Story Image:

In the late fall of 2002, The Partnership for the Homeless began to search for a fundraising database that could handle the increased needs and complexity of their fundraising program.

What began as a single emergency shelter in the basement of a New York church in 1982 had grown to serve thousands of men, women, and children in response to the ever increasing homeless population of New York City. That growing need led to expanded services and programs which required additional funding, donations of goods, and access from multiple locations around the city. A system was needed that could meet the current requirements in a cost effective manner, while providing a foundation for their inevitable growth.

By early 2003, The Partnership for the Homeless was up and running on eTapestry after a successful data conversion from their Excel database. eTapestry provided the functionality that was needed then, and is growing with The Partnership for the Homeless to meet their needs today and tomorrow.

"It can grow and grow with unlimited user defined fields", said Kristina Silbajoris, Development Associate at The Partnership for the Homeless. "At first we started using it simply for our financial fundraising efforts but we are in the process of implementing it at Furnish a Future, a program that accepts furniture donations and provides that furniture to newly housed families free of charge. We have also added many user defined fields for our foundation and corporate grant tracking."

Providing services across New York City also meant they needed easy access from a variety of locations. "Since eTapestry is web-based our Brooklyn office can access the data, even though our main office is in midtown Manhattan. I can even work on it from home if needed!" added Silbajoris.

Because The Partnership for the Homeless provides a wide range of services and programs, good training and support were critical for Silbajoris, and she knows good service when she sees it. “One of the things that I like best is the support. I've dealt with other fundraising databases and never spoke to support because they were impossible to get in touch with. With eTapestry I'm able to email them my questions and get answers quickly. There have been times that I just haven't been able to figure something out, or my computer was acting up, so they ran exports for me and sent me the files."

The web-based aspect of eTapestry also provided some additional benefits. "The other great aspect of support is the fact that they actually use the customer feedback to improve eTapestry", stated Silbajoris. “When they make improvements to the functionality it goes into effect right away. With other databases, you can wait months, even years for new versions of a program to be developed and then you may have to pay for the new version. I have lost count how many new improvements they have made since we bought eTapestry. Plus, when they have new functions, they promote them with teaser videos on the log-in screen. The videos actually show you how to use the new functions as well."

As The Partnership for the Homeless continues to expand and innovate in their effort to help the citizens of New York, they can rely on their fundraising software to grow and innovate with them. Added Silbajoris, "I have to say that I'm very happy with it."

About the Partnership for the Homeless: The Partnership for the Homeless is committed to partnering with the faith community, neighborhood-based organizations, business and government to attack the root causes of homelessness and empower homeless people to leave the city's streets and shelters for lives of independence and financial stability. You can learn more by visiting www.partnershipforthehomeless.org.

About eTapestry: eTapestry is the leading provider of web-based fundraising software and services for nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes. Since 1999 over 5000 nonprofits around the world have selected eTapestry to manage their donor, prospect, gift, and communication records. As a web-based application, eTapestry allows organizations to access their data from any Internet connection. All system maintenance, software updates, and backups are handled by eTapestry, allowing organizations to focus on their mission and not their fundraising software. Learn more at www.etapestry.com.