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With 9 established fundraising and volunteer programs to coordinate, the staff at Senior Resources in Columbia, SC needed a software solution that would offer convenience as well as features to facilitate their potential growth. When Annie Eveleigh, Director of Development for Senior Resources, started 7 years ago she discovered that they were using several different databases to store and track their information. Annie knew that converting everything into one centralized database was the only way information could be streamlined for efficient tracking and reporting purposes.

While Annie was familiar with other database programs she had utilized at previous jobs, she wanted to see what was currently available for a non-profit of their size. As an AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) Chamberlain Scholar, Annie attended the AFP International Conference where she saw a presentation on eTapestry. She was immediately interested in the web-based program and met with Jay Love, Founder and CEO of eTapestry, to discuss some of the options eTapestry had to offer. The convenience of a web-based product and the affordable maintenance fees sold Annie and the rest of the Senior Resources staff. Five years later Annie says that they "couldn't be happier about their decision to go with eTapestry."

In addition to the convenience of the product, Annie has been very pleased with the Advanced Email feature and the Online Giving options.

"After we looked at the return on investment and how we could maximize our resources, we began to focus on the features of eTapestry we could better utilize" said Annie. "We send out quarterly newsletters to over 5,000 constituents, so when we looked at trimming the development office budget, one of the ways I suggested was sending e-newsletters 2 of the 4 times. We also stopped sending mailed announcements of special events - we send all those invites via email now to folks who participated in previous years and folks who expressed an interest in the event."

Annie states that the Online Giving page has been "just wonderful". For almost 38 years, donors gave to Senior Resources the old fashion way - by check in the mail - so she anticipated a tough sell to get them to move to online.

Senior Resources started with an online donation page for their "The Gift that Gives Again" holiday card campaign in late 2006. They were so pleased with the results that they added another online donation page for their "March for Meals" fundraiser in the spring of 2007. "We began promoting the online donation option in email blasts, e-newsletters, brochures and on our website," said Annie.

Needless to say, the results were amazing! "Since the incorporation of the online donation pages the registrations for our 'March for Meals 5K at Riverbanks' have tripled!", Annie added.

Senior Resources could not be happier with the impact that the online donation capability has had on their donations. They are also very pleased that the rise in volume of donations has not created a heavier workload because the online donations flow seamlessly into their fully integrated eTapestry database with no additional data entry needed.

"We've offered an online donation option with our holiday card campaign "The Gift that Gives Again" the past 2 years," stated Annie. "Since this is an established campaign and many people are accustomed to giving through mail donations, the biggest benefit from that option is that it makes our data entry time less stressful. The holiday card campaign can have as many as 1,000 entries in a short period of time, so you can imagine how much it helps if they are done online! We wish everyone would register or donate online...maybe, some day."

About Senior Resources
Senior Resources is a non-profit organization that provides coordinated services, resources and personal choices to promote healthy, independent living through the support of staff and volunteers. Since 1967 Senior Resources has provided a variety of choices to Columbia area seniors & families by offering established programs for home care, transportation, senior volunteers, meal delivery and much, much more. Senior Resources currently touches over 2,000 lives each day in the Midlands of SC through their 9 programs. For more information on Senior Resources please visit www.seniorresourcesinc.org.

About eTapestry
Since its release as the first web-based fundraising software for nonprofits in 1999, eTapestry has grown to a leadership position with over 5000 nonprofit customers worldwide. eTapestry provides On-Demand fundraising solutions, including a donor database, website development, ecommerce, and advanced email. To learn more, visit us at www.etapestry.com, or call us at 888-739-3827. eTapestry is a Blackbaud Company.

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Virtual offices take on new meanings

Leslie Folkerth doesn't let a little water stand between her and her ability to delve into the donor database of Delta Sigma Phi, a century-old fraternity that began at the City College of New York.

Folkerth's floating office—aboard a 32-foot Nordic Tug—consists of a PDA, printer and a laptop equipped with a powerful Internet air card that allows her to grab an Internet connection about 95 percent of the time.

Vistas from the Hudson River, Erie Canal, Oswego Canal and Trent Severn Canal serve as real-life desktop wallpaper as she navigates her workload while savoring the sights of the Great Loop, a continuous waterway through the Atlantic Seaboard, across the Great Lakes, through the inland rivers, and around the Gulf of Mexico.

