It may seem hard to imagine an organization—particularly a nonprofit—actually being oversold on a software system. But it happens, especially when the executive making the purchase decision is not involved in the day-to-day activities. Individuals that don't understand specific fundraising tasks may choose a system because it's a brand they've heard of, or because another organization recommended it. But a product that was built for a larger organization with more staff and different programs is not going to be the right solution for a smaller nonprofit with different needs.

How do you know if you've been oversold on your donor management software? You have to start by assessing whether you're getting your money's worth from the investment. For instance, perhaps you paid for the full version of the package, but your staff is only using a portion of the features. Or, you may find that you are paying to maintain and support system features that don't fit your organization.

It's important to look beyond the initial purchase price when calculating the true and total cost of ownership, as the ongoing maintenance and support costs can be a significant annual investment. Typically, there are three specific areas where software does not fit the company: Too many inflated or additional costs that surface after the initial purchase; more feature complexity than the organization's campaigns require; and too much complexity for the skill level of the organization's staff.

Sage Software understands that one product and one price cannot meet the needs of all nonprofits, and offers a wide range of fund accounting and fundraising products. Sage Software works with you to determine the right product to fit your specific needs, budget and resource requirements for today, while preserving your ability to grow and change in the future.

For more information, download Sage Software's whitepaper, Nonprofit Software: Have You Been Oversold?.