All Bonterra Guided Fundraising Reviews
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Veronica
11 - 50 employees
Used less than 12 months
OVERALL RATING:
5
Reviewed July 2021
My Great Review :)
Aiden
Verified reviewer
Performing Arts, 2-10 employees
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed July 2021
Fantastic for Nonprofits
It's been a really positive experience. The customer service is quick and friendly. They're constantly updating the software for the better. It's really easy to use, even for the least tech-savvy people.
PROSThe CRM works really well -- it's easy to keep track of donors, real-time donations, and events. It lets you stay in contact with donors and see their patterns of giving. It's also easy to see which events brought in the most donations, and lets you easily email groups of donors, either by event or by giving patterns.
CONSThe forms (surveys) are too limited. I can't collect data in the way I want, so it makes surveying donors difficult.
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Network For Good had more integrated features, had better customer service, and was less expensive.
Kathi
Non-Profit Organization Management, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed February 2024
Lots of Features and Ease of Use
Their training staff is exceptional, and we've really enjoyed this system over our previous one. We highly recommend Bonterra!
PROSNFG was brought to our non-profit organization through a Jumpstart program and we compared it against the Salsa system we were using. Bonterra is much easier to use and reports are infinite - We love it!
CONSWe were gifted reduced pricing for the software the first 1-2 years, so the retail price is a bit harder for our non-profit but the benefits are much greater and we'll continue to use it
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Too technical and hard to use for multiple users
Kendra
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used daily for less than 12 months
OVERALL RATING:
1
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
1
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
1
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed January 2022
Please consider other donor software!
Terrible! After less than a year, they are taking away a key feature of their platform (event ticketing) and making it an additional $2000 (!!!!!) to have. This is a 55% increase in cost despite it being a service I was told I would have when I signed up. Despite multiple complaints from almost all their clients, no one at the company will take responsibility for the decision or admit the error and not do it. I am having to switch to another platform immediately as that is a cost that small or medium size nonprofits (their target audience) cannot support. Their customer service uses platitudes ("I understand your frustration") rather than solutions. Even if they realize how unethical this is and how it damages our ability to fulfill our mission, I cannot trust them because what's next? Will they start charging thousands for emails next? Who knows, they cannot be trusted even though I have a signed contract stating this is a service I am guaranteed to have, they will not honor it. Please go with any other donor management software!!
PROSIt's easy to use and when I started with it, it combined all the features I need in one place - peer to peer, event management, ticketing, etc., and at a reasonable rate.
CONSThere are many features that need to be improved. Their help articles are often out of date and do not follow the current version of the software with the steps that need to be taken. The compatibility of auctions to donor records is terrible creating multiple duplicate entries that staff had to correct. They not only charge a flat rate for services but ALSO a percentage so there are a LOT of hidden costs. They do not have a way to track volunteer hours (essential in the nonprofit world!!) and their customer service, while responsive, resorts to platitudes rather than solutions.
Vendor Response
Kendra, Thanks for your feedback. It sounds like you were really enjoying your software until these changes were implemented - I'm sorry to hear that and we would love to get things back on track. This change was meant to make your experience better and add a lot of value to your events run through Network for Good but we understand the concerns. Pricing changes aren't something we do often and with the costs you shared, I think we should connect to make sure you understand any new fees - it may be less than you expect. With the changes going on at Network for Good, we are listening to your feedback earnestly. Your trust is unequivocally important to us. Can you please email me so I can set up a conversation with you and a member of our team? kathleen.connelly@networkforgood.com We take pride in being very transparent about our fees - if you can email me, I would appreciate to hear which fees you were surprised about. We really appreciate you taking the time to review us! Kathleen
Replied January 2022
Elain
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used daily for less than 12 months
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed February 2024
Center Point - [sensitive content hidden] found the solutions we needed in Bonterra (NFG)
I had used NFG at a non-profit I was previously employed. I asked my new colleagues to consider the Bonterra platform and they were equally impressed. It helped that I had the prior experience, however, I'm still learning, but am finding how versatile and easy to use the platform is.
PROS--Ease of implementation and set-up --Combined tools in one platform (donor management, donor communication, fundraising campaign pages)
CONS--Exporting of data was somewhat difficult, but the tech staff at Bonterra has been responsive in helping us work through the process
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
I was already familiar with Bonterra and knew its outstanding capabilities. I didn't need to look any further.
