Item: Bonterra EveryAction
Rating: 8
Author: Ryan Hoaglin-Jackson

Overall Satisfaction with Bonterra Development + Digital

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use the EveryAction version of the NGP-VAN software. We utilize this system for outreach to our network of supporters and potential supporters. Farm-To-Power is a national organization working as a farmer's and rancher's rights campaign in the renewable energy space. We collect and share stories and build a movement of farmers and ranchers to mobilize to speak at hearings and take other public actions. We use EveryAction as our nucleus for all this work.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Ease of use for VAN software- many versions that are all similar.
Ease of issue resolution (since becoming directly acquainted with a senior client success manager).

Cons

Tech support resolutions and turnaround time (when going through basic channels).
Continuity of the software—We recently lost a feature we had enjoyed for the first several months and were told that it is "not currently possible" with our version of VAN—even though we had it.
I wish you could see ALL bulk uploads at ALL times, not just the last 100 batches or lines.

Return on Investment

Time saved with compiling numbers for our funders reports.
We have collected and stored nearly 125 positive testimonials from farmers and ranchers in just under six months.
Streamlined processes and implementation of these processes across the organization.

Implementation Rating

I know there were some bumps at the start. We were initially misinformed about the software's levels and options for contact limits. It turns out there are several tiers of contact limits, of which we were able to find one that worked well for our needs (100k across our six states). We were initially only given the options at the two extremes.

Reliability and Availability

Again, since making a personal connection with Ashley Chase at the Netroots Nation progressive organizing conference, the availability for getting answers and resolutions has increased 10 fold. Before that, it was like pulling teeth to get an answer or resolve our issues. This is the best advice for getting your issues taken care of.

Performance

We are an advocacy organization working to tell stories and mobilize supporters. EveryAction has assisted tremendously in both of these areas.

Alternatives Considered

Nation Builder—I would say this is a very pared-down version of VAN that requires extensions and outside software to do about 80% of what VAN can do natively. NB does have a better geocoding system that can geocode a location with just the address and does not require coordinates.

Key Insights

Do you think Bonterra EveryAction delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Bonterra EveryAction's feature set?

Yes

Did Bonterra EveryAction live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Bonterra EveryAction go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy Bonterra EveryAction again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

Great for network building and outreach. Overall, we have been quite happy with the system itself. There are some limitations to not purchasing the voter file from VAN. We did not need the voter file as our outreach was much more targeted to farmers and ranchers. We have gotten around the lapses with additional tools and software. Overall, I'm thrilled with it. I have used multiple versions of NGP-VAN at various organizations. I now administer our software in my current role and actively fought to bring VAN to our organization.

Comments

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Better Than Any Alternatives.