Folkerth's consistent Internet connection keeps her in touch with eTapestry, which holds the fraternity's Web-based donor database, and allows her to pull queries and answer the questions of her colleagues, many of whom are communicating from their virtual offices.

Folkerth's boss at Charitable Partners, a consulting firm that handles Delta Sigma Phi's fundraising, agreed to allow her to work 10 hours a week while taking her year-long cruise of the Great Loop. Instead of working from her Florida office with colleagues in North Carolina, California and Michigan, she would be in transit most of the time.

"I looked at my job responsibilities and tried to figure out what I could do easily while traveling and what would be inconvenient, such as getting to post offices for annual fund mailings," Folkerth said. "I've found that working on the boat is not a whole lot different from the home office, only not as convenient."

Although she's using the Internet at Wi-Fi speeds, which are slower than her home high-speed cable connection, Folkerth said the connections are still fast enough to help her get her work completed in a reasonable amount of time.

Folkerth's colleague, Randy Peterson, also leverages technology using eTapestry, but while experiencing a different mode of transportation.

Peterson spends a huge amount of his time in airplanes and airports while commuting across the country to visit prospective donors for Delta Sigma Phi. When eTapestry Mobile debuted in 2006, allowing customers to access their databases via PDA, Peterson dropped his four-pound laptop from his carry-on luggage.

"It gives me peace of mind knowing that I can access the most important information about our organization—which is our database—through my PDA seven days a week, 24 hours a day," Peterson said.

Peterson, who is on the road two or three weeks a month, said he always uses this PDA to access Delta Sigma Phi's database in eTapestry and check on giving history and contact information. He also uses eTapestry's integration with MapQuest to find directions to his contacts' locations.

eTapestry Mobile is especially helpful when checking on last-minute information entered into the database just before a visit with a prospective donor, Peterson said. He's often found that these last-minute donation entries give him clues on how large of a donation his prospect might make.

"I think eTapestry is a wonderful tool for people who are out on the road traveling to raise money for their organization," Peterson said. "It's one of the best tools that's been available in my 10 years of development work. It gives you everything you need."

About eTapestry

Founded in 1999, Indianapolis-based eTapestry is the first Web-based donor database and communications management system that rents its software to customers who access it over the Internet. Nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes using eTapestry.com do not pay the large upfront purchasing costs or the ongoing maintenance and support contracts typically paid in the purchase of more traditional software. For more information, go to www.eTapestry.com.

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Northwest Children's Home depends on donor details to communicate

As director of marketing and development for Northwest Children's Home in northern Idaho, she wants her donors—many of whom have supported the residential treatment center for 30 years or more—to trust her with their dollars.

Skelton is not alone. Many nonprofit managers worldwide seek to develop more trusting relationships with donors living in an ever-skeptical world.

While the Edelman Annual Trust Barometer ranks non-governmental organizations as the most-trusted institutions in the United States, only a little more than half of the opinion leaders surveyed in 2005 said they trusted non-governmental organizations.

One way Skelton works to establish hard-earned trust is by providing donors with the most detailed and accurate information through eTapestry, her donor database management system.

"I think people expect nonprofits to be responsible," Skelton said. "The integrity of eTapestry's data is great, and this gives donors confidence that we know what we're doing."

Skelton has become so skilled at quickly retrieving data that often she calls up a name in eTapestry as she identifies the donor on her Caller ID. By the time she answers the phone and the donor is ready to ask her a specific question, she has pulled up the appropriate record and is prepared to answer.

Many residents in the Pacific Northwest have established a giving pattern with Skelton's nonprofit, which provides a therapeutic living environment for about 80 children at a time. Typically, the nonprofit received tributes and memorials in honor of those who have died. eTapestry allows Skelton to distinguish the tributes from other gifts.

While it was important for her organization with its two distant offices to purchase a Web-based system, eTapestry's attention to detail, especially a relationship feature that ties donors together, was one of two attributes that drew her to the system in 2002.

"eTapestry is a comprehensive system," Skelton said. "It has bells and whistles in being able to capture a lot of detail. That really sold me when looking at it."