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
We need more capabilities than what LGL gave us, plus I was familiar with Bonterra and had already determined its outstanding capabilities.
Josh
Public Policy, 1 employee
Used daily for less than 6 months
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed February 2024
Built with Nonprofit Effectiveness in Mind
So far it has been great. I'm getting the data in a much more accurate format and feel supported in the process.
PROSI love Bonterra's simplicity and capability.
CONSSo far, the only real challenge is the cost. Salesforce, which we switched from, had a one time fee and then it was free every year after.
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
It's simplicity. It is easy to use, and automates everything I need. ALSO, having the eblast in-house, was key for us. That was the difference maker.
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Salesforce was so complicated, Salesforce itself didn't know how to operate it. It was absolute madness.
Donna
Performing Arts, 1 employee
Used weekly for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed February 2024
Satisfied Fundraiser
We appreciated the coach at the beginning of our joining Network for Good and now the customer representatives who help when we have a question. Overall, the different aspects of the Fundraising platform meet our needs and give us a clear picture of our fundraising efforts.
PROSWe like the ease of entering donations with the various campaigns.
CONSThe annual cost of the program is difficult for a small nonprofit.
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
We were offered the grant as a beginning nonprofit, and had a coach to help us get started for one year.
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
There were more components like communications, graphs, and various campaign reports that we could see.
Louise
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used weekly for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed February 2024
Bonterra - Network for Good
great experience overall, very user friendly
PROSCustomer service is very good and ease of set up for different campaigns is great
CONScost, limits for number of donors I can have
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Liked the ease of it. We were also given a one year subscription free from one of our funders
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
eTapestry was not user friendly - it was very hard to set up simple email blasts
Vendor Response
Hi Louise, thank you for sharing your review! Congratulations on receiving funding - we're excited to hear how your fundraising capacity grows this year :)
Replied February 2024
Kevin
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed February 2024
Do it all product
I've had a great experience with Bonterra and the support has been prompt and thorough.
PROSI was able to get rid of a few software programs because of the versatility of Bonterra. I feel that this one product covers so many bases for me to collect donations, ticket sales, etc...and reach out to potential donors or buyers. It has saved our organization money because of its versatility.
CONSI really don't have anything that is negative at this point.
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
A previous [sensitive content hidden] made the switch to Bonterra. I did make the decision to get ride of a few other products once I was hired on thought because of the high functionality of the product.
Vendor Response
Thank you for the fantastic review! We are thrilled that our platform has not only streamlined your operations and saved you money but also become the reliable all-in-one solution for your organization's needs. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we can't wait to keep fueling your success journey. We appreciate you choosing Bonterra!
Replied February 2024
Denise
Human Resources, 2-10 employees
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
3
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed February 2024
Great product and would recommend this product to all organizations
Overall, my experience has been enjoyable and kill building. The help desk and customer service have been a wonderful resource for me with any question that I have. They are responsive and quick to resolve any issue that I have.
PROSOverall, this is a really simple software to use. As a new fundraiser and beginning of my career, this software has given me skills surrounding best practices in fundraising which I am immensely grateful for.
CONSSome of the areas of the software are not as streamlined as I wish they could be and can often lead to duplicative work. I would like to see improvements to the in-kind feature of the program as it is very difficult to track these donations.
Vendor Response
Denise, your kind words and hearing that you chose us at the start of your rewarding fundraising career are so appreciated! We hear you on the in-kind feature and I'll be sure it gets into the right hands for potential future product improvements. Empowering your success is what drives us every day, and we're thrilled to be part of your growth!
Replied February 2024
Lisa
Non-Profit Organization Management, 51-200 employees
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
4
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed February 2024
Decent software for nonprofits
Overall, it's a good product to keep the database of contacts and donors. It has ways to group and add line items to tailor contact info you want to collect/input.
PROSOnline access from anywhere to your data.
CONSUnable to switch between templates (i.e. make an email template into a direct mail) piece without having to entirely recreate it.
Jordana
Non-Profit Organization Management, 201-500 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed September 2019
How AWESOME is that!
