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Newsletter, October 2005

By Karen Graham, Client Development Manager

Nonprofit Neighborhood

Welcome back!

We have a full house once again at thedatabank. Richard has returned after a leave of absence, and is busily importing files and customizing databases once again. Our summer intern Jillian came back too, helping with a marketing project during her fall break. And Karen is home from a refreshing vacation.

Back on the campaign trail

Mike Hatch for Governor (MN) - The Hatch campaign was eager to get started with thedatabank's PowerMail tool for email communications.

Tip du Jour

How to get back to original values

We're not being moralistic; this is actually a techical question. Imagine this: you're working in thedatabank, making an address change. Just before saving, you realize this is not John A Smith, it's John H Smith! How do you undo the changes you have made?

Meet the RESET button. Clicking RESET will restore the original values on your page, back to the most recent time it was saved.

Karen's Blog

When the penguins come back: distinguishing characteristics of flightless birds and software

I just returned from the most amazing vacation, which brought me to the southernmost part of South America. One of the highlights was seeing a colony of Magellan Penguins that nest every summer at a desolate place called Tucker Island. The males return first from their winter homes, dig burrows, and wait for the females. When the females arrive, they all sniff each other and rub beaks in order to recognize their lifelong mates. It's a good strategy since all the penguins look almost identical.

It might seem that all nonprofit software looks alike. But there are distinguishing characteristics that can help you choose the best package for your organization. Besides the list of features and the price, here are some things to consider:

First of all, don't sniff the developers. That only works with penguins.
Security - since your list is one of your organizations most valuable assets, you'll want to make sure your data is safe and is backed up regularly. Contrary to what you might think, web-based software often offers a higher level of security than software installed locally.
Usability - the user interface should seem intuitive to you, should respond quickly, and should give you sufficient access from the location(s) where you work. Simplicity is usually best; pretty graphics can actually clutter your work and cause the system to run more slowly.
Customization - how much is available, and .who is responsible for doing it? Depending on your technical expertise, you may wish to have a higher or lower level of access to the design of the database, forms and reports.
Scalability - can the software grow with you, adding capacity and features when you need them? (Remember to consider the cost of upgrades and training when calculating cost.)
Vendor - consider the software provider's reputation, their financial stability, their experience with nonprofits, and how they relate to customers.

Karen

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