With 10,000 donor records and an $8 million operating budget, that detail is paramount to helping Skelton recall key facts about her donors. Often, before meeting in-person with donors away from the office, Skelton said she uses her PDA and a wireless connection to access donor information in her eTapestry database.

Skelton will also research donors' histories before writing thank-you notes and reviews their cumulative giving record. While many of the nonprofits' donors give small donations, they donate every year and over many years.

"I like to show them the impact of their gifts to the children over time," Skelton said. "Because we have our data easily accessible in the system, we can truthfully report what they have given and for what. It's another way to illustrate that we are open and that we keep track of things."

In addition to eTapestry's detail, Skelton said her decision to choose eTapestry was also impacted by the way in which the system was created. Christie Love, wife of eTapestry CEO Jay Love, who runs an Indianapolis nonprofit, was instrumental in providing feedback on eTapestry's development.

"That struck a very deep note with me," Skelton said. "One of the founders of the company has nonprofit input and awareness. He lives his life every day with someone who knows what it's like to be in my shoes."

About eTapestry
Founded in 1999, Indianapolis-based eTapestry is the first Web-based donor database and communications management system that rents its software to customers who access it over the Internet. eTapestry serves more than 5,000 nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes that do not pay the large upfront purchasing costs or the ongoing maintenance and support contracts typically paid in the purchase of more traditional software. For more information, go to www.eTapestry.com.

eTapestry assists nonprofit with Web, concert ticket purchases, online giving

Donor information was disappearing. Some was lost in an Access database developed in 1995 that no one really knew how to use anymore. Donors were listed in an Excel spreadsheet that was never quite up to date.

Such was the situation facing Paul Feeney—then development director for the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus—in early 2005.

In addition to not having an efficient way to track donors, the nonprofit was also unable to pull reports and run queries to research key aspects of its marketing efforts to discover what worked.

Feeney knew he had to find a solution that would allow the all-volunteer organization to easily enter and pull donor data. Michael Wachter, the chorus’ marketing director, also saw the search for a new solution as an opportunity to integrate more functions and assist in the marketing of the nonprofit.

Neither wanted a system that was locked into a specific computer or only available to a few people at a time.

"We needed access anytime and anywhere," Wachter said.

Once they determined they needed a system that provided the accessibility of Web-based technology, eTapestry immediately rose to the top of the list as the best Web-based donor management database.

"We latched on to the fact that eTapestry was born as a hosted service," said Feeney, who now serves as president for the nonprofit. "Other systems seemed like software packages that were adapted for the Web."

Another plus was that eTapestry also had the ability to create a Web site for the chorus. And, the chorus Web site could be set up for e-commerce, which would allow for online donations and online purchases of performance tickets. Information for both types of transactions would be funneled back to the eTapestry database and securely stored.

"eTapestry offers tools and applications to track volunteers, donors and ticket buyers through one system," Wachter said. "It's definitely one-stop shopping."

The chorus took immediately advantage of eTapestry's Web abilities by purchasing Web site design and e-commerce functions.

About 40 percent of the chorus' season tickets were sold via the Web this season, with season ticket holders' 2006 purchases up 15 percent over 2005 purchases. Customers also appreciated lower ticket prices because they didn’t have to pay markup expenses from a third-party vendor. Because of the response rate, the chorus will move individual ticket sales to the Web for its next season, Wachter said.

Wachter knows eTapestry's electronic communication abilities are impacting the chorus because Web traffic spikes every time he distributes an e-newsletter, embedded with Web site links, to the chorus' mailing list.

By using eTapestry's enhanced graphics e-mail capability, Wachter is able to bring in chorus images from other promotional material to reinforce the chorus' messages to its target audiences. For example, an ad promoting the group's 70s concert featured a disco ball that was also used in a card delivered through the postal service and in the e-newsletter.

"The e-newsletter is an inexpensive way to give coherency and consistency to our marketing campaign," Wachter said.

In addition to marketing benefits, both Feeney and Wachter were looking for a system supported by helpful employees.

Wachter, who works in marketing in the for-profit world, had first-hand knowledge of the range of possibilities that exist for customer support.

"I have helped purchase systems for nonprofits and businesses. Good support is always an issue," Wachter said. "When I have to call the help desk, is someone actually going to answer the phone?"