In my experience, the donor staff often serves dual or multiple roles, breaking in a new system generally requires more time that you already have so little of. This was a huge factor in decision making for me, NFG doesn’t have a steep learning curve and their support to transition is the BEST. I’m well acquainted with the “Blackbaud’s Raiser Edge and e-Tapestry”, as well as others and unless you have unlimited financial resources and a dedicated staff/dept, I would steer clear of long standing desktop based programs such as these -Easy and/or no cost access to customer service, either by phone, text or knowledge base -NFG has been outstanding in all areas -I have called NFG with an urgent need and the response was IMMEDIATE! I try to do the homework on my end and not take advantage of NFG’s tech support to have to respond to “fire” -My experience with BB at my previous organization; I instant messaged tech support with a question they replied…great question, I’m not sure, let me kick it up to our data support and someone will get back to you very soon. That was over a year ago, never got a response. -Often there is an additional cost or step up in pricing for immediate access to tech support -Cutting edge technology that continues to improve itself. From their earliest platform I find that NFG continues to improve and maximize the end user experience • Easier DAMN reporting
PROSEverything! Set up was a breeze and with NFG I could hit the ground running
CONSHaven't found a con yet, NFG suits our current needs perfectly
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Cutting edge technology and
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
My personal opinion is BB is still around due to it's past reputation and outrageous fee structure. Dinosaurs and the learning curve is way to steep for 1 single user. Frankly, I truly can’t say enough about my experience with NFG, from my first contact with the reps several years ago, to today’s webinar on “end of the year fundraising”. We are still in the beginning stages of our capital campaign, and I want to be transparent, I am not a NFG power user yet, as I currently serve as the EA for the CEO and support to our Workforce Development department and Marketing. When I was in the research stage of donor crm platform options, I compared, 3 desktop and 3 web/cloud based platforms; listed the pros/cons, as well as called references of similar organizations (I was Admin Dir for a Boys and Girls club for 5 yrs). In other words be able to sell the cost to our Board of Directors, we needed something more than an excel spreadsheet. I don’t want to minimize that other programs aren’t worthwhile; there are many factors that went into my decision. What I can say is… I’d rather use a program that’s efficient AND enhances my work life…rather than something that I have to battle to master, NFG was #1 and best choice for us. The fact that thru my many interactions and work with NFG confirms choice it was the RIGHT choice and icing on the cake.
Hossein
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed December 2020
Software is software but what makes NfG different is the people
Excellent and easy deployment.
PROSAs with any software we do run into problems from time to time. What we have come to depend on is that everytime we run into a problem, we get a solution from the support team. In terms of functionality, the things we like the most are: - Email toll is easy to use, setup and send - Ticket Sales - We are a community center so pre-COVID we did lots of in-house events, and post-COVID we now do lots of virtual events. Its been great for both uses - Creating Donation Pages - The WYSIWYG editor is intuitive and easy to use. Setting up new donation pages takes just a few minutes! - End of Year reporting - Pretty self-explanatory - Quickbook Integration -
CONSThere are a few features, and I would really describe it as bells and whistles that would be nice to have. But value to feature to money it really is tough to beat Network for Good.
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Price, service, ease of use and value
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
We needed a easier to use platform for our smaller non-profit
Jacqueline
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used daily for less than 12 months
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed June 2021
An immense help!
I cannot say enough great things about Network for Good. Even when first considering Network for Good, the staff I spoke to really made me feel like they truly cared about me and the organization and the work we do. From the first sentence spoken, they made me feel valued...it/I wasn't just another sale. Throughout all these months as a customer, staff has reached out to check in and have made me feel even more valued. With Network for Good, our donations have more than doubled from last year!
PROSNetwork for Good’s Donor Management System so simple to use and lays out my stats so nicely. It has taken a load off of me when preparing for Board & Development Committee meetings, and it also has been an incredible help with sending email blasts and thanking donors. As we all know, relationships take time, and with our organization being only 5 years old, Network for Good has helped us make those relationships much stronger through the easy-to-use email blasts, grouping of contacts, donor segmentation, etc. I would be remiss if I didn't mentioned that I was paired with a coach when we purchased Network for Good and how phenomenal my coach was! He helped instill confidence and guided me in my first months, and I have excelled in this role with immense thanks to my coach and Network for Good.
