Grid℠ for Fundraising | Winter 2016

Raiser’s Edge NXT launched in July 2015, providing a cloud-based toolset of online fundraising and relationship management features. Raiser’s Edge NXT is owned and managed by Blackbaud.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Raiser's Edge NXT’s:

• User interface, which reviewers called simple and elegant. According to reviewers, Raiser’s Edge NXT is easy to learn due to its straightforward interface.
• Ease of use. Reviewers called Raiser’s Edge NXT user friendly, noting that it is easy to enter and find data. This is mirrored in Raiser’s Edge NXT’s 87% rating for ease of use (avg. 79%).

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Raiser's Edge NXT's:

• Growing pains, which was one of the most frequently mentioned dislikes about the program. Reviewers noted that as a new product, Raiser’s Edge NXT lacks some desired functionality and that Blackbaud is still working to develop and build additional modules.
• Customer support, which users called slow to respond.

Raiser’s Edge NXT received favorable reviews overall, and was viewed as a positive addition to Blackbaud’s product offerings. Raiser’s Edge NXT users recommended planning well and cleaning data prior to migrating to the product from The Raiser’s Edge or other fundraising programs. As a relatively new product, users appreciated that Raiser’s Edge NXT is evolving and adding additional features, but warned of growing pains throughout the process.

Bloomerang is a cloud-based fundraising and donor management platform that allows fundraisers to take a proactive approach to soliciting and collecting donations.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Bloomerang’s:

• Customer service. At 97%, Bloomerang’s satisfaction rating for customer support was the highest rating for this metric in the Fundraising category (avg. 88%). Users called Bloomerang’s customer support team helpful and mentioned receiving an immediate response to support issues. In addition to the support team, users appreciated Bloomerang’s library of tutorials and webinars, as well as its active user forum.
• Price, which users called affordable for smaller organizations.
• Ease of use. Reviewers said that Bloomerang’s interface is clean, simple, and user friendly, noting that users do not need technical abilities to effectively utilize the product. At 96%, Bloomerang’s satisfaction rating for ease of use was the highest rating for this metric in the Fundraising category (avg. 79%).

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Bloomerang's:

• Emails. Users were dissatisfied with Bloomerang’s internal emailing functionality, noting that newsletter formats are rigid and not user friendly. According to reviewers, Bloomerang does not allow emails to be scheduled in advance and lacks autosave functionality.
• Reporting. While reviewers liked Bloomerang’s reporting functionality, some noted that certain tweaks could make the reporting functionality more useful. Some users experienced difficulties with tasks such as filtering complex datasets and exporting field titles into Excel.

Bloomerang received the highest Satisfaction rating in the Fundraising category. Additionally, Bloomerang received above average ratings for all satisfaction ratings in the Fundraising category. User reviews of Bloomerang were overwhelmingly positive, with many enjoying the simplicity of using Bloomerang. While some reviewers expressed dissatisfaction with the program’s email capabilities, many noted that the customer support team is responsive and helpful when issues arise.

Classy is an online and mobile fundraising platform that emphasizes crowdfunding. Classy facilitates customizable peer-to-peer campaigns; event ticketing and website donations; and providing reporting and analytics insights to fundraisers. Classy received $18M in Series B funding on June 30, 2015.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Classy’s:

• Customer support, which was the most frequently mentioned feature of the product. Users called Classy’s customer support personalized, accessible, and friendly. Classy’s quality of support received a 91% rating, 3% higher than the category average (avg. 88%).
• Personal fundraising pages. Users liked that Classy’s personal fundraising pages help to expand their fundraising network by providing a peer-to-peer platform.
• Ease of use, which received an 89% satisfaction rating (avg. 79%). Reviewers said Classy is easy to use and intuitive on both the donor-facing and backend sides of the product. A handful of reviewers also commented on Classy’s modern aesthetic.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Classy's:

• Cost, which some reviewers called expensive for small organizations.
• Customizability. According to users, it can be difficult to customize the look of Classy’s fundraising pages. Additionally, some users noted that domain masking is only available with an upgraded account.

Classy was reviewed favorably overall and received above average ratings for all satisfaction ratings in the Fundraising category. Users recommended Classy for peer-to-peer networking and engaging potential donors throughout the country on a more local scale. Users found the product easy to use, but expressed a desire for more customizations on fundraising pages.

