance and additional fees to be sure it offers a worthwhile ROI.
Some donation software for charities will only charge a monthly fee as a service, making it simple and easy for charities to afford high-performance software without breaking the bank with one large lump sum in exchange for ownership.
6. Scalability
If your charity is ambitious to expand its operation, increasing from local to regional and even national scale operation, you want your software to keep up with the pace.
Enquire whether your software can scale with your charity while remembering customisation features are welcome if you decide to rebrand in the future.
7. Support
Does the charity donation software provider offer training and support? Getting your team up to speed is made faster when they have exposure to the provider's expertise. Plus, customer support on hand can help if you encounter any issues.
8. Mobile compatibility
Mobile compatibility is another essential staple of UX, with mobile devices generating 54.4% of global website traffic. So, the importance for your staff and donors to access your charity donation software via a mobile device is crucial to ensure you keep your users happy and engagement optimised.
Charity donation software products
At Data Developments, we specialise in providing specific software solutions for charities across cloud-based and desktop applications since 1985.
MyGiving.Online is our cloud-based application that works as a complete donations management system. Designed to help increase your donations, reduce your workload, and support an unlimited number of users, MyGiving.Online also comes with cross-platform compatibility and contactless terminal integration.
You can receive donations in various ways and record Gift Aided, Non-Gift Aided and GASDS donations individually or in batches across envelope numbers or as standing orders.
Donations Coordinator v7 is our desktop application and offers unlimited donors and donations, HMRC-accredited claims procedures, product charts and graphs alongside GDPR compliance and easy transfer donations finance coordination.
Complying with the latest HMRC Gift Aid and Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS) regulations, Donation Coordinator v7 enables you to securely and efficiently manage your donations, whether gift-aided or not.
Speak to charity donation software specialists
Data Developments has been writing and developing software for charities and churches for over 35 years. As experts in the field, we've created our software to satisfy the unique financial requirements of fundraising for non-profit organisations.
Through our donation, accounting software solutions and customer support, we help you manage and increase your fundraising capabilities without stress or inconvenience. From preparing essential reports to separating specific donations and securing your finances, our charity donation software solutions will keep your finances in check so you can concentrate on running your charity.
For more information on how our charity donation software products can enhance your organisation, get in touch today and speak to a friendly team member.