Social justice nonprofits play a vital role in our communities. Whether addressing systemic inequalities or advocating for marginalized groups, their mission is to shine a light and fight for equal economic, political, and social rights for all.
These organizations require robust fundraising platforms that can help them deliver on their mission. Features such as optimized donation forms, advocacy, multichannel outreach, payment processing, event management, and peer-to-peer fundraising modules can help social justice organizations extend their reach and effect change.
CharityEngine has been providing donor management and fundraising software to nonprofits since 2008. Trusted by both the nation’s largest nonprofits and those organizations rapidly growing, our robust platform enables all nonprofits to streamline their operations, automate tasks, and leverage multichannel outreach to maximize their fundraising.
Let’s begin by looking at some technology providers we recommend you investigate. Here are some good options for your nonprofit; these companies provide tools and a host of benefits that increase the ROI of any system. Check these out, and then we will share some specific features of CharityEngine that make us the best choice for social justice nonprofits.
6 Top Providers for Social Justice Nonprofits
When it comes to selecting a new nonprofit CRM, there’s a software fit for every nonprofit. It comes down to what matters the most to you. Sometimes it’s abundant workflows and automations, right out of the box. Sometimes it’s specific tools, like SMS or peer-to-peer. Sometimes it’s driven by your budget. In this list, you’ll find an option for all of those.
- Virtuous is a solid player in the industry. They coined the term “responsive fundraising,” and their messaging focuses on how responsive fundraising leads to deeper human connections. It’s worth noting that Virtuous offers good functionality, but this is achieved through integration with various third-party systems. Not using native tools with unified data means you’ll never get a full view of your donor’s engagement.
- Bloomerang is a super CRM for smaller nonprofits. It offers basic functionality—you won’t be overwhelmed by advanced features you don’t need—and can help a smaller nonprofit grow. Bloomerang gets high marks for support and offers a self-guided tour when you’re ready to take a look at their software. They acquired Kindful a few years ago, which added to their capabilities.
- Bonterra is almost like a superstore. They acquired several household names, like Salsa, EveryAction, and Network for Good, and rebranded under the Bonterra umbrella. The good news is that, like in Walmart, you can find any functionality you need. The bad news is that Bonterra is owned by banks and driven by profit, so your favorite technology can quickly be replaced by a different system.
- Blackbaud offers a massive database for nonprofits that want to store massive amounts of data. Having been around for more than 40 years, the software is a little like a crotchety grandpa – solid character, good heart, but a little hard to manage and maybe a little outdated. We hear that support and functionality are limited and we know that all data resides in silos, and that the lack of unified data makes it hard to be nimble and spot trends. That said, everyone knows Blackbaud, and it’s effective enough to have stuck around for decades.
- DonorPerfect’s home page claims that nonprofits raise 25% more funds in their first year using DonorPerfect. The software has very good donor management functionality, it’s easy to learn, it’s affordable and offers three pricing packages, and customer service gets high marks. If you want prospect research or advocacy, they’re not part of the native platform, and email isn’t either—you have to log into Constant Contact. DonorPerfect is sufficient for most small to medium nonprofits looking for a basic CRM.
- CharityEngine is an excellent choice for social justice organizations. While we’re about to take a close look at specific functionality, there are two significant differentiators: the company is privately owned, not for sale, and not forcing anyone off our technology and onto another. And we’re the only system that has native core fundraising tools. This means all your donor data—from mail, email, SMS, events, even dropping by your offices—is in one system. With this unified data, you get a real-time view of your donors and campaigns 24/7. No other fundraising software provider can say that.
This overview of the competitive landscape should give you a shopping list when you’re ready to research new technology. Those companies all made the short list, because they’re all very solid choices for nonprofits. There will always be nuances to every platform, and it’s a matter of checking off your most important features and ensuring the vendor will be the long-term partner that will help you succeed.
CharityEngine Helps Social Justice Nonprofits Change the World
CharityEngine is proud to serve nonprofits like Wounded Warrior Project and Easterseals, as well as social justice clients like Human Concern International and Community Legal Aid. Let’s take a quick look at some of the features specific to our platform that most benefit our social justice customers.
Native Advocacy Tools
CharityEngine is one of the only platforms with advocacy software built right into the platform. With legislative matching (like zip-to-district), constituents can easily get a list of legislators with their contact information. Advocacy action alerts keep everyone engaged. With unified data, you can easily organize and mobilize groups. With tools like petitions, it’s easier to amplify voices and get noticed.
SMS and Mass Text
When you look at recent, massive social justice movements, such as Black Lives Matter, you get a case study in how to get an effort to sweep across the nation. One powerful tool is social media, with tweets driving supporters to petitions and donation forms. Another is the ability for SMS and Mass Texting to quickly (and inexpensively) communicate news, provide resources, drive donations, and garner support. Our clients, such as Tupelo Children’s Mansion, have found such success with CharityEngine’s SMS capabilities that they are moving to all-digital campaigns.
Unified Data for Strategic Campaigns
Understanding your supporters is key to galvanizing them and deepening their commitment to your mission. When every constituent interaction with your nonprofit is logged in one system, the 360-degree view you get is invaluable. You will know if someone scanned a QR code on a direct-mail postcard and donated, or if they clicked on a text and signed a petition. If data is power, CharityEngine puts all the power right in your hands and lets you easily launch personalized, targeted outreach campaigns that work.
Multichannel Tools
All that unified data won’t be that valuable if it’s only coming from one or two sources. With CharityEngine, every core fundraising tool is native to the platform. This means you can launch an intricate multichannel campaign (or several), leveraging outreach like direct mail, email, phone, SMS, DRTV, and events, and the data goes into the CRM. Even if you launch five multichannel campaigns, you won’t be overwhelmed—you’ll simply pull up custom dashboards to get consumable, actionable data.
Payment Processing: A Step Above the Rest
We might have buried the lede a little bit, but there’s a lot we wanted to share about CharityEngine! As a payment processor, CharityEngine is simply the best you can find. We offer in-house ACH capabilities, meaning that bank transfers (virtual wallets or checks) can be processed without a middleman or gateway. This translates to massive savings for nonprofits. With PCI and SOC-2 certifications and advanced fraud protection, your donor data is safest with CharityEngine. And if you have monthly givers, or sustainers, you will get 15% more of those funds with CharityEngine. You’ll save money, retain more of what’s donated, and keep your donors safe…it’s clearly a step above the rest!
Fundraising Software for Social Justice Nonprofits
You’re out to change the world, and we’re out to help you do just that. CharityEngine isn’t your run-of-the-mill software vendor. Our hearts are in everything we do because we believe in the power of nonprofits, and we’re determined to use our strengths to empower you. From hands-on training and customer support to regular, interactive training webinars and feature request solicitations, we’re the best solution if you’re ready to grow.
Interested? Give us a call! We’d love to explore a potential partnership.
by Julie Kennon