CONSCreating a campaign could be streamlined a little bit, but it's still very nicely laid out for simple set up.
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
The care I received and how valued I felt through the choosing process What you got for the money The option for a coach!!!!
Vendor Response
HI Jacqueline, Thanks for reviewing us! Wow - we're so excited to hear about how your process for board & development meetings has been simplified. Great job personalizing your donors' experiences and being able to grow your good as a result of our fundraising software. So excited to hear about your positive relationship with your coach, and that you know you are valued by us. It means a lot that you've taken the time to review us. These comments help us continually improve! Kathleen
Replied December 2021
Jenn
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed June 2022
The Go to for Fundraising Softwares
I would highly recommend NFG to anyone looking to have an easy way to accept online gifts or tickets for events and keep track of their donors, including communications. NFG has saved us valuable time and money. The customer service team is wonderful and always there to help with any questions or concerns. It is easy to migrate data to NFG, and a team is there with you every step of the way.
PROSNFG is truly an all-in-one software for nonprofit database, donation, and communications. No more trying to integrate with multiple softwares. NFG makes it easy to group supporters/donors and segment communications.
CONSNFG is constantly integrating new ideas and upgrades to its software. I would like to be able to easily group contacts who have started peer campaigns but that is not an option at this time. There isn't a volunteer database, sign-up side to this software.
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
I had previously used NFG at another organization and couldn't imagine using another software. The constant additions to make the software better, the feeling like the customers have a voice and the ease of use makes it the best system.
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Donor Perfect didn't have a good way of communicating with donors, reports were hard to pull and the online giving pages were years behind where they should be.
Vendor Response
Hi Jenn, Thanks for the review! We're excited to receive this feedback because it means we're accomplishing our mission of helping nonprofits grow their good. We'll share your comments with our product team and use it to help us continually improve. Thanks so much for being a Network for Good customer! Keep doing awesome things :) Kathleen
Replied July 2022
Kate
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
1
EASE OF USE
2
VALUE FOR MONEY
2
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
2
FUNCTIONALITY
1
Reviewed February 2023
Greatly disappointed
We regret switching to Network for Good and are in search of a replacement.
PROSHaving email and text messaging integrated with the donor management function is very helpful.
CONSThere are a lot of features lacking, and they are not receptive to feedback/requests for improvements or changes. The reporting customization options leave a lot to be desired in comparison to our previous system. Many things that seem like they should be easy to automate must be done manually. They accept PayPal, and they offer no way to charge donor cards. Constituent addresses are automatically shortened (e.g.: Street becomes St), which creates a lot of extra work when generating a mailing where we want addresses fully spelled out on the envelope. Peer-to-peer fundraising is clunky and siloed in a different place than other donations, making reporting difficult.
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
We wanted email and text messaging to be integrated with donor management, but we are strongly considering switching back to Neon because everything else worked better under that system.
Vendor Response
Hi Kate, Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad to hear that you are finding our all-in-one communications tools useful for building relationships with your donors. I'm passing this along to our product team who are always looking for ways to improve our reporting and giving tools. We really appreciate you taking the time to review us and thanks for being a Network for Good customer! Kathleen
Replied March 2023
Midge
Performing Arts, 11-50 employees
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2021
Recent migration from ticket based system
Really very good
PROSEase of use. Well organized. Competively maintained.
CONSThere is always something that needs to be improved. My sense is that NFG is committed to staying ahead of the curve with this issue. Would love to have a more streamlined process to track couples with different last names. Users with different email addresses can be an issue. And in NYC, tracking households by mailing address in white glove buildings where Apt numbers are often not used can be problematic
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Blackbaud is too robust and complicated for our needs. Give Lively is not robust enough. NFG is a good fit for our organization.
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Spektrix is more focused on ticketing. We need donor data.
Ben
Non-Profit Organization Management, 11-50 employees
Used daily for less than 6 months
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed March 2021
A review from someone who never writes reviews
Overwhelmingly positive. If you're a development director, at least consider looking into this software. It has made my job so much easier. I am not someone who gushes for companies or products often, but this has made my life/job SO much easier, I am NFG's newest and biggest microphone. 10/10 would recommend
PROSThe simplicity. Anyone who is reading this who is thinking of getting out of eTapestry or something because of how ludicrously non-intuitive it is, this is your software. I love how straight forward and user friendly it is. Everything just makes sense and is so easy to use.
