Disappointed

We purchased Sustain through Rediker because we were told that it would interact with FinACS. While I am still under the impression that there can be communication, we can't figure out how. Communication only goes one way, and that is a concern because we would be transferring accounting information from Development to Accounting. Not comfortable. Additionally, there seems to only be one person who can help us understand Sustain, and he is not good at customer service. Every conversation I have had with him has been uncomfortable at best. I am bright and pick up software easily and still always leave my calls with him feeling stupid, and yet doing everything in my power to not call back, just figure it out on my own. I am sure Sustain has more capabilities than I know, but I feel like I need to take an Access class in order to really utilize the program. The price we paid for the product and the service is outrageous in my opinion and we are almost 2 years in and just barely scraping by with our information. Certainly, I can't find the reports I need and customizing just seems overwhelming. If I had this decision to make over again, I would not choose Sustain. Unfortunately since we've already invested so much, changing just isn't an option at this point. We were brought in by Rediker, but your relationship with them is tenuous at best. Their customer service, which is fantastic, can't help me with your product. And no one REALLY understands how the programs are supposed to integrate. I would carefully consider that fact when cross selling.

Pros

not sure

Cons

ease of access to information

Sustain Review from Sacred Heart

Every time I call I get great customer service. Love the new update! The ease of use is very easy. Customer rep is always so nice and willing to help me in any way.

Pros

The ease of use. The new update is easier to add attributes in and user to see what they donated without clicking a lot. i also like in the reports you do not have to get out of them and reenter to pull another report.

Cons

I would like to learn more about cleaning up the software. The previous Development Director entered several of the same address in different ways which makes a lot of extra addresses and sends several copies of things to the same address. I have ran reports and cleaned up a lot of the database but it still needs cleaning.

Great Customer Service Experience

In terms of Alumni Relations the software is geared more toward fundrasing, but with the great level of customer support I have received, it does the job.

Pros

Ease of use

Cons

Very geared to fundrasing and less geared toward Alumni Relations. Fundrasing is possible because of Alunmni so the software should be more robust for keeping track of alumni.

Donation management

Overall the software provides me with the information I need. Because it is so multi-faceted, attending training is mandatory. Even after my initial training I find myself clicking around to intuitively get, for instance, the report I need. It would behoove new users to make a list of all the ways you plan or foresee using the product and choose the level of training necessary. And take copious notes because you'll need them for tasks that you do only periodically. I'm certain I'm not using it to its fullest capabilities.

Pros

It's relational. Can record a number of characteristics about each record.

Cons

Unable to generate letters with exactly the write salutation and return address name.

Very Intuitive

From the first day Sustain was installed I have found the software easy to use. And the rarity I have encountered a question, great customer service!

Pros

Very intuitive.

Cons

No user manual.

sustain experience

it has been a fairly positive experience. it would be helpful to have free, regular, short web based training sessions on specific topics (similar to what rediker does for their software) more documentation, with samples of best practices some parts are a little clunky and difficult to navigate. perhaps info when hovering (i.e., "use xx for xxx")

Pros

integration to school MIS system

Cons

lack of documentation, perhaps too many options. if the software is truly for schools then it might not need to be quite as robust

Love Sustain

Great Service when I call.

Pros

I love the report system for the donations. I like how I can transfer to other programs in order to save to my files and also email them to others. I also like that it lets me know when there is an address close to another one in case it's the same address.

Cons

I am not a fan of the latest update to plug in donations. I have to go to another part under the person to put it in and before it would go straight to it to enter.

Affordable with some bells...

They're professional, know their stuff, and very helpful!

Pros

The price of this is something that just about any organization or development professional should consider. While the bells & whistles don't hold a candle to Raiser's Edge, or some of the other "cadillac" versions of donor software, you're not paying an exorbitant sum, either. For a more modest office, this is great.

Cons

Reports, reports, reports. Every donor software's issue will come down to reports– how easy it is to find the information you've so meticulously entered. While Sustain has some excellent qualities, like all budget donor software, you lose out on the report customization & dashboard (at a glance).

Sustain Review

The best thing about the Sustain database system is that it works with the Rediker products so that I can bring the information into my advancement office with little effort. The training is important to learn so you can take advantage of all the options. I find the support is excellent and always get a quick answer and willingness to work with me to find the answer.

Great Software for Fundraisers!

Accessible, intuitive and a bargain. I have worked with the Sustain team for years and you can't beat the hands on customer service. Why overpay for useless features overpriced technical support?

Pros

Logical interface, customer support, easy to use and train others

Cons

A little cumbersome with Macs

Review of Sustain

Support staff has been incredible and responsive. They work with us to create the kinds of reports we need. I am not a database expert, but even I can figure out intuitively how to perform most functions.

Pros

How intuitive it is. Tracks most all important data we need. Team works with us to add new functionalities to improve it. I love that I can access it from home if I need to.

Cons

The Platform of Ericom that we use to connect is sometimes not consistent, but I don't think this is Sustain's fault.

Overall positive experience

Sustain has overall been a positive experience. Customer support has been prompt and helpful. In running reports or mail merges, there can be an excessive lag, but I think that is because it our system is hosted. My feeling is that if we were running the software locally, there would not be this lag.