Nonprofit Donor Databases: Everything You Need to Know

As a nonprofit professional, you know that it can be easier said than done to manage supporter data, which is essential for cultivating relationships with them. This is where a powerful donor database comes in—this tool can help you optimize the entire donor journey at your organization, from outreach to stewardship and beyond. 

That being said, not every donor database will be the right fit for your nonprofit, and there are numerous considerations to keep in mind while examining your options. In this guide, you’ll learn all you need to know about donor databases, including:

• Donor Database FAQ
• How to Choose the Right Database for Your Nonprofit
• Fundraising Best Practices for Donor Databases
• Top Nonprofit Donor Database Providers

Before we explore the various donor databases on the market, let’s review what exactly this tool is and how to leverage it effectively.

Donor Database FAQ

To lay a foundation for the practical applications of donor databases, we’ll first discuss some common questions and answers about these essential tools.

What is a donor database?

A donor database is a nonprofit software solution designed for storing donor information. It allows you to track supporters’ contact information, demographics and psychographics, giving and involvement history, communication preferences, and insights gathered from prospect research, among other data that informs your fundraising efforts.

Is there a difference between a donor database and a nonprofit CRM?

The term “donor database” is often used interchangeably with “nonprofit constituent relationship management (CRM) system.” In reality, all nonprofit CRMs are donor databases, but not all donor databases are nonprofit CRMs. 

Donor databases are essentially repositories for donor information, while CRM systems typically include more tools for managing relationships with volunteers, sponsors, grantmakers, and other stakeholders. Most solutions on the market today have at least some CRM capabilities, although for the purposes of this guide, we’ll focus primarily on donor data management and fundraising features.

Why should my nonprofit use a donor database?

By leveraging a robust donor database, your organization can experience a multitude of fundraising benefits, including:

• Informed decision-making. Whether you’re preparing for a donor event or planning a fundraising appeal, databases can provide specific information about individual donors’ interactions with your nonprofit to help you choose strategies they’ll be receptive to.
• Better data hygiene. Having a system dedicated to organizing your donor data allows you to fix discrepancies, remove duplicate records, and take a more efficient approach to donor management.
• Personalization through segmentation. Your database should simplify the processes of grouping donors based on shared characteristics, pinpointing the best segments for each communication cadence, and tailoring your messages based on your target audience’s preferences.
• Improved analytics and reporting. Databases can present key metrics through visually appealing, actionable graphs and charts so you can identify what aspects of your fundraising efforts are going well and where you could adjust your strategy for better results.

In summary, donor databases can benefit all aspects of fundraising, from encouraging recurring donations to soliciting major gifts. However, you have to make sure the solution you choose aligns with your organization’s needs to experience these advantages.

How to Choose the Right Database for Your Nonprofit

No matter your nonprofit’s size or budget, there is a donor database on the market that can meet your needs and improve your outcomes. However, if you’re unfamiliar with donor databases, picking among the many available options might feel overwhelming.

To alleviate some stress, here are five steps you can follow to select the ideal donor database for your organization.

1. Understand Important Donor Database Capabilities

Begin by familiarizing yourself with what donor databases can do for your organization. Here are some of the most important features they typically include:

• Donor profiles for organizing data on individual supporters.
• Segmentation capabilities to improve campaign and outreach personalization.
• Integrations with other nonprofit software such as prospect research tools and event management solutions.
• Data security measures like encryption and multi-factor authentication to protect sensitive information.

Additionally, your database should:

• Provide a positive user experience, even for beginners.
• Include customization options to help you adapt it to your needs.
• Scale with your nonprofit so you can continue using it as your organization grows.
• Offer training resources and customer support for assistance and troubleshooting anytime you need it.

Implementing a new donor database can fundamentally alter how your nonprofit functions, so knowing what these tools offer at the outset can help you understand the scope of how you’ll use the software and inform your buying decisions.

2. Identify What You Need in a Donor Database

While every donor database serves a similar purpose, they all have different features, price points, and learning curves. To decide on must-have and nice-to-have aspects of your donor database, ask yourself these questions:

• What are my nonprofit’s current pain points with donor data management?
• How many user permissions will we need?
• How many donors do we want to store data on?
• What information is most important for us to collect?
• How much time do we have for training?
• How much can we afford to spend on a donor database?
• What other tools do we already use that we want to integrate with our new database?

The answers to these questions will give you a solid foundation for selecting the right donor database, so consider them carefully and discuss them with your team to get multiple perspectives.

3. Research Your Options

Using the insights you gained from the previous stage, start researching the different donor database options available and identifying your front runners. Follow these tips to narrow down your list:

• Browse each contender’s website, focusing on features, pricing, and integrations.
• Consult nonprofit peers for suggestions.
• Read online reviews from other users.
• Attend software webinars, panel discussions, or conferences.
• Book demos or one-on-one Q&A sessions with product experts.