CONSI honestly don't really any glaring con, at least yet. It took me a second to figure out the texting aspect but doing a quick webinar with them explained everything. Every small issue I've had was easily explained by their help desk or webinars or whatever. Very easy to get help, unlike past platforms we've been on
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
We looked at a bunch of platforms, I don't even remember which one. [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN], a rep for NFG, reached out to me. Maybe she's just a good sales woman but something looked different about this platform. Nothing was too pushy or salesy and everything was so user friendly, from the emails to the website to the sales process.
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Because eTapestry is one of the most infuriating platforms I've ever worked with. Nothing is straight forward, no customer service, the design is not user friendly... even cancelling the services was a pain after paying thousands of dollars for over a decade.
Mark
Religious Institutions, 2-10 employees
Used daily for less than 6 months
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed June 2021
Cost effective 1-stop solution for non profits
I was forced to learn to use NFG without notice because Constant Contact obsoleted our templates without any warning (they sent eMails to our accounting staff who had no clue what the messages meant, but no warnings got to me, the person that creates the messages). Learning to use it was easier than I imagined. Most importantly lots of online help when I needed it (which was immediately!)
PROSVery easy to use. I do the eMail marketing for our organization and it is very competitive feature wise with other stand-alone applications like Constant Contact. One of the features I really like is when I copy/paste text into an email with URL links in the text, the links come with the text. Saves a lot of time!
CONSLack of ability to mix text and graphics in a single block of an eMail limits your design flexibility. Small inconveniences like having to manually enter test message eMail addresses every time you send one makes creating messages where you are going to have 4-6 revisions with a test message between each a cumbersome. Lack of folders for graphic items makes finding them a bit more difficult. Lastly, when you send test messages, there is no way to make comments to the reviewers. I just add a text box at the top of the message and put my comments regarding each revision in there. It's on me to remember to delete that block before the message gets send out to our users. This scares me as things get urgent when we get to the finish line and I'm afraid someday I'm going to forget to delete that block, or the system is going to glitch and send it out accidentally!
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
I was forced to learn to use NFG for creating our eMails without notice because Constant Contact had obsoleted our templates without any warning (they had sent eMails to our accounting staff who had no clue what the messages meant, but no warnings to me, the person using the application that creates the messages). The organization I create the messages for decided they liked the other capabilities of Networking for Good, and asked me to learn to use NFG. I think it was a good decision for many reasons. From my perspective, who needs a vendor that has so little understanding of how customers use their product to put them in such a bind?
Cheryl
Philanthropy, 501-1,000 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed June 2021
Network for Good - a partner in our fundraising success.
Overall, I am very pleased with Network for Good and have seen amazing results in the level of fundraising we've been able to experience thanks to the platform. As I stated earlier, the customer service I've received from Network for Good at all levels is second to none and I credit a lot of my fundraising successes to the work I've done with [SENSITIVE CONTENT] as my coach. Additionally, I love the video, email, and text tools integrated into the platform and use these regularly.
PROSThe things I like best about Network for Good include access to an excellent fundraising coach. [SENSITIVE CONTENT] is the team I don't have otherwise. Someone I can bounce ideas off of, and who can give me a professional and outside perspective about campaigns, events, etc., and new ways to look at fundraising. I like Network for Good's overall platform and interface. When I began working for CMCA two years ago I was able to quickly learn the system and do at least the basic things to ensure that donations were being recorded, acknowledged, and that donors were being kept informed about the work they were supporting. As I've been using Network for Good more, I've gotten better at using the analytics and reporting tools more effectively and efficiently and have fallen in love with the tools available to do individual and group video thank yous or updates and to text donors. I use the email and letter portions of the platform frequently and appreciate the variety of preset options available but also appreciate the ability to customize things as I want to. The customer service provided by Network for Good is second to none.