DonorPro CRM is a cloud-based donor management and fundraising software solution. This suite product offers fundraising features such as donation tracking, online donations, email marketing, direct marketing, and reporting.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked DonorPro CRM’s:

• Training and support, two of the most frequently mentioned features by reviewers. Users called DonorPro CRM’s customer support team patient, helpful, and quick to respond.
• Ease of use. Users called DonorPro CRM intuitive and user friendly.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked DonorPro CRM's:

• User interface, which reviewers called utilitarian.
• Performance speed. DonorPro CRM can be slow to respond and load data, according to users.

DonorPro CRM received favorable reviews overall, with quality of support being mentioned in the majority of reviews as a well-liked feature. Users noted that the product requires technical skills at times, but found that with support as a resource, as well as training courses, the product becomes easier to use.

DonorPerfect is a fundraising and donor management solution with features for donor database management, personalized communication, online donations, and social network fundraising.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked DonorPerfect’s:

• Ease of use, which received an 84% rating (avg. 79%) and was one of users’ most frequently mentioned features. According to reviewers, minimal training is required to use DonorPerfect because the product is intuitive and straightforward.
• Cloud functionality. DonorPerfect offers an online interface which makes the product accessible anywhere. Users especially appreciated that this allowed them to process payments on the go.
• Customizability. Reviewers called DonorPerfect flexible and customizable, even for users without technical knowledge. A handful of users liked being able to add custom fields to reports.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked DonorPerfect's:

• Reporting, which reviewers called inaccurate and confusing. Some users mentioned difficulties accessing relevant data and wanted more robust reporting functionality.
• Security logouts. According to some users, DonorPerfect automatically logs a user out after 15 minutes of inactivity, leading them to lose unsaved data.
• Data management. Some reviewers experienced trouble entering and editing records, noting that undoing mistakes can be complicated. Users also reported problems with duplicate listings and found it difficult to remove them.

DonorPerfect received favorable reviews overall, and users recommended it as a strong core for fundraisers due to its robust feature offerings. Users recommended DonorPerfect for smaller nonprofit organizations due to its ability to be customized without the need for technical experience and issues with reporting on large datasets.

Greater Giving is a nonprofit platform that is geared toward facilitating fundraising events such as galas and auctions. Greater Giving helps nonprofits plan and host events and collect donations both online and in person.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Greater Giving’s:

• Go Time. A number of reviewers enjoyed Go Time, Greater Giving’s online interface for event night management. According to reviewers, Go Time makes it simple to check in volunteers and attendees and streamline the fundraising process with storefront functionality.
• Auction management. Users liked that Greater Giving helps to manage auctions and efficiently collect payments from winners.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Greater Giving's:

• Data management. Some users reported issues with double data entry, leading to duplicate listings within their databases that cannot be easily removed.
• User interface, which a handful of reviewers called dated and not polished. Users also noted problems with being logged out of Greater Giving’s interface unexpectedly.
• Integrations. According to some reviewers, Greater Giving is frequently used in conjunction with other fundraising software and donor management products, but does not easily integrate with these other products, leading to extra work.

Greater Giving received mostly favorable reviews overall, and some users recommended the product be used in conjunction with another database for donor and fund management. Greater Giving focuses primarily on event-based fundraising, according to reviewers, so it is important to consider whether the product’s functions meet the needs of an organization. Users found that the Go Time feature can simplify fundraising at events such as auctions and galas.

eTapestry is a cloud-based software program that automates fundraising and donor management processes. eTapestry is owned and managed by Blackbaud.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked eTapestry’s:

• Cloud-based functionality. Users liked that eTapestry is web hosted, allowing for access of information from anywhere.
• Chat support, which was one of reviewers’ most frequently mentioned features. Users mentioned that eTapestry’s chat support is responsive and friendly. Quality of support was eTapestry’s highest rated feature at 82% (avg. 88%).

