GiveSmart make it easy to give smartly!
Updated October 21, 2022
GiveSmart make it easy to give smartly!
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with GiveSmart
We use GiveSmart for our fall annual fund campaign and our spring fundraising gala.
- Easy to use; intuitive
- Robust; had everything we needed
- Great support team
- Things are not as clear/intuitive since the merger with MobileCause
- I'm not always sure which side of the platform to use since the merger
- Increased our overall revenue
- Increased annual fund giving
- Most money ever raised for a fundraising gala
More robust, more visually appealing, more user-friendly; it has more options for visual design, live and silent auctions, etc.
Excellent customization; feels very "on-brand" with our school; we can easily use our logos, colors, etc.; because of the customization options within the visual design, we are easily able to upload our logos, designs, etc.
Do you think GiveSmart delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with GiveSmart's feature set?
Yes
Did GiveSmart live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of GiveSmart go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy GiveSmart again?
Yes
Using GiveSmart
6 - Head of School, Director of Finance and Operations, Business Office and Finance Associate, Director of Community Engagement, volunteers on the day of the gala. I am the Director of Community Engagement, and I use it the most. I design our banners and images, create and manage the campaigns, execute campaigns, plan and execute our fundraising gala, manage our donor database, etc. The Head of School primarily uses it to check on how the campaign and fundraising is going. The Director of Finance and Operations use it from the money-handling perspective.
1 - I am really the main person that uses GiveSmart for all its features. I think GiveSmart would work well for people in development/advancement, alumni relations, family outreach, finance, etc. As far as skills that are required, it's extremely helpful if the user is fairly technologically-savvy. It's also helpful to know a design program--I use Canva, which is extremely easy to use. But Adobe Illustrator, In Design, etc. would also work. Database management is a good skill as well, even if on a basic level (like me!). Some knowledge of fundraising is helpful.
- Building and maintaining our donor database
- Running our annual fund campaign
- Planning and executing our fundraising gala
- With our previous fundraising software, it didn't have the ability to handle galas. It was great to be able to use GiveSmart to build the silent and live auctions, sell tickets, assign bidder numbers, sell items, etc.
- Managing recurring donations is easy! It's nice to get the monthly reminder that someone has donated so we make sure to say thank you a few times a year.
- We are considering adding a Fun Run as a fundraising opportunity, and it's great to have the peer-to-peer option for that.
- Adding a fun run in the future