CONSReporting is the area that I am least confident about. Understanding how to pull a report can be complex at times and often when I pull reports using what I believe to be the right criteria, I get varied results making me question whether I'm using the reporting functions correctly or whether the reports are as accurate as they should be. While there are some preset filters available, I believe a survey to find out the most common reports used by your clients might be helpful to allow your team to set up these reports for folks to use. There is a certain set of knowledge a person needs to have to understand how to pull reports from databases, and honestly, it takes time to learn this, making this piece a little more user-friendly and more "reliable" data-wise would be helpful. All this is to say, I suspect the variances I get from the reports I pull are due to my own mistakes. I suspect someone who has lots of experience in pulling reports would get more consistent results. I am a one-person team, though, responsible for a lot of things in addition to fundraising, so some things to help ease this process would be appreciated.
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
N/A
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Network for Good is a more robust platform with the tools necessary to properly steward our donors!
Dyna
Fund-Raising, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2021
Fundraising for FREE In-Home Care Assistance
Overall, Network for Good has made digital donations extremely accessible and user-friendly. Our supporters can update their user information, card information, access donation history and receive a copy of their tax receipts. As for administration, it serves as a great asset in tracking our funding, data analytics, and the areas where improvement is required. We've been able to reach twice as many supporters through the templates and communication features they provide.
PROSNetwork for Good helps us track our monetary donations through both digital and in-person. With the manual entries, we're able to track the support we've received, who it's from, how much, and how often. The acknowledgment feature also helps us reach out to our donors and express our gratitude for their support. The email blasts also increase our engagement with our supporters.
CONSAs a nonprofit, Network for Good satisfies all the criteria we look for in a donation and database platform. We are able to track donations, supporters, overall progress, yearly fundraising, etc. The communication tools integrated into the platform serves a great purpose in our donor engagement. There is, however, limited templates to use for email blasts and newsletter. I've found myself having to resort to third-party platforms to create infographics and content to implement in our newsletters. Nonetheless, it's a great asset to our organization's success.
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Based on the feedback and recommendations of our Fiscal Sponsor, we tried out Network for Good for the initial launch of BLISS. For the last two years, it has served a key role in our fundraising and data entry. We highly recommend it!
Cindy
Non-Profit Organization Management, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed September 2022
Network for Good
Our overall experience with Network for Good is very positive. We usually send a physical newsletter out in summer, but we just had too much on our plate this summer. Network for Good allowed us to make the decision to pivot and I was able to put together an email blast in far less time and without the expense of the mailing.
PROSIn my role as executive director I like to know a lot of metrics. Network for Good provides a wide range of reporting options allowing me to hone in on exactly what I am looking for. I also appreciate that I can create my own tasks, enter notes on recent donor interactions and even upload images of thank you notes I have sent to donors. This is especially helpful before I make the next contact. I can look up the note and be reminded that I spoke to a donor and they told me they have 3 cats. The next time I call them I can say, "oh, and how are the cats doing." It really helps to personalize and tailor the interaction.
CONSI am disappointed that to fully utilize all of the new additional features we have to pay for the elite version. It is cost prohibitive for us as a small animal shelter on a limited budget. We recently mapped our Network for Good with Quickbooks online. This has reduced a lot of redundancy, but a con is that I lose visibility to some detail so still have to go into both systems if I need to see the detail.
Vendor Response
Hi Cindy, Thanks for the review! It's exciting to hear about all the ways our software has helped your nonprofit achieve its goals and personalize your relationships with your donors. It means a lot that you've taken the time to review us. I will forward these onto our product team to hear your feedback. These comments help us continually improve! Kathleen
Replied November 2022
Devan
Non-Profit Organization Management, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
3
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed February 2023
Pros and Cons for a Small Nonprofit
I am overall very happy with our use of NFG for our DMS.
PROSThe system is very intuitive and easy to learn and subsequently use. It was a great next step for our organization in terms of adopting a DMS that went above an beyond a very simple system that ultimately dealt in spreadsheets. We love to use the video feature and often use the built-in communications platforms for easy communication with our donors. Generally, I am pleased with the filtering options and functionality, although there are some pieces to that the I would like to see changed or added. It is great to have the option to export and import data with ease
CONSI have had ongoing issues with the direct mail feature. Despite several chats with the support team and attempts to edit the original templates to our direct mail letters, I continue to have issues with the formatting. It would also be ideal to be able to export the letters to both Word and PDF so that edits could be made via Word when those edits are not possible in NFG.As well, it would be great to be able to add attachments to gift entries. For example, when a donor makes a gift via check, I would like to be able to attach the scan of the check and the scan of the signed acknowledgement letter. An additional feature that would be extremely helpful would be to filter on pledges and tasks. This would be incredibly helpful when pulling reports for our Development Committee and Board.Finally, and this is minor, it would be helpful to have the ability to search within the filter field - in other words, instead of scrolling through the drop down list to find a category to filter on (i.e. donation date, address, etc), it would be possible to search the list from the top by typing in the field I am looking for.