Once you have a list of your top contenders, compare their advantages and drawbacks until you find your ideal database.

4. Review Contract Terms

Before you sign on the dotted line, thoroughly review your contract with the software provider and keep an eye out for:

• Hidden fees
• Payment schedules
• Data security and ownership provisions
• Contract duration and renewal conditions

If you haven’t already looped them in, remember to consult with your nonprofit’s full leadership team and board during this stage to ensure everyone is on the same page about the new addition to your tech stack.

5. Implement Your Database

No matter the scale or features of your database, you’ll have to budget ample team time to get up and running with it. However, here are some ways to simplify and expedite the implementation process:

• Involve professionals. Whether it’s a product expert from the database provider itself or a tech consultant who specializes in nonprofit software, training your team with professional help reduces confusion and boosts confidence. 
• Leverage free educational resources. In addition to any training materials from the database provider, highly-rated third-party guides and even YouTube tutorials can supplement your onboarding efforts.
• Proactively manage your training schedule. Stagger your training exercises so they don’t interfere with your team’s many other responsibilities. Presenting different elements of your database in smaller lessons will also help your team internalize its capabilities more easily. 

Throughout this process, be patient—taking the time to ensure that your team members are fully comfortable with the software will prevent issues down the line and help you use it more effectively from the start.

Fundraising Best Practices for Donor Databases

Your donor database provides the infrastructure for a data-driven fundraising strategy. However, to make your data work for you, keep these best practices in mind:

• Keep your data accurate and up to date. Your database is only as good as the information it contains. With data constantly flowing in and out of your system, you need to continually update your donor profiles. Investing in data appending can help you find missing donor information to supplement their records.  
• Personalize donor communications. Donors want to know that your nonprofit sees them as individuals who are integral to furthering your mission—not just ATMs with legs. Use your donor database to segment your communications and incorporate information about supporters’ unique engagement with your organization to personalize your messages and demonstrate that you value your donors.
• Track interactions and involvement. As you communicate with supporters (especially prospective major donors), consistently log information about your interactions in individual profiles, such as giving capacity and philanthropic behavior. This way, you can more easily create tailored engagement strategies to encourage giving.
• Manage metrics and set goals. Don’t set your campaign goal and forget it! Instead, consistently pull metrics from your donor database so you understand where you stand and can adjust your approach if needed.
• Use an AI fundraising tool. AI can streamline crucial fundraising processes such as prospect research, segmentation, and communication. Just make sure to use AI responsibly and work with trusted providers that build solutions specifically for nonprofits (like DonorSearch!).

These strategies will help you acquire, cultivate, solicit, steward, retain, and upgrade donors more effectively—your database is built for the entire donor lifecycle!

Top Nonprofit Donor Database Providers

Now that you know what a donor database can do for your organization and how to use it effectively, let’s examine the top options on the market.

Bloomerang	DonorPerfect	Virtuous	Microsoft Dynamics 365	Salesforce	Little Green Light
Raiser’s Edge NXT	Blackbaud CRM	Tessitura	Andar/360	DonorSnap	Eleo
Giveffect	Humanitru	Keela	ResultsPlus	Givebutter	Ellucian

Bloomerang

Bloomerang is a comprehensive CRM solution for nonprofits of any size or experience. Its donor database boasts the following features:

• Interactive dashboard: Monitor your donation trends, retention rates, and more to bolster your productivity.
• Wealth screening metrics: Understand donors’ potential to give with Bloomerang’s custom Generosity Score metric.
• Segmentation: Use robust filters to find the donor information you need easily.
• Integrations: Connect Bloomerang with various other tools (including DonorSearch) to prevent information silos.

Pricing

Bloomerang offers a sliding price scale depending on the number of records your nonprofit needs to store. Visit Bloomerang’s website to request a live demo with a product expert.

DonorPerfect

DonorPerfect is a customizable database for nonprofits of any size with the following notable capabilities:

• Advanced batch entry: Enter gifts and pledges in large batches to streamline data entry and improve accuracy. 
• Customizable interface: Change your database layout screen to feature only the most important information for your nonprofit.
• Role assignment: Assign roles and permissions to your users so that only team members who need to see certain datasets have access to them.
• Integrations: Seamlessly connect your database with DonorPerfect’s entire suite of tools and many helpful external solutions (like DonorSearch).

Pricing

DonorPerfect offers various price points depending on how extensive your dataset needs to be, starting at $99 per month. Visit their website to learn more and book a free demo.

Virtuous

Virtuous is a CRM that allows nonprofits to optimize all of their activities, from donor data tracking to marketing to event registration. Some notable features include:

• Donor journey builder: Contextualize all of your data for a certain donor to map out their journey and plan the next steps.
• Specific features based on nonprofit type: Virtuous has success stories for all different types of nonprofits, including human service organizations, higher education institutions, and ministries.
• Workflow automation: Assign tasks to users and automate workflows for email marketing, donation follow-up outreach, and more.
• Native integration with DonorSearch: Join the more than 80% of Virtuous users who leverage this integration to streamline prospecting while ensuring data security.

Pricing

Virtuous has three pricing tiers based on the number of contacts you need to store: Starter, Platform, and Enterprise. Connect with Virtuous’ team on their website to schedule a demo today.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the CRM offering in the Microsoft Suite, which is well-suited for large organizations. Some key features include:

• AI-powered workflows: Microsoft Sales Copilot helps development professionals streamline their donor acquisition cadences with razor-focused strategy recommendations.
• Financial management: Simplify accounting, budgeting, and more with Dynamics 365 Finance and Business Central.
• Data modeling: Dynamics 365’s Common Data Model leverages data schemas to give you a complete picture of your activities. 
• Integrations: Seamlessly incorporate Dynamics 365 into your full Microsoft workflow and connect other tools (like DonorSearch) for a comprehensive experience.

Pricing

Microsoft offers a Business Premium grant to eligible nonprofits, allowing them to pay only $5.50 per month for 10 seats on Dynamics 365. Learn more and book a free trial on the Microsoft website.

Salesforce

The #1 CRM in the world, Salesforce provides nonprofit donor database capabilities through its Nonprofit Cloud offering, as well as its Education Cloud and Health Cloud for schools and healthcare organizations respectively. Some of its key features include:

• Program data management: Instantly track how your programs are performing so you can adjust your strategy.
• Marketing automation: Configure automated cadences that trigger when certain conditions are met for instant communication.
• Reporting: Gather a wide range of information and view it holistically with customizable reports.
• Integrations: Add a variety of useful tools to your CRM with the Salesforce AppExchange (including the DonorSearch 360io app).

Pricing

Salesforce’s Nonprofit Cloud starts at $60 per month for eligible nonprofits. Learn more on their website.

Little Green Light 

Little Green Light is a donor management software built for small to mid-sized nonprofits. Its features include:

• Automated acknowledgment and receipts: Quickly produce essential stewardship and tax deduction documents for your donors.
• Import and export data: Migrate data easily with Little Green Light’s native import tool and external integrations (including with DonorSearch).
• Servers hosted by Lightcrest: Feel secure when using Little Green Light’s servers, which are hosted by trusted data manager Lightcrest.

Pricing

Little Green Light uses a sliding pricing scale based on how many donor records you need. Their plans start at $45 per month, and you can try the solution for free on their website.

Raiser’s Edge NXT 

Created by one of the biggest names in nonprofit software, Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge NXT (RENXT) database is made for mid-sized to larger nonprofits, with features such as:

• End-to-end gift management: From gift entry to online donation forms, maintain control of your donor data at all stages.
• Custom analytics: Target niche audiences with granular segmentation analytics.
• Best-practice templates for email: Use proven techniques to enhance your email outreach directly in RENXT. 
• Integrations: Connect other tools inside and outside the Blackbaud Suite (including DonorSearch) to make the most of RENXT.

Pricing

Raiser’s Edge NXT pricing is custom to each organization. You can contact their team and request a quote using their website.

Blackbaud CRM

Blackbaud CRM (BBCRM) is a highly customizable donor database made for enterprise-level nonprofits (essentially a step above RENXT). Some notable features include:

• Full-service constituent relationship management: Track and cultivate relationships with all of your nonprofit’s supporters in BBCRM.
• Multichannel fundraising: Manage campaigns from direct mail campaigns to peer-to-peer fundraising with integrated fundraising tools.
• Financial reporting: Leverage comprehensive reporting and analytics features to instantly gauge your financial performance and understand trends.
• Integrations: Like with RENXT, connect other tools inside and outside the Blackbaud Suite (including DonorSearch) to boost BBCRM’s capabilities.

Pricing

Contact Blackbaud for a custom quote and to book a demo of BBCRM.

Tessitura

Tessitura is a CRM designed for arts and culture organizations, from museums to performing arts centers to dance companies. To accommodate this unique audience, its features include:

• 360-degree constituent views: Get a holistic sense of supporters’ engagement and preferences so you can personalize your communications with them.
• Membership management: Track member involvement, communications, and renewals separately from donors and other supporters.
• Custom dashboards: Visualize various types of data in easy-to-understand, actionable ways for your various programs.
• Integrated ticketing: Automatically transfer admissions data to your CRM to track this vital revenue source.

Pricing

Contact the Tessitura team or request a demo through their website for pricing details.

Andar/360

Andar/360 is a donor database that specializes in workplace fundraising. Some features of note are:

• Targeted text messaging: Instantly reach donors and volunteers wherever they are using Andar Texting.
• Grants management: Keep track of your grants in progress and allocate funds when you win them.
• Multi-device functionality: Access your donor data on supported devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

Pricing

Contact Andar Software for detailed pricing information and to book a demo. 

DonorSnap

DonorSnap is a donor data and marketing management platform, with key features like:

• Event management: Track event registrations, ticket sales, and volunteer hours in real time with DonorSnap’s app.
• Reporting tools: View your data in the best way for your organization with custom dashboards.
• Support and training: Get onboarded to DonorSnap and get your questions answered at any time by product experts.

Pricing

DonorSnap has a sliding pricing scale based on how many records your nonprofit needs, starting at $39 per month. Visit their website to schedule a live demo.

Eleo

Eleo is an online donor management software with the following capabilities:

• Donation page management: Improve your donation page with Eleo’s user-friendly form creation interface.
• Volunteer management: Develop your volunteer records with fields like skills, hours, and availability.
• Data security and backup: Protect your data with firewalls, antivirus protection, and SSL and encryption.

Pricing

Eleo has a sliding price model depending on how many donor records you need and starts at $39 per month. Learn more with a riskless free trial.

Giveffect

Giveffect is a comprehensive nonprofit management software solution with features like:

• Peer-to-peer fundraising management: Manage your supporters’ fundraising pages for peer-to-peer campaigns. 
• Team fundraiser management: Get custom support for team-based events like run-a-thons and workplace giving events.
• Membership stratification: Categorize your membership data by level and benefits so you can pinpoint your most popular tiers. 

Pricing

Giveffect’s pricing depends on the size of your nonprofit, with the smallest plan starting at $399 per month. They also offer a discount if you only need fundraising tools instead of the entire plan. Explore more features by booking a demo on the Giveffect website.

Humanitru

Humanitru is a data management platform for nonprofits with these capabilities:

• Self-service donor portals: Empower donors to take control of their finances with self-service payment portals.
• Mobile bidding: Make your charity auction a breeze for donors with a streamlined mobile bidding experience. 
• Text-to-give: Allow donors to give anywhere, anytime with an intuitive text-to-give infrastructure.

Pricing

Humanitru pricing depends on the size of your nonprofit. Contact Humanitru for a complete pricing rundown.

Keela

Keela is a CRM that stands out with these capabilities:

• Project management: Keep your team on track with automated workflow management.
• Donor pipeline management: Manage your donor journeys with granular precision with Keela’s pipeline functionality.
• Smart Ask for donations: Keela’s Smart Ask program uses your data to pinpoint the ideal ask amounts for donors.

Pricing

Keela has an add-on pricing structure, meaning you only pay for what you need. All plans start at $134/month. Reach out to them to book a demo. 

ResultsPlus

ResultsPlus is a CRM that has features like:

• Gift processing: Process, record, and attribute gift information in a secure database.
• Event planning: Execute your events with precision with guest list and registration management, seating arrangement, and post-event analytics. 
• Training resources: Boost your return on investment and reduce confusion with comprehensive training and support resources.

Pricing

Contact the ResultsPlus team to request a detailed price breakdown and demo.

Givebutter

Givebutter is a donor database and fundraising platform that offers:

• Auction management: Add unlimited items, leverage mobile bidding, fulfill winning bids, and collect payment easily. 
• Donor segmentation: Organize, export, and present donor information with features like custom filters and table creation.
• Data hygiene: Keep your email, phone, and mailing address data squeaky clean with data validation and duplicate records removal.

Pricing

Givebutter is powered by optional tips, making it completely free to sign up and start fundraising.

Ellucian

Ellucian is a CRM made for higher education institutions. It offers features like: 

• CRMs made for unique needs: Between CRM Advance, CRM Advise, and CRM Recruit, higher education institutions can manage donor relationships, recruitment data, and academic advising. 
• Pipeline management: Ensure your donors or prospects remain engaged through the donation process.
• Donor appreciation: Express your gratitude to contributors by automatically sending a thank-you note when they give.

Pricing

Reach out to Ellucian for in-depth pricing information and to book a demo. 

Final Thoughts

No matter your fundraising goals, donor cultivation is critical for success, as is using the best tools available to streamline your processes. By investing sufficient time and resources into implementing the right donor database for your organization, you can improve your fundraising efforts and supporter relationships both now and in the future.

For more information on donor management, check out these resources:

• Moves Management: How to Cultivate Donor Relationships. Learn more about the donor lifecycle and how to move donors through it with the help of your database.
• Major Donor Fundraising: How to Strengthen Your Strategy. Explore tips and best practices for securing the most impactful gifts your nonprofit can receive.
• Wealth Screening Tools: 9 Top Picks to Unlock New Donors. Discover the top solutions you can use alongside your donor database to learn about supporters’ giving capacity.