Cancer Research Institute Boosts Donor Experience with PairSoft 

The Client: 

The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) is a global organization headquartered in New York City, dedicated to advancing immunotherapy research to combat all forms of cancer. With a history dating back to 1953, CRI has been at the forefront of groundbreaking discoveries in cancer treatment, funding global clinical trials and advanced research.  

As a nonprofit organization, CRI relies heavily on fundraising efforts each year to support its mission. A decades-long user of Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, they implemented PaperSave, PairSoft’s natively integrated fundraising and document management solution for Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge in 2013. 

Now, when a donor calls requesting information about past donations, anyone across departments can pull up their records and find all gift information for every year. It’s improved our recordkeeping process by 95%.

Rupinder Kaur, Chief Information Officer
Cancer Research Institute

The Challenge: 

Before the implementation of PaperSave, CRI faced significant challenges in managing its fundraising operations efficiently. The traditional method of processing donations involved manual handling of paper documents, resulting in time-consuming and labor-intensive processes. With large volumes of donation correspondences and paperwork to manage, CRI struggled with record-keeping, donor communication, and audit preparation.  

“CRI relies on many individual donors across the globe who send paper checks and correspondence,” states CRI’s Chief Information Officer, Rupinder Kaur. “Before PaperSave, we kept records in many individual binders. We kept at least 5 years of paper in the office and had strict storage guidelines to follow for archived documentation. When a donor called to review past gifts or needed further information, there was really no way for us to do that quickly.”  

The Solution: 

Recognizing the need for a more streamlined approach, Kaur sought a solution to digitize and automate their fundraising processes. After evaluating various options, CRI chose PaperSave, integrated with Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge, to modernize their operations in 2013. Kaur remarks, “We knew PaperSave would provide a better donor experience on top of making our team more efficient with day-to-day tasks and audit processes.” 

Implementation: 

The implementation of PaperSave brought significant improvements to CRI’s fundraising operations. Paper documents, including donation correspondences, are scanned directly into the system, eliminating the need for physical storage of paperwork and minimizing manual data entry. With seamless integration with Raiser’s Edge, donor information and transaction records became easily accessible and searchable. Training new employees has been easy for CRI: “It’s easy and intuitive to train new team members. PaperSave is right there in Raiser’s Edge as a plug-in.” 

Furthermore, Kaur is pleased with PairSoft’s Customer Support model: “They’re very responsive. A couple of weeks ago, one of my team members was having difficulty scanning in a batch and created a support ticket. She immediately received an email that her case had been assigned and the PairSoft team were resolving the issue almost immediately.” 

Results: 

Since implementing PaperSave in 2013, CRI has experienced a significant improvement in fundraising documentation and auditing processes. The streamlined processes have enabled CRI to focus more on its core mission while also providing a better experience for donors and stakeholders. 

Kaur emphasizes, “Now, when a donor calls requesting information about past donations, anyone across departments can pull up their records and find all gift information for every year. It’s improved our recordkeeping process by 95%.” 

Key Benefits: 

Efficiency: PaperSave streamlined CRI’s fundraising processes, reducing the time and effort required for manual tasks like record-keeping and audit preparation. 

Accessibility: Donor information and transaction records became readily available within the system, enabling quick responses to donor inquiries and improving communication. 

Cost Savings: By eliminating the need for physical storage of paper documents, CRI saved on storage costs and reduced the risk of document loss or damage. 

Compliance: PaperSave facilitated compliance with audit requirements by providing organized and searchable records, simplifying the audit preparation process. 

User-Friendly: The intuitive interface of PaperSave made it easy for new team members to adapt, minimizing the learning curve and maximizing productivity.