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked eTapestry's:

• User interface, which reviewers called clunky and aesthetically outdated.
• Ease of use. According to users, eTapestry is not intuitive to use. This is reflected in eTapestry’s ease of use rating of 65%, the lowest in the Fundraising category (avg. 79%).
• Reporting. Users were dissatisfied with eTapestry’s reporting features, calling them limited. Some reviewers mentioned that accessing more advanced reports requires a lot of steps and that there is a steep learning curve with running queries.

eTapestry received mixed reviews from users. It has the second highest Market Presence, but also has the second lowest Satisfaction rating, in the Fundraising category. Users found the product difficult to use and it received the lowest rating for ease of use in the Fundraising category. Reviewers did note, however, that eTapestry’s support team is helpful and responsive when issues are reported.

NeonCRM is a web-based fundraising and membership management system geared toward helping nonprofit organizations collect donations. NeonCRM’s mobile responsive donation pages aim to simplify the fundraising process, while branded giving pages allow nonprofits to develop targeted messages to potential donors.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked NeonCRM’s:

• Reporting, which users called robust. Some reviewers noted that NeonCRM’s reporting functionality can take time to learn but is worth the effort.
• Customer support. Users appreciated NeonCRM’s live chat support, and called support staff responsive. In addition to the support team, NeonCRM also provides an easy-to-search knowledge base and online documentation, according to reviewers.
• Internal emailing. Users liked being able to send automated responses when a donation is made through NeonCRM.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked NeonCRM's:

• Functionality, which some reviewers called basic and glitchy. Users found NeonCRM slow at times and lacking some of the functionality needed by their organizations.
• Duplicate management. One of the most frequently mentioned frustrations with NeonCRM was duplicate records; according to reviewers, NeonCRM does not deter users from creating duplicate accounts, and removing duplicate listings can be tedious and time consuming. While NeonCRM offers a backend duplicate finder, it was noted that it does not always work.

NeonCRM received positive reviews from users, who appreciated the product’s reporting features and responsive customer support. Reviewers did note, however, that NeonCRM can be glitchy and difficult to use when attempting to manage duplicate records.

Andar/360 is a fundraising and donor management product that focuses on workplace giving. A suite product, Andar/360 comprises tools that aim to help organizations manage fundraising and funds distribution efforts as well as manage volunteers and donors.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Andar/360’s:

• Comprehensiveness. Reviewers noted that Andar/360 has multiple features to aid the fundraising process including donor tracking, fundraising monitoring, and relationship management.
• Custom reporting. Users mentioned being able to create complex custom reports quickly with Andar/360, allowing users to highlight the data most applicable to their organization.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Andar/360's:

• User interface, which reviewers called cluttered and dated.
• Ease of use. According to users, Andar/360 is difficult to navigate and takes multiple steps to complete tasks. At 71%, Andar/360’s satisfaction rating for ease of use was 8% lower than the category average for this feature (avg. 79%).

Users gave the product mixed reviews; many liked Andar/360's comprehensiveness but found the numerous features difficult to use. While users appreciated the product’s reporting capabilities, they disliked a complicated and unattractive user interface. Users recommended utilizing Andar/360’s support features to ease some of the difficulties associated with using the product.

Kindful is a nonprofit database that provides a dashboard for financial metrics, fundraising data, marketing communication, and donor engagement analytics.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, users liked Kindful’s:

• User interface, which reviewers called easy on the eyes, modern, and sleek.
• Customer support. Kindful received a 94% rating for quality of support (avg. 88%). Reviewers noted that Kindful’s customer support is highly responsive and easy to reach.
• Integrations. A handful of reviewers mentioned appreciating that Kindful integrates with a variety of other software products to streamline the fundraising process.

In review ratings and short-answer responses, some users disliked Kindful's:

• Growing pains. Reviewers mentioned experiencing bugs and glitches when using Kindful, which some attributed to the fact that it is a newer company. Other reviewers mentioned that Kindful employs frequent updates that require a relearning of the program every time a change is made.
• Cost, which some users mentioned may be prohibitive to smaller nonprofits due to added fees associated with processing donations.
• Reports. Users noted that Kindful's easily accessible pre-made reports are not easily customizable, and custom reports are difficult to create.

Kindful received the lowest Satisfaction rating in the Fundraising category, and users felt that the product is still in the development process, which leads to bugs and glitches. On the other hand, users did like Kindful’s modern user interface and helpful customer support staff.