What Types of Tracking Tools Are Helpful for Nonprofits?

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Running a non-profit requires you to know the best ways to keep up with important information, such as tracking donations. Finding the right tracking tools can be difficult, but it could be the difference between meeting community needs or falling short.

While you likely have an effective way to track monetary donations, physical items are much harder to manage. This makes your job even harder because not only do you have to record what you already have, but you need to be able to keep record of who donated it and where it needs to go. However, there’s a time consuming process that starts far before you even receive the donation.

The Donation Process

Most non-profits have a definitive donation process. The first step is discovering a community need that relates to the cause you serve. Next, you and your staff find ways to meet those needs. This often turns into soliciting for donations or reaching out to sponsors for assistance.

Once you’ve reached out to your contacts and the donations will begin to arrive. However, the process doesn’t stop there. In fact, it has just begun. The next step is determining a way to track who donated what. This will be important to note for tax purposes. Some organizations also track the beneficiary to see how their lives improve once they receive the donation. Having this information can also be extremely helpful to show donors their donations had some impact and will encourage them to donate again in the future.

Find a Tracking System That Stores Information About Needs and Donations

Keeping information about the needs of your cause and the donations you receive separate doesn’t make any sense. How will you match donations up with needs if you must switch between systems to identify them? There’s too much risk of losing data when trying to manage data between multiple databases.

Instead, get a system that stores both. You can record information about community needs and track all of your donations in the same place. Having a holistic system will simplify your ability to run your non-profit and give you more time to manage the human aspect of your organization.

What Sorts of Tracking Tools Are Available?

There are several types of tracking tools out there. As a non-profit that needs to make every dollar count, it’s tempting to go for the free option. You can try managing your donations in spreadsheets however, this can get messy and cause extra work. It can even result in lost money, which you can’t afford.

There are tracking solutions specifically designed for non-profits that could be a good fit for you. These range from simple donations tracking software programs to full non-profit management systems.

Asset Panda’s user-friendly platform has great tracking tools to help you manage every aspect of your non-profit. From monitoring donations to managing other assets, our platform was designed with you in mind.

How to Know Which Tool Will Work Best for Your Organization

It’s hard to know from a glance what will work best for your organization’s needs. Getting something customized for your industry or something you can set up yourself would be the best option. You know the needs of your cause inside and out, and you are best equipped with addressing them. Get a software program that’ll support you as you further create a place of support and love for those in need.

Working in a nonprofit can sometimes be grueling work. Cutting that down by any means possible means furthering your ability to help those in need. Check out Asset Panda’s nonprofit asset tracking solution to see if it’s the right fit for you.

By:

Bree Brouwer

Bree has held plenty of media- and marketing-related jobs over the years now, like working as a PR and marketing assistant to a Hollywood screenwriting coach, and writing content for three different digital marketing agencies.

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