Feeney and Wachter said they have been extremely pleased with eTapestry's high level of support and response time.

"I had plenty of silly questions and they were always great with me," Feeney said. "Typically, I experience no holding on a call and they are responsive to e-mail questions."

About eTapestry
Founded in 1999, Indianapolis-based eTapestry is the first Web-based donor database and communications management system that rents its software to customers who access it over the Internet. eTapestry serves more than 5,000 nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes that do not pay the large upfront purchasing costs or the ongoing maintenance and support contracts typically paid in the purchase of more traditional software. For more information, go to www.eTapestry.com.

eTapestry keeps donor records intact for health foundation

Employees at the Methodist Health System Foundation escaped New Orleans with their families before Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in late August 2005.

They left behind a foundation office submerged in more than four feet of water that covered their computer hard drives sitting on floors, soaked hard copy records in filing cabinets and destroyed computer disks sitting on desks.

In spite of the loss of records, Tiffany Carter-Morris, working in an apartment in Houston, Tex., where she evacuated with her husband and young son, was able to mail out tax receipts to those donors who had given the nonprofit $75 or more before the tax deadline.

Carter-Morris, the foundation’s community development director, used Web-based eTapestry, a donor database management system, to retrieve her donors’ records and coordinate the mailing. eTapestry stores nonprofit information off-site in secure server facilities staffed by technical support people around the clock.

"I know one thing is safe," Carter-Morris recalled telling her president. "I know our donor database is safe. No matter how much water we got, those records are safe."

She was right. While the alphabetized hard copy of 2005 donors sitting on her desk got wet, her 5,000 donor records were unharmed by the storm.

Carter-Morris' records, which were switched to eTapestry from a client-based software system four years ago, were securely stored in another state with backup systems in place in case of catastrophic events or equipment failures. From their evacuation sites, Carter-Morris and other employees searched eTapestry for contact information on the foundation’s auxiliary volunteers and others to confirm they were safe.

The foundation was part of the Methodist Hospital in New Orleans, where water had engulfed the first floor. The foundation separated from the hospital in 2004 and became an independent entity when the hospital was sold to a for-profit institution. The hospital is still gutted and empty six months later.

While Carter-Morris returned to her New Orleans house in late March and began old routines of indulging in beignets and café au lait at Café du Monde, the majority of the city is still without electricity and water and gas stations with working pumps are difficult to find.

The hurricane has given the organization a new focus both in its mission and in how it uses technology. The foundation used to offer community wellness grants to local nonprofits, many of which don’t exist post-Katrina. Carter-Morris said the foundation is aiming to make more strategic grants by identifying needs, and nonprofits that can help, and partnering with them.

Hurricane Katrina also taught the nonprofit the value of the Internet, as it was the only mode of consistent communication. Even in March 2006, postal service can take as long as six weeks, she said.

The foundation is moving forward with plans for eTapestry to build its Web site and an online giving page.

"The Internet was in our (New Orleans’) favor," Carter-Morris said. “Had we had our Web site we could have communicated with employees. Without it, we missed our opportunity.”

Carter-Morris is excited about the chance to use eTapestry's e-mail communications to target some of the younger and affluent people moving into New Orleans to help rebuild it.

"One-stop shop for me is an easy sell," Carter Morris said.

About eTapestry
Founded in 1999, Indianapolis-based eTapestry is the first Web-based donor database and communications management system that rents its software to customers who access it over the Internet. eTapestry serves more than 5,000 nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes that do not pay the large upfront purchasing costs or the ongoing maintenance and support contracts typically paid in the purchase of more traditional software. For more information, go to www.eTapestry.com.

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eTapestry opens up more opportunities

Missouri-based Ozark Christian College had raised as much general gift income in the first six months of 2005 as it had raised in all of 2003.

Anya Ansley gives a good portion of the credit to a new way of approaching donors through eTapestry, the college's Web-based donor management system.

Ansley personalized envelopes and letters and swapped the traditional "Dear Christian Friend" salutation with the prospective or past donor's name for the first mass mailing she coordinated in her new job as the college’s Stewardship Department administrative assistant in 2004.

"We saw our response rate go up dramatically," Ansley said. Donors have specifically noted that they liked the fact that their letters were personalized.

