Month: November 2008

The Importance of Doing a Fundraising Software Comparison

Heres the deal. If you want to find the best fundraising software for you and your needs, the most important thing that you can do is a fundraising software comparison. This means that you will be taking the time to take a detailed look at the different fundraising software programs out there today, and compare between them to find the one that is right for you.

A fundraising software comparison is really essential if you want to find the best one for you, and here are a few tips that will ensure your fundraising software comparison offers you the results that you are looking for.

Ask Questions

The easiest way to do a fundraising software comparison is to ask yourself certain questions about each type of software you are considering.

Will the company configure the software for you or at least provide technical support in real time? This is important because the best software will be that which is personally customizable. You also want to consider whether or not the software is going to be user-friendly.

The best fundraising software will be easy to navigate and use, even if you have little to no experience with computers.

You also want to ask yourself what methods are used in the software for recording, importing and exporting data. These are tasks that are going to be very important and so you want to ensure that the software you choose is going to offer all of this.

Yet another issue that you are going to need to think about when doing a fundraising software comparison is what about the updates? Do you get them for free or do you have to search for them and install them? The best choices will be those that offer free automatic updates, as this is one less thing that you will have to worry about and you can feel safe knowing that your software is always going to be advanced and up to date.

The good news is that there are quite a few different options when it comes to fundraising software, but you can never expect one to work well for you just because it may have provided someone else with what they needed. It is crucial that you take the time to factor yourself and your fundraising needs into the equation, to come out with the best results and find the best software for you and your not-for-profit needs.

Pet Food Gift Basket Ideas

It’s not just humans who appreciate gifts. Pets also appreciate gifts. More and more, people are including their pets in Hanukkah, birthday and Christmas celebrations. Since their owners are the ones that pay for their upkeep, a pet related gift is a gift to the owner as well as the animal. A Christmas gift basket is also appreciated and deeply needed by your local animal shelters.

What To Include For Individuals

You don’t have to break the bank to find a pet food gift basket idea that would be appreciated by your pet-loving friends or your local animal shelter. You dont even have to only include pet food in a pet food gift basket. Ideas that would work well for pet owners include pet toys, brushes, bedding and edible cards. Dont get very intricate gifts like collars or pet clothes, as the pet needs to be measured to be sure they fit well.

Other pet food gift basket ideas for your pet-owned friends include batteries and film for their cameras or memory cards for their digital cameras so that they can take photos of their pets that will become precious memories in the future. You could also include portable photo albums and small picture frames to round out the basket. The “basket itself” could be a photo storage box.

What To Include For Shelters

Pet food gift basket ideas for shelters can include a wide variety of objects that you may have laying about your home. You might not need the items in this pet food gift basket idea, but your local animal rescue shelter can put them to good use. These items include old, clean blankets or towels, which are always in short supply at an animal center. They are used for a variety of purposes from blankets to bandages. They also need baby formula and baby bottles which they can use to feed orphaned animals.

Check with your local animal shelter to see what they have a need for. Perhaps they need more folding chairs, or a coffee machine or maybe they are not sure. In that case, pet food, pet toys and gift card to a pet supply shop can always be welcome. You may also want to include a few human treats for the hard working volunteers at the shelter, too. You can really impress them by using an old aquarium or cage as a “basket”. They get all sorts of pets given to them, not just dogs and cats.