Track Progress
Given that you’ll be reaching out to many different people, often more than once, you’ll need a good record-keeping system. Otherwise, you’ll never remember who said what to whom — or more important, who gave how much to you and when you might ask again.
Templates
Some organizations ask a partner or fiscal sponsor to handle record keeping. Many smaller organizations create spreadsheets to track donor contacts, results and follow-ups.
Fortunately, there are many free templates that can help you set up your own.
| Template Name | Description | Download Link |
|---|---|---|
| Donor Tracker (Vertex42) | Track donations, donor contact info, and giving history. Highly customizable. | Download |
| Fundraising Event Budget (Customize) | Plan and track expenses and income for fundraising events. | Download |
| Donor Management (Wild Apricot) | Includes donor details, gift history, and communication logs. | Download |
| Annual Fund Tracker (Smartsheet) | Visual dashboard tracking donor status, pledges, and campaign goals. | Download |
| Nonprofit CRM (Airtable) | Spreadsheet-style CRM with donor and contact management features. | Download |
Donation Tracker + Receipt Generator (EFinancial Models) | Tracks donations and generates receipts automatically. | Download |
Software
Here’s a rundown of some of the available software programs used by nonprofits with features you might need for your own fundraising programs.
Many new and mid-sized organizations employ a fully-configured platform. They vary in cost, and some are actually “cost-free” to the organization — assuming that donors themselves will add a small “tip” to cover costs.
Donor Management Platforms for Small Nonprofits
| Platform | Cost | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Bloomerang | Starts at $125/mo | Donor retention tools, engagement scoring, email integration |
| Little Green Light | $45/mo (<2,500 contacts) | CRM, gift tracking, reporting, event registration |
| Neon CRM | Starts at $99/mo | Robust CRM, automation, forms, email marketing |
| Kindful | Starts at $119/mo | Online giving, integrations, donor lifecycle tracking |
| DonorPerfect | Starts at $99/mo | Campaign tracking, event mgmt, recurring giving |
| Keela | Starts at $99/mo | Smart reports, email automation, impact tracking |
| Wild Apricot | Free for <50 contacts; paid plans start at $60/mo | Membership management, online payments, email tools |
| CiviCRM | Free (open source) | Highly customizable, open source, donation tracking |
Many small organizations take advantage of a nonprofit software provider that charges no fees of any kind; instead they solicit contributions for their own operation.