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Ultimately it was the opportunity through Robins Foundation to participate in JumpStart and a yearlong paid subscription. However, I have used several databases in my development work and prior to signing up for the program, I did a tutorial of the software and was happy with the functionality.
Reasons for switching to Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Because we were offered the opportunity to participate in the JumpStart program through a local foundation's grant, and a yearlong paid subscription to NFG. We were using a very rudimentary system before and actively looking for a new DMS. This opportunity came at the perfect time and NFG was a good fit for what we were looking for.
Rebekah
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used daily for less than 6 months
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed September 2016
Easy to use and time-saving donor management system
Our small nonprofit struggled with finding a way to manage our donors and Network For Good (NFG) provided a perfect solution. The amount of time I save with the software automating many of the data entry I used to do manually is incredible. That it is cloud based and multiple users can access means that I am no longer the only person who can access our financial numbers and donor contacts, so the bookkeeper and key stakeholders can access the information they need without having to go through me.
PROS-Time saving through data automation -Ease of use, both for understanding the system and navigation through the pages -Quick response from customer support << so important! -Willingness of customer support to take suggestions to improve the database -The increase in donors selecting options that directly increase giving, specifically paying processing fees and opting for recurring donations, is making a big difference to our organization's bottom line -Clear visual represenations of the data to quickly understand recent activity and to see the financial progress -Integrated emailing through Constant Contact--a system we already use--helps to communicate easier with small segments of our donors, making them feel more into the organization -Customizable event registration integrated into the database is HUGE for us since a large portion of our donations are collected in relation to trips and dinners.
CONS-The emails sent through the database using Constant Contact aren't completely customizable, I would like to have the link color be controllable so our visual branding is consistent across platforms. -The two portals to access the NFG websites (donor database and the dashboard for our the account) were difficult to differentiate at first since they both open to a dashboard--it took weeks for my people to understand the difference (my people tend to be over 65 and less computer savvy) -Custom questions asked during checkout still have to be entered manually--this should be automated -I am still new to the system and discovering things that are a little off from what I am used to with the previous way we dealt with our donors, however, NFG is very responsive to helping me find work arounds that utilize the features of the software
Gale
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used daily for less than 6 months
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed July 2023
Just working out the kinks
The more I learn the more I like. Now that we are getting into accepting and recording snd acknowledging new donations, I’m liking it more and more.
PROSCommunication tools are the best! I look forward to using them more. We’ve gotten great feedback on the video emails. I’ve done 2 IIndividual video emails and the a groups video to over 200 donors. So far the response she was great.
CONSOnboarding was difficult. Although your staff was helpful. Our organization had run of excel spread sheets. The system was working but becoming unwieldy. Transferring this over with donation years back to 2015 was difficult. Also, not allowing us to filter by our external ID that we consistently used meant many duplicates due to some differences and a system with less than half with emails. I think we are better but to even see our ID I have to click and scroll to find snd the only way to double check for duplicates is to export a spreadsheet. Makes me wonder why you didn’t give us a way to use it. Sorry. I have sent a suggestion in but told you only let us put in the contact info but not be able to filter with this.
Reason for choosing Bonterra Guided Fundraising
The communication tools are so easy and easy to access. With Do or Perfect they are an add on. Hate to say, but they use external ID numbers as another way to link donations and identify donors
Vendor Response
Hey Gale, thanks for taking the time to review us! It's really exciting to hear that you've gotten such a positive response from your video messages - sounds like great fundraising on your part! As for your onboarding, I'm sorry to hear that we missed the mark. There are several ways to check for and merge duplicates, and we know it is a thorough process if you are self-onboarding (especially with 8 years of data!). If you reply here or send me an email, I would be happy to set up some time with our onboarding team or customer support :) With that said, I have a feeling you will continue to like it more and more! Keep up the great work - Kathleen
Replied August 2023