Neon CRM vs. STPL Global FundRaiser (discontinued)

If you are looking for a quick and easy database option, which integrates breezily with email clients like MailChimp and Constant Contact, and has built-in credit/debit card processing capabilities, NeonCRM is a very good option. An affordable alternative to Salesforce or Raiser's Edge, it does lack some of their "bells and whistles" but gets the job done. On the one hand, Neon features a shallow learning curve and solid user interface, and is web based and mobile friendly. On the other hand, Neon might not be totally appropriate for large or national level organizations because some of the reporting seems less "robust" than pricier alternatives...

Incentivized

I think FundRaiser is better suited for smaller organizations that do not have a lot of entries to make and a lot of tracking to do. Larger organizations that make more entries and need to do a lot more tracking might want an application that is a little more modern and user-friendly.

Incentivized

• NeonCRM allows you to build events, take registrations, and customize those events. Customizations include different ticketing options, add-ons, promotions, etc.
• NeonCRM does a good job helping you track donors' activities/engagements.
• It also provides a variety of reporting mechanisms - from dashboard snapshots to graphical reports - that allow you to review programs at a glance or in-depth.

Incentivized

• FundRaiser keeps a database for us of our individual, business, and organizational donors for future reference.
• FundRaiser keeps a database for us of our donors' contributions each year on an ongoing basis.
• FundRaiser has multiple reports that can be run to fit your specific needs; be it yearly contributions, donor addresses, etc.

Incentivized

• Learning the ropes is largely accomplished by reading manuals and watching videos. I don't learn that way. I'd much prefer to be shown. I guess I'm old school.
• They can be stingy with the customer support. We bought the big package and I still wind up going back to my salesperson to help me cut through any red tape to get what I need.

Incentivized

• If you enter a duplicate donor in error, the program will allow you to make one inactive, but will not allow you to delete one. This often causes confusion when going to post-donation payments.
• The system is also very basic and could be more user-friendly.

Incentivized

Neon CRM was difficult and frustrating to use without IT experience, and way to costly for the a small to mid-sized nonprofit. We believe that we lost donors due to the inaccurate report system in Neon CRM

The Neon CRM system is confusing (we had to watch video tutorials and html code to understand many of the features, many of which we did not need). Around 2022, Neon started to go downhill. Bells and whistles were added that were of no benefit (to our nonprofit) and the system became even harder to use

As stated before, they push you to read the manual or watch the video when what I want is a human being to walk/talk me through it. Like I said, maybe I am old school but that's how I learn. It's been a challenge.

Incentivized

When I upgraded my computer I had to upgrade my FundRaiser software. I reached out to customer support, and they assisted me in easily switching the computer my software was on, and then making the upgrade. The customer service department was friendly and helpful. There was a minor glitch, but it ended up going fine.

Incentivized

We had to hire someone to implement our donors into Neon CRM

It works. It's easy to customize for nonprofit and industry-specific categories. It does what it does well, and integrates with platforms that specialize in those areas rather than trying to be everything to all users.

Incentivized

• Positive: Neon allows us to track, analyze, and optimize our fundraising efforts and outcomes. It is critical to our success.
• Positive: Neon works easily with our website, making donations easy for the donor.
• Positive: Neon is affordable in comparison with similar products.
• Negative: Neon is not well known (yet) so each new employees will probably need to learn it from scratch.

Incentivized

• FundRaiser saves us time that we would be spending trying to keep track of donations and donor information on spreadsheets, which saves us money.

Incentivized