In the past, billing software has been a purchase that was out of reach for most non-profit organizations. It was expensive, it was difficult to implement, and it often caused more troubles than it solved. For this reason, many non-profits have struggled with inefficient home-grown solutions cobbled together years ago out of spreadsheets.
Thankfully, the software-as-a-service model is changing the way non-profits do business. Today, there are affordable, customizable billing and donor management solutions that can be implemented (almost) as easily as downloading an app. An automated, recurrent billing solution can cut down on time spent on administrative tasks and allow non-profits to dedicate more time to their mission.
Manage Your Donors
For non-profits, finding donations takes nearly as much time as their core work. The Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance recommends that nonprofits put at least 65 percent of their total cash intake to their programs and no more than 35 percent to administrative tasks and fundraising. To achieve this, most non-profits need to spend less time managing their donors. The answer is more automation.
Membership management solutions, including billing software, allows non-profits to streamline and even automate tasks associated with fundraising. The result is easier donor management, and less chance that you’ll miss opportunities because you got off-track on your fundraising duties.
Customizable Billing
Donors choose to give in different ways. Some want to make one-time or sporadic donations. Others prefer to be billed weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, or annually. Keeping track of these cycles manually is a recipe for error.
A customizable billing solution can be set to automatically charge donors at the frequency they choose. If the card is rejected or the bank or PayPal account contains insufficient funds, the solution can attempt to charge again at a set time (one week later, for example), or even send out dunning notices automatically.
Add a Shopping Cart
Some donors may arrive on your website in a giving mood. Are you allowing them to make a spontaneous gift easily right on your Web site? Subscription DNA can help you build a shopping cart on your site and allow donors to speed through the process with the built-in virtual terminal for one-time payments.
Keep It Secure
Nothing scares off donors more than news of financial mismanagement. A software platform can enforce permissions by restricting users to the functionality and accounts they need: this not only reduces the chances of user errors, it builds in security and accountability for funds. PCI Compliance ensures that customer financial information will remain secure.
Running a non-profit is perhaps more challenging than running a for-profit business. Tasks associated with staffing, messaging, and simply finding the money you need to accomplish your mission can get in the way of your core function. A good billing software solution can shrink those headaches down to manageable size.