Tin Mountain Conservation Center July 24, 2009

This organization was able to embrace the challenges that change can bring once they recognized how GiftWorks could enhance "administrative efficiency" and more effective outreach.

How GiftWorks Fundraising Software has changed your organization and helped your nonprofit organization to achieve its mission:

Organizational change is neither easily implemented nor often sought; Tin Mountain Conservation Center is no exception. Prior to my post as Development Coordinator, Tin Mountain purchased GiftWorks 2006 and had yet to incorporate the software.

Like many nonprofits, our environmental center is streamlined, meaning many naturalists and staff are over-tasked. Our bountiful programs, events, and summer camps stretch people to their maximum and learning a new database is daunting.

The mission of Tin Mountain Conservation Center is 'To promote an appreciation of the environment among children, families, and the community through hands-on programs in the schools, at camp, and in the community.' My job as Development Coordinator is to provide the funds and create an environment that makes it easier and more efficient to fulfill our mission. After 29 years of various iterations of excel sheets and a cumbersome access database we were fertile ground for change.

The thought of being 'online' with GiftWorks database has inspired additional brainstorming regarding member outreach; will half our administrative time with double entry into QuickBooks and Access; and better prepare us for our Capital Campaign … 'Oh, the things we'll learn'. 

We are just beginning to reap the rewards that using GiftWorks provides. Using GiftWorks has given us an opportunity to reconsider our financial flow, reassign tasks and redefine job descriptions. Currently, we are training our staff to use GiftWorks as our central database as QuickBooks will now be link to our database. Running two parallel systems for members and donations always increased our probability of errors. Mailings that included duplicate and incorrect seasonal resident addresses, deceased member information not communicated, and overlooked requests of 'no solicitation', were not only inefficient but ineffective and costly.

Succinctly, GiftWorks, though not thoroughly implemented, has already shifted our way of thinking about administrative efficiency and begun fostering a culture of philanthropy. Change is good when we question ourselves about why we do what we do and how we can do it better. Tin Mountain Conservation Center has a better understanding of what our members like and who they are with GiftWorks software, thereby more effectively focusing our outreach. This has not been an effortless nor eagerly sought after process for our organization. Yet, GiftWorks has made the change easier and the rewards great.