This tactic, which she accomplished by merging the college's eTapestry database into a Word document, led to other changes in communicating with the college’s donors.

Using eTapestry's advanced e-mail tool, the college began producing an e-newsletter that provided links allowing alumni and donors to update their own contact information.

"A lot our alumni are on the move, especially the first 10 years after college, so it's been helpful to keep up with all the address changes," Ansley said.

Ozark Christian College's mission is to train men and women for Christian service through an undergraduate Bible college education. Alumni serve throughout the United States and in 40 countries worldwide.

The college's e-newsletter, distributed through eTapestry, helped the college keep in touch with its graduates, many of whom leave the school to become missionaries in rural communities that do not have regular access to mail.

"They may not be able to get the quarterly print newsletter, but alumni will travel to a big city every couple of weeks and get their e-mail," Ansley said.

This more timely access made a huge difference when the college announced that Ken Idleman, president of Ozark Christian College for 26 years, was retiring. The college had set up a fund in Idleman’s name. Ansley credits the immediate outpouring of giving to alumni who were in better contact with the college.

Ansley also has been using eTapestry to pull capital campaign reports on who gives at what level.

"We started realizing the more you put into eTapestry, the more you get out of it," Ansley said. "The more information you have on a donor in the beginning, the more you can do later."

Ansley pulls reports every day and provides them to top-level administrators to review.

"The reports are just so easy and it's not brain surgery to figure out how to do something," she said.

Because of eTapestry’s remote accessibility, Gordon Venturella, former Ozark fundraising director who now serves as a consultant to the college, has been able to assist Ansley from his office in Chicago.

Venturella said he brought eTapestry to the college in 2002 as part of an effort to replace an old mainframe computer.

"I was not going to go through the work of a capital campaign and not have a place to record it electronically," he said. "We needed an economic and easy-to-use solution and eTapestry turned out to be both."

Today, the college stores about 6,000 donor records in eTapestry.

"I have the satisfaction of knowing that others who come after me have a much better foundation to work from because of eTapestry," he said.

Venturella, who has used a variety of donor management systems, said eTapestry stands out for its ease of use and convenience.

"eTapestry is very intuitive," Venturella said. "It has a great value to someone like me who is not particularly a techie and doesn’t have the time or the interest to go to a lot of training just to get it to do what I want to do."

Ozark Christian College is located in Joplin, MO. To learn more visit www.occ.edu.

About eTapestry
Founded in 1999, Indianapolis-based eTapestry is the first Web-based donor database and communications management system that rents its software to customers who access it over the Internet. Nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes using eTapestry do not pay the large upfront purchasing costs or the ongoing maintenance and support contracts typically paid in the purchase of more traditional software. For more information, go to www.eTapestry.com.

West Little Rock church finds ease and cost efficiency in new system

Agape Church was at a crossroads.

Not about its mission, but about its information technology.

The church’s record management software had just mandated that its customers move to a new release because it would no longer support the older version. The new release also required a more powerful server. The price: $20,000. That included hardware and software, not including monthly maintenance costs.

Sharon Zimmerman, network administrator for the Arkansas-based ministry, began to evaluate options for managing her 65,000 records.

"We had used the other software for over 10 years, so we had a lot of information," Zimmerman said. "As with anyone, it’s very important to us. We didn’t want to make a mistake. We took a lot of time with the decision."

And, Zimmerman performed meticulous research. Her attention was captured by eTapestry’s coveted No. 1 spot in user satisfaction in a Campbell Research survey of 2,124 users of donor software program users.

"The pledges are important," Zimmerman said. "That ‘s really big with us because we have a television network. We also have capital campaigns for the church."

This ministry operates two television stations, an elementary school, and a missionary alliance, as well as supports a variety of ministries that focus on a variety of groups and topics, including a children’s ministry and a music and drama ministry. Zimmerman said she took all the church’s donation methods—from telethon to capital campaign pledges—into consideration when evaluating systems.

Once it was determined eTapestry was a good fit for the church, Zimmerman began calculating costs. eTapestry’s conversion fees were half as much as some of the quotes she received from some vendors and its monthly fee was close to what the church would have paid for maintenance fees to stay with its existing software package.

One of eTapestry’s best features is how easy it is to learn, said Zimmerman. About a dozen staff members work in eTapestry. Staff members spend less than one-half day with new users in eTapestry, she said.

