136 - Donor Databases 101 (Fundraising Databases, Reports, Changing Databases): Andrew Robison

While we start this episode with a joke, donor databases are a very serious matter. As you'll learn in this Q+A with Petrus president, Andrew Robison, choosing the right donor database can make a world of difference in your fundraising capabilities. Andrew and Rhen kick off their discussion on donor databases with an explanation of why organizations need to invest in a fundraising database instead of relying on spreadsheets of donor info. From there, they share tips about what to look for when purchasing donor databases. Specifically, Andrew answers the following questions: What types of reports do you want your fundraising database to be able to give you?What other things should look for when searching for a new database?When setting up your database, what specialty fields might you want to add? Is there any data we shouldn't include in the database?How much time does your organization need to allocate for database maintenance?What's the process for moving from one database to another?(And, a laugh for your day: Q: Where do dads store dad jokes? A: In a dada-base!)