The Raiser's Edge

There seems to be alot of similarity between the Raiser's Edge and other CRM software available. What impressed me about Raiser's Edge (and what was different from some others) was the data enrichment services. How many of us are sitting on large data banks of information and we have no idea how good the information is? I like the idea of RE being able to scrub your data for you and give you back something much more useful and potentially profitable, including assigning a giving score based on the research they do regarding your constituents. With limited budgets and staffing, you would be able to stop wasting resources on chasing people not very likely to give.

As with other similar services (Patron Manager for example) the home page for Raiser's Edge is very user friendly with all the crm data you need right in front of you. I liked the ability to set up a work flow surrounding a constituent or event with automatic alerts and reminders. It seems very comprehensive in its scope, right down to the event management functionality including a seating chart tool. I wonder if there is CRM software available that can do what both Patron Manager and Raiser's Edge do. This it seems is what a large arts organization needs: the ability to do business (sell theater tickets, etc) AND raise money while tracking it all in the comprehensive way that both of these companies offer. I was not able to ask the question, but wondered how Raiser's Edge is priced. Is there a monthly fee based on the organization's annual budget, or based on the amount of money raised? It would be interesting to know. All in all, a very interesting presentation and I was very impressed at the comprehensiveness of the package.