"Our past system was complicated for a new person to sit down and use," she said. "A couple of weeks of training would be required before someone could be let loose on their own."

About eTapestry
Founded in 1999, Indianapolis-based eTapestry is the first Web-based donor database and communications management system that rents its software to customers who access it over the Internet. Nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes using eTapestry do not pay the large upfront purchasing costs or the ongoing maintenance and support contracts typically paid in the purchase of more traditional software. For more information, go to www.eTapestry.com.

Pastors focus more on ministry, less on systems

Jay Height, a bi-vocational pastor in Indianapolis, didn't notice that one of the families in his congregation had been regularly missing Sunday services once a month.

That is, until the volunteer staff at Shepherd Community Church of the Nazarene began generating congregation attendance reports in eTapestry for Congregations.

After calling the head of the family, Height discovered that money is particularly tight one week a month, making it difficult to pay for the gas to transport the family to the service.

"Now, we're working with them to pick them up and help them in other ways," Height said.

eTapestry for Congregations has allowed Height to figure out which members of the congregation may be missing services at Shepherd Community Church of the Nazarene and immediately connect with them on Monday to find out why and offer church support.

"As a bi-vocational pastor, one of the most critical and valuable resources I have is time," Height said. "eTapestry helps me manage my time and manage the care for my congregation. It provides a valuable resource to the ministry. When you help me focus on people instead of on programs and systems, you make me a better pastor."

The Web-based application also allows Height and church administrative assistant, Jennie Gibson, to access their congregation records simultaneously or when they are away from the office.

"Our treasurer can use the same information I'm using so we don't have to duplicate records in two households," Gibson said. "Our treasurer can do her entry while she is at home and I can update addresses while I'm at home. The fact that we can have two different people in two different locations access it without any network of any sort is helpful."

The church does not employ an IT administrator, making eTapestry's remote updates even more of an asset, Gibson said.

Gibson said she has been especially appreciative of eTapestry's responsive support staff.

"Anytime I e-mail or call they get back with me quickly and they don't give up until I'm clear on how to fix my problem," Gibson said.

About eTapestry
Founded in 1999, Indianapolis-based eTapestry is the first Web-based donor database and communications management system that rents its software to customers who access it over the Internet. Nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes using eTapestry do not pay the large upfront purchasing costs or the ongoing maintenance and support contracts typically paid in the purchase of more traditional software. For more information, go to www.eTapestry.com.

Association chooses eTapestry's robust and easy-to-use system

The Association of Christian Schools International has partnered with eTapestry to offer discounts on Web-based fundraising software to its members.

The association's 5,300 member schools will receive 10-percent discounts on base services, user fees and Web-based training.

"eTapestry is a tool that especially smaller schools can afford and use productively to start their development efforts, because so many of them don't have the resources to begin," said Jan Stump, CFRE, the association's director of development. "It's also very intuitive, and robust enough for a larger program."

The agreement was developed after the main office for the Association of Christian Schools International had used eTapestry for one year. The association operates 18 regional offices worldwide, 13 of which are based in North America.

"I really think eTapestry is the wave of the future in terms of being Web based and allowing for the flexibility of online giving with quite a bit of ease," Stump said.

eTapestry currently tracks and communicates with thousands of donors for the association. eTapestry helps the association personalize communications to its donors through customized and timely receipts and acknowledgements for more than 13 different funding projects. The association also uses eTapestry to produce information that assists the development office in long-term planning.

These benefits, along with many others, should make day-to-day fundraising easier and more productive, Stump said. Smaller schools, specifically, will no longer have to worry about backing up records or updating software.

"eTapestry is a good and flexible software for smaller programs that don’t have the support," Stump said. "On the other hand, for more mature programs, there are the donor tools like wealth identification, online giving, document attachments and those kinds of things that allow flexibility for growth. eTapestry hits both markets."

ASCI members are keenly aware of the day-to-day fundraising challenges that require efficiency, said Chip Muston, eTapestry director of national accounts.

"eTapestry has been a nice fit for Christian schools since its creation five years ago, because it allows them to invest every penny possible in their mission and permits all the players in the development process to work together more closely," Muston said.

