What is donor management software? How to choose + top 9 tools

Donor management is key to growing your nonprofit organization’s bottom line, but what is donor management software, and how can it help improve your fundraising strategies?

Quality donor software doesn’t just house donor data — it also allows your nonprofit organization to segment supporters effectively and optimize your communication, engagement, and major donor fundraising strategies. 

That said, selecting the right system can be challenging. This donor management software buyer’s guide will cover the best software options, essential features to look for, and how to choose a system that best suits your nonprofit.

What is donor management?

Donor management is the ongoing process of cultivating and nurturing relationships with prospective donors and tracking those interactions. It typically involves using software or systems to store and analyze donor data, such as contact information, donation history, and preferences.

of your software can work together seamlessly.

Top 9 donor management platform options

There are many options to choose from when it comes to donor management solutions. Here’s a look at nine of the best donor management software options for nonprofits.

         

1. Bonterra

Bonterra’s nonprofit software solutions include a full suite of donor management and fundraising tools. It provides growing nonprofits with robust communication and event management tools to engage donors while offering a unified CRM platform with best-in-class data analytics features.

Our donor management software does more than just securely house your most important data — it also allows you to automate communications, process donations, manage grants, and more. Handle everything you need, all in one place.

With over 16,000 nonprofits in our network and $3.5 billion in donations made through our Donor Management Software is the #1 software to track charitable donations, enabling nonprofits to make the greatest impact possible.

Best for: All-in-one donation and fundraising solution

Price: Personalized pricing with no per user fees

Features:

• Comprehensive, customizable donor profiles to track all your most important donor data
• Predictive analytics to optimize donor segmentation and targeting
• The ability to create personalized email, text, video, and direct mail appeals
• Donation forms designed to enable donors to give with a single click
• Multi-channel communication and marketing automation tools
• Moves management action plans for cultivating major giving prospects
• Professional fundraising coaches who are available for growing nonprofits to help you make the most of your donor management software and improve fundraising strategies

2. Raiser’s Edge NXT

Raiser’s Edge NXT is a fundraising-focused CRM offered by Blackbaud. While not as robust as other options and limited in its integrations, Raiser’s Edge still provides a range of fundraising tools.

Best for: Nonprofits looking for suggested ask amounts 

Price: Customized for each organization

Features:

• End-to-end gift management simplifies your workflow, from initial entry to online processing.
• AI-driven suggested ask amounts help maximize donor contributions.
• Optimized donation forms increase online donations.
• Custom analytics align with your organization’s unique objectives.

3. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud

Originally designed for for-profit companies to manage sales processes, Salesforce now offers multiple solutions tailored to nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit Cloud, the latest iteration, offers a range of features for large and enterprise-level nonprofits, including fundraising, program management, and case management.

Best for: Enterprise nonprofits with complex operational needs

Price: Starts at $60 per user per month

Features:

• AI-powered personalization for enhanced customer experiences
• Customer satisfaction tracking and improvement to identify areas for enhancement
• Automated marketing tasks and streamlined workflows to save time and resources

4. Givebutter

Givebutter is a basic CRM for nonprofits with limited budgets. It offers tools to help growing nonprofits, from spreadsheets and disorganized processes to their first centralized donor database. However, Givebutter offers limited scalability and reporting features.

Best for: Nonprofits with little to no software budget

Price: “Optional tips” or percentage-based platform fee

Features:

• Identify and manage complex donor relationships within household groups.
• Capture and store essential donor details, such as t-shirt size or dietary preferences, with custom fields.
• Automate receipt generation for donations and ticket sales and simplify the process of resending receipts or issuing refunds.

5. Double the Donation

Double the Donation, a provider of matching gift information and search tools for the nonprofit sector, integrates with select donor management systems. This tool offers features to earn, track, and increase donations from corporate matching gifts. 

Best for: Increasing donations through matching gifts

Price: Small Plan starts at $999/year

Features:

• Allow donors to submit match requests from your online donation system.
• Integrations with fundraising tools, ensuring a quick, easy, and reliable implementation process.
• Automated matching gift forms and instruction emails delivered to donors.

6. DonorSearch 

Prospect research tools like DonorSearch offer additional information on the giving history and capacity of your current and prospective donors to help cultivate major donor relationships. It features the ability to save information in your donor management system with appropriate ask amounts.

Best for: Cultivating donor relationships

Price: Varies based on plan and usage

Features:

• Donor profiles with information on wealth, giving history, and philanthropic interests
• Advanced search capabilities to help you identify potential major donors
• Data integration to easily export data and integrate with your CRM

7. Omatic Cloud

Omatic Cloud integration features simplified data entry and migration. This tool offers automated importing of key data into your donor database, improved data quality, and seamless connections between other apps with your CRM for streamlined data migration between systems.

Best for: Integrating data between systems

Price: Varies based on plan and usage

Features:

• Cleanse, standardize, and enrich data to improve its quality and usability.
• Connect various systems, including CRMs, fundraising platforms, and accounting software, to create a seamless data flow.
• Simplify the complex process of moving data between systems, ensuring accuracy and minimizing errors.

8. Fundraise Up

Fundraise Up is one of the best online fundraising platforms, featuring optimized campaign pages, streamlined donation forms, global fundraising tools, and more. When integrated with your donor database, this tool syncs gifts made on your Fundraise Up donation pages with your CRM for streamlined donation tracking.

Best for: Streamlined donation forms

Price: Quick Start and Enterprise plan options

Features:

• Create visually appealing and branded donation pages to match your organization’s branding and messaging.
• Track donor information, manage relationships, and send personalized thank-you messages.
• Optimize donation forms for mobile devices, making it easy for donors to give on the go.

9. Donate Stock

Looking to expand your donation options and engage more high-capacity donors? This integration offers easy stock giving by connecting with your donor management system. Donate Stock offers an intuitive, secure stock donation button for your existing online donation page.

Best for: Nonprofits looking to accept stock donations

Price: Varies based on plan and usage

Features:

• Safe and efficient transfer of stock donations, partnering with trusted brokerage firms.
• Integrates with your existing donor database to track stock donations and donor information.
• Adhere to IRS regulations and provide accurate tax receipts for donors.

FAQ

What is donor management? 

Donor management is the process of organizing and utilizing donor information to build and maintain relationships, track donations, and optimize fundraising efforts. It typically involves using software or systems to store and analyze donor data.

What is a donor manager? 

A donor manager oversees and manages an organization’s donor relationships and case management process. They are responsible for cultivating, stewarding, and growing donor support to achieve fundraising goals.

What’s the best donor management software for small nonprofits?

Bonterra offers the best-in-class donor management platform it’s comprehensive suite of tools help nonprofits build stronger relationships with their donors. Its features include:

• Donor profile management 
• Fundraising tools
• Marketing automation
• Data analytics
• Platform integrations