How can nonprofits avoid a crashing failure when implementing fundraising software and a donor management system? Here are ten common mistakes made when it comes to fundraising technology. Avoid them, and you’ll have a better chance of selecting the right database and managing it more effectively.

Avoid defining your parameters 

That is a sure-fire way to reduce your chances of success. Instead, have each department in your organization discuss two or three items that are most important to them to help determine the best technology fit.

Editor’s note: Governance expert Jane Garthson wrote two articles about governance breakdown at the Toronto Humane Society that appeared in CF&P November 15 and 30, 2009. The governance collapse led to operational failures that caused the temporary closure of the THS. A THS member, she was present at a special meeting of members that elected a new, independent board of directors, and she shares how her governance expertise and concern shaped her voting decisions. I hope this article will help you guide your board to think about best practices in the face of difficult issues.

On May 30, Toronto Humane Society members present at a Special General Meeting and those who had mailed in their ballots (no proxies were allowed) elected a slate of candidates known as the Faces of Change as the new board. 

Collaboration opportunities

Some independent candidates who spoke seemed excellent candidates for future board positions, and I was assured by several members of Faces of Change that they would be immediately approached for committee or task force work. Another seemed especially passionate and knowledgeable about a particular operational area, and while he was much too “one-issue” for a board, should quickly be leading an operational group to address his concerns.

Key-To-The-Sector Workshops, 16 Ways to Increase Giving in Your Church, Ben Harder, President, Harder and Associates. Saturday, June 19, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., University of Toronto, Mississauga campus. $177 + GST.

http://www.canadianfundraiser.com/workshop_viewer.asp?workshop_ID=383

Essential Project Management Skills for Fundraisers, Suzanne Gibson, Suzanne Gibson & Associates. Thursday, June 24, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Osgoode Professional Development Centre, Toronto, plus follow-up session arranged with participants. Includes resource kit and follow-up teleconference for assistance with applying what you’ve learned. Breakfast and lunch, too. $297 + GST.

http://www.canadianfundraiser.com/workshop_Viewer.asp?workshop_ID=388

Key-To-The Sector Workshops are accredited by CFRE International for certification or recertification. A 25% discount is available for members of Canadian Fundraising & Philanthropy’s Premium Leadership Service.

Mary Singleton, Workshop Manager, 416-267-1287; more information, presenter bios, and registration, www.canadianfundraiser.com/webpages/keyworkshops.asp

Spending money on yourself doesn’t boost happiness unless you’re very poor, reports Lisa Van De Ven in the May, 2010 issue of The United Church Observer. The promises of consumer culture really are hollow. In fact, it’s giving money away and getting involved in meaningful issues that make us happy.

A team from the University of Leicester in England conducted an experiment in which students were given $5 or $20 and told to spend it on gifts for themselves, bills and expenses, gifts for others or charitable donations. They tested the students’ happiness levels at the beginning of the day and again at the end. Researcher Lara Aknin told Van De Ven that the students who gave their money away as gifts or donations experienced the greatest increase in happiness.

How do you keep raising money when news coverage of your organization emphasizes something that distracts or even distresses your donors? Two of Canada’s prominent fundraisers have been through that in the past 18 months. Not only have they survived, they’re now convinced of the long-term benefits to their institutions.

In 2009, Toronto’s SickKids Foundation ended its CEO’s contract and announced his salary and severance package. “The Foundation made the right decision in terms of disclosing more than required,” says its new CEO Ted Garrard, who describes the move as “unprecedented.” At the press conference where Foundation leaders explained the package, they also laid out plans to restructure the organization and bring fundraising costs back to historic norms. By then, key Foundation and hospital stakeholders had already been consulted and informed – an important step.