For more information, contact:
Chip Muston
chip.muston@eTapestry.com
888.739.3827 x234

About eTapestry
Founded in 1999, Indianapolis-based eTapestry is the first Web-based donor database and communications management system that rents its software to customers who access it over the Internet. Nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes using eTapestry do not pay the large upfront purchasing costs or the ongoing maintenance and support contracts typically paid in the purchase of more traditional software. For more information, go to www.eTapestry.com.

Small group grows with help from web-based tool

Maureen Macdonald's nonprofit, Moonlight Cultural Foundation, was without phone service for a month after it moved offices.

A corroded line kept the foundation's frustrated staff of two from operating a fully functional office to support the efforts of the Moonlight Stage Productions, an outdoor theater and an indoor playhouse run by the City of Vista in California.

Cell phone service didn't reach inside her office, forcing the executive director and her assistant to brave the elements to talk to donors and vendors. But technology woes didn’t stop the checks from pouring in during the nonprofit's annual patron drive.

"Fortunately, technology issues did not keep us from getting our jobs done," Macdonald said. At night, Macdonald accessed eTapestry, her Web-based donor management system, from her home Internet connection to keep up with recording and managing donations. "It was wonderful. Having access to databases through the Internet was the greatest thing ever developed. We thought we would lose gifts this year and our budget would be impacted due to this uncommunicative time, but we ended the year with a small profit," Macdonald said.

When she began searching for a donor database system four years ago, Macdonald said a Web-based system was not even on her mind. As a hospital foundation veteran, she had used Fund-Master as her donor database management system. A colleague told her that management team members from Master Software Corp., the maker of Fund-Master, had founded eTapestry.

Macdonald also discovered that eTapestry was providing their base service free to organizations with fewer than 500 records.

"That was the big decision-maker right there—not having to make a big purchase to get started," Macdonald said. "Why not try it? I think it's great, and eTapestry is maintaining it all. I don't have to worry about it."

Since eTapestry opened its doors in 1999, it has assisted many small nonprofits with a very economical way to manage their donor and gift records. With a minimal investment for training and support services, and the base service still offered free to groups with fewer than 500 records, eTapestry gives nonprofits the professional tools that would normally costs thousands of dollars to purchase and maintain.

"It's a mutually beneficial program," said eTapestry COO Steve Rusche. "It certainly helps the smallest nonprofits gain access to high-quality tools for managing their operations at little expense. There is no large upfront purchase of hardware or software needed. Just a small investment in training and support and they can be successful. eTapestry grows with the organization and allows them to add features and services as the need arises. We believe eTapestry allows organizations to focus more of their resources on their mission and less on their fundraising software."

Moonlight Cultural Foundation began its relationship with eTapestry with only about 200 records culled from old Excel spreadsheets. The theater has relied heavily on production fundraisers and corporate donations since it was first established as an outdoor theater in 1976. The bicentennial project began with a small stage and grass seating tiers.

Over the years, permanent seats, a stage house and technical improvements in lighting and sound have enhanced the appeal of the shows and allowed for winter and summer productions with such classics as “The Sound of Music," "Camelot," "The Music Man," "South Pacific" and "Oklahoma!" In a summer season alone, the outdoor theater hosts cumulative audiences of more than 50,000 and takes in sales of more than $700,000.

Since first cobbling together old records from the Excel spreadsheets, Macdonald has been able to establish more than 900 individual donor records in eTapestry.

Over the last few years, Macdonald said she has quickly trained several assistants in eTapestry. When she has questions, Macdonald said she gets a quick response from eTapestry’s support office.

"Someone is always there to help us," Macdonald said. "The turnaround time is good."

Macdonald said she has encouraged her board to use eTapestry, and one board member, also a nonprofit director, took that recommendation a step further and signed her own organization on with eTapestry.

"With eTapestry, it's easier to extract the information you need," said Macdonald. "At board meetings, we pull reports and give board members an update of the revenue at every meeting. When we used Excel, we weren’t sure if it was truly correct."

The Moonlight Cultural Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports programs of the City of Vista, CA, including Moonlight Stage Productions through fund-raising and development. Their mission is to promote philanthropy in North San Diego County for the performing arts at the Moonlight Amphitheatre, Avo Playhouse, and other theatrical and environmental community projects. www.moonlightstage.com