The sooner you can offer this option to your donors, the better positioned your organization will be to reap the benefits of the Internet. The recent shakeout of service providers will surely continue, and organizations that have not yet made a move to formulate an e-philanthropy strategy can learn from those whose early offerings were unsuccessful. The choices will be simplified as vendors with unsustainable business models are eliminated as options. Only when we focus on making online tools that are both useful and affordable will charities began to realize the Web's true potential. The ability to securely accept gifts online is not a solution in itself, as some companies and charity portals may lead you to believe.
Integration is also important in terms of how information is processed.
Some offerings only appear to be Web-based. This makes it easy for your constituents to receive news via e-mail and donate online, but it can create extra work for your staff when new procedures must be adopted to make use of the information collected online. NetSolutions consists of six optional services that fully integrate with the world s most widely used fund-raising management system, The Raiser s Edge . NetSolutions can help your organization build stronger relationships with your donors and interact with constituents at their convenience. Blackbaud s suite of tools enables you to add a secure online giving feature to your Web site, conduct targeted e-mail campaigns, promote online event registration and fee payment, publish online directories, and much more.