Going Virtual: Online Tools for Data Management

QuickBase is newer to the market and, compared to other tools, it is less expensive because of a small discount for nonprofits, but it is not free like SalesForce. However, QuickBase does have dual capabilities, combining project management and customer relationship management into one tool.

In terms of project management, the tool can create work breakdown structures or Gantt charts that figure out what tasks need to be completed over a certain period of time, by whom, how long it will take, and how much it is going to cost. As for data management or customer relationship management, the tool can be customized to adjust the language to fit a donor management process.

QuickBase has a dashboard feature that can be adjusted to meet your needs. You can develop highly graphic displays of information, such as number and amount of donations in the given month, which can be emailed out to people or downloaded into Microsoft Excel and manipulated. These features are particularly useful for sharing information with your board of directors, stakeholders, and funders. Report structure can be stored and automatically populated on a weekly or monthly basis and sent directly to your email. This is a great way to stay on top of the outcomes of your program and to be able to track it on a regular basis.

Other reports can be created based on goal setting and forecasting. For example, you can evaluate your donor development pipeline by estimating cash inflow from donors or the chance of getting awarded certain grants. These reports can show where you are in your development based on where you would like to be.

Similar to SalesForce, QuickBase allows you to easily upload any Microsoft Excel spreadsheets that you are currently using to keep track of donor information. QuickBase has an additional smart system feature that tries to auto-guess what fields you have within your Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. For example, if the field you have is not a typical address field such as county or region, the tool will create a column for this field that can be changed and manipulated per your specifications. This field can then be used for future data entry. These features make QuickBase easier to set up than SalesForce.

Another integration capability similar to what is offered by SalesForce is the ability to create web-based surveys or forms. With this capability, you can easily capture contact information for potential donors online or create a survey to distribute to potential donors. This is done through the creation of a web address that can be sent to anyone or posted on the organization’s website. This feature is slightly easier than SalesForce because no programming is required to get it up and running. The information entered is then automatically entered into your QuickBase database.

An additional feature of QuickBase that might be useful in donor management is tracking requests coming into the office. The office staff can directly enter the information into the database and assign it to a staff member with notes and priority level for follow-up. You can then track what requests have come in, whether or not they have been addressed, and how long it took to close the request.

QuickBase also has automatic emails and notifications that can be customized per donor information. Similar to when you order an item online and receive an email acknowledging your order, you can send emails acknowledging an online donation. It can include their name or other details they provided, such as the date or donation amounts. A fun way to use this feature is to set up automated emails to staff and donors on their birthdays. This is a nice way to stay connected with little time required.

QuickBase for nonprofits costs $225.00 per month which includes ten unique login accounts. Each additional user is $3.00 per month. Since the tool is web-based, two benefits are that there is no software to install and the security rating is high and consistent with SalesForce. In terms of administrative skill, the tool has four diamonds rather than five diamonds, making it slightly easier to set up than SalesForce; however, due to the customization available, you will need a dedicated expert to get you started. The user of the tool should be comfortable posting content and familiar with how to organize a database for consistency.

Key benefits and drawbacks are very similar to SalesForce. The tool can easily import and export Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, create custom forms that can be used online for easy data entry, and has customized dashboards for at-a-glance progress tracking. If you do not have predetermined reports, QuickBase has over 250 standardized reports to help you get started quickly. As mentioned, QuickBase does have a robust project management tool at an additional cost, if there is interest in using the same tool for two purposes. Additionally, for support, QuickBase offers free live webinars to learn the features of the tool and a 30-day free trial.

Access the QuickBase website here.