Recent high-profile incidents have served to emphasize the importance of security for any system that stores personal or sensitive information about individuals and organizations. Fundraising systems are a particularly appealing target for hackers due to the extensive donor profile and contact information and financial and credit card\/bank account data storage.<\/p>\n
Security begins with the login process. At the very least, the system you select should have password complexity requirements, such as requiring a certain number of characters and a mix of characters, numbers, and symbols. More secure systems will allow you to turn on two-step verification or Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for logins to require users to enter a code that is texted or emailed to them. A few systems allow Single Sign On (SSO) so that users can be authenticated with the credentials they use to access their organization\u2019s network. You should also ask if the system automatically logs users off after a period of inactivity.<\/p>\n
How does the system handle data encryption? Does it encrypt data at rest and\/or in transit? Are credit card numbers stored in the system or are they tokenized and stored in a PCI-compliant vault. How often do system backups run?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also important to think through who has access to different types of data in your system. Most systems allow you to control access to certain fields and features based on different user roles. Some systems have a limited number of user roles that correspond to certain types of tasks or access to specific modules that you can assign to staff in your organization. Others support a larger number of roles that allow a more granular level of control over update, view, and delete rights for modules. Some even allow you to define rights for individual data fields.<\/p>\n
The donor data contained within the system belongs to you. Being able to extract it from the system is critical in order to back it up\u2014which is always a good idea\u2014or migrate it to a new system. Almost all of the systems in this guide allow you to freely export data, but it doesn\u2019t hurt to make sure. Most also allow you to easily import data, but check to see if there are additional costs to do so.<\/p>\n
Most donor management systems are designed to work for a wide variety of organizations. To facilitate this, they let you configure many of the field values throughout the system. For example, you can define the types of relationships your organization has with constituents\u2014those choices then show up in dropdown boxes throughout the system. A few systems let users move or hide navigation menu items or certain views throughout the system.<\/p>\n
But few systems let you move, remove, or change the names of default fields, and vary substantially in their ability to let you add new ones. Some let you add only a specific limited number of new fields, others don\u2019t let you add any at all, while still others allow unlimited new fields\u2014or even let you customize them further to allow unique-to-your-organization constituent interactions. Check to see where your new fields will be displayed in the interface\u2014often they must go into a limited \u201ccustom field\u201d area, which can become disorganized and awkward if you add a number of fields.<\/p>\n
A few systems can be almost completely customized to your needs\u2014either by you or the vendor\u2014with custom fields, labels, interfaces, processes, and functionality. For instance, because CiviCRM\u2019s open source system lets you access the underlying source code, an experienced programmer can make nearly limitless changes. This wholesale customization can be useful for organizations with unique needs, but it can be expensive to set up and more difficult to support down the road. It might be more effective to change your process than to customize a system around it.<\/p>\n
You should also ask vendors about accessibility features for users with disabilities. This is often not a priority in system development, but can be tremendously important to individuals in your organization and constituencies served by your nonprofit. The most common accessibility standards for web developers are WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1, but even such measures as compatibility with screen readers and use of contrasting colors can make a big difference.<\/p>\n
Finally, if you have fundraising staff who often meet with potential donors away from the office, ask how the system functions on mobile devices or whether there is a mobile app available. This is also helpful if you want to use the system to check attendees in at events or to collect onsite registrations and donations.<\/p>\n
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