Nonprofits, Charities Can Use New Technologies to Increase Fundraising

The nonprofit sector has bounced back in recent years, largely through the help of the internet and other innovations. In particular, 2012’s growth in charitable giving was driven primarily by online donations.

According to a recent Blackbaud study, charitable giving increased 2 percent in 2012 compared to 2011, while online donations grew 11 percent. The report found that small and medium-sized nonprofits benefited the most from internet giving, though larger organizations also saw their online donations increase. Not only has the internet led to increases in charitable giving, but it’s knocked down traditional barriers to donations as well. Unlike before, people no longer have to physically be on site to give money to charity. Instead, they have the option to donate money across state, national and continental borders.

While this has overwhelmingly benefited nonprofits, it’s also created some challenges during the collection process. Therefore, it’s no surprise that many nonprofits – like the Advocate Charitable Foundation (ACF)  – are using new technologies to make their lives easier.

With more than 200 locations, the ACF processes at least 20,000 gifts per year. But without an adequate centralized system, the organization was struggling to manage its fundraising processes.

“Information would either be in our central filing room or at one of our sites, so no one could see everything relevant for most of our constituents,” said Mitchell Gibbs, vice president of Advancement Services.

Gibbs said the organization considered adopting a document imaging system, but he was struggling to find an affordable option – until he discovered PairSoft solutions.

“Installation was extremely painless,” Gibbs said. “ it’s actually allowed us to automate parts of our month end process, saving hours of work.”

ACF has benefited in a variety of ways from PairSoft’s products, from gift automation to employee communication to responding to donors in a timely manner. In general, Gibbs said the software has improved the organization’s electronic workflow immensely.

Mobile invoicing allows for BYOD

While effective internet strategies are valuable to nonprofits, they also have an opportunity to take advantage of the rising mobile workforce. As bring your own device (BYOD) initiatives continue growing, charities may want to adopt new technologies, such as mobile invoice automation.

“We’re all used to using our tablets and smartphones working on the road, at suppliers’ sites or vendors’ sites,” Amy Fong, purchase to pay program leader and senior procurement advisor at The Hackett Group, recently told TechTarget. “So now, you’re not only able to access the system, but also capture invoices and route through the appropriate workflow process.”

Approximately three-quarters of organizations worldwide have implemented BYOD strategies, which has led to enormous cost savings and improved worker productivity. For nonprofits, however, mobile invoice automation can provide another benefit: increasing donations.

According to the TechTarget article, many companies have adopted mobile invoicing solutions to automatically scan sales numbers into their accounts payable processes. Charities, on the other hand, can use these tools with regard to gift automation – thereby being able to collect donations while on the move. As nonprofits continue to go mobile, integrating invoice automation tools with mobility strategies can pay enormous dividends.