These awesome tech applications are for you!
Whether you are working in a well-established, mid-size to large scale facility, or you are just starting out as a small scale animal welfare operation in your community, there is a wide array of digital resources you can take advantage of that can benefit your organization. Your time, resources, and care are crucial to what you do, and balancing these factors can be a challenge. However, there are many reputable technological resources you can utilize to boost your efficiency so you can focus on what matters most. Let’s explore some of these technologies and how they can help you, and we’ll even offer a few suggestions on which ones are worth looking into!
Animal Shelter Management Software (ASM)
If you haven’t already heard of ASM software, then you’ll be delighted to know that it’s a real thing! ASM software/applications are designed specifically for animal shelters, rescues and animal care organizations to help them be more effective and efficient in managing their animal records, resources, donations, volunteers, and more. Perhaps your organization already has such software, which is wonderful! However, technology is always improving, so it doesn’t hurt to evaluate your current software or applications and determine if it is time to search for something new. If you are new to the game or haven’t implemented such software into your organization just yet, then perhaps now is the time! Either way, there are multiple features and questions you should consider when searching for ASM software or applications. Here are some big ones to consider:
- $ Price $
- Provided technical support
- Free trials/demos
- User interface and ease of use
- Foster tracking
- Key features (volunteer management, applications, animal record management, etc.)
- Data security and privacy
- Number of users allowed
- Mobile application/integration
One other important consideration to factor into your search for ASM software is if the software fits the size of your organization. If you are a small, home based foster program, or don’t have a physical location, then ASM software may not be a viable investment for you. Simple computer applications like Microsoft’s Office 365 Suite may be a better alternative in this case. On the other hand, if you are a mid-size to large scale organization with multiple people, animals, and records to keep track of then ASM software will serve you well! Capterra is a software search engine that has a list of the “best” or “top” rated ASM software programs that you can check out. A few good programs we recommend checking out are ShelterLuv, Animal Shelter Manager, and Shelter Pro.
Donation & Fundraising Tools
Although ASM software is great for helping manage your on-site animal care services and other aspects of your organization, it may lack some more specialized features when it comes to managing your resources like donations or fundraising. But don’t worry, there are some well-known donation and fundraising platforms that you can use to your advantage. Crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe have become an increasingly popular fundraising platform for nonprofits, personal campaigns, and more. Crowdfunding sites tend to be campaign or goal specific, which means that fundraising campaigns set up on these sites (like GoFundMe) are set to raise funds for a specific short-term goal or need, and are not made to be a permanent fundraising effort. For example, if you want to set up a campaign that asks for donations for a specific animal that has some outstanding vet bills, then crowdfunding is a more “targeted” approach to raising funds for that specific animal. However, it is not a long-term fundraising fix. For that, you need a more established and easily manageable donation system.
A lot of organizations utilize PayPal to send and receive donations. It is perhaps the most common and user-friendly money exchange/payment platform that integrates well with websites, bank accounts, and other applications for a seamless process. PayPal even offers discounted transaction rates for registered 501(c)(3) organizations and no hidden fees. However, one beneficial feature that PayPal lacks is the full management of donations. DonorBox is an amazing donation platform does a lot of the heavy lifting for you when it comes to collecting and managing donations. From donor management, donation form creation, website and third-party software integration, and tons of other amazing features, DonorBox should be highly considered by rescues, shelters, sanctuaries, and animal welfare organizations of all kinds. What makes it even better is that it doesn’t charge a platform fee if your organization collects less than $1000 a month in donations. After that amount, there’s a 1.5% platform fee. Of course, there are the processing fees that come along with payment transactions, but nothing that will break the bank (you can view DonorBox’s transaction fees and rates on their website). To find out more, go check out their features page to see how DonorBox can help you optimize your donation management!
We want your animal welfare organization to be as efficient and successful as can be in carrying out your mission to save, care for, and love as many animals as possible, these technologies are meant to help you do just that. Give them a look and see what they can help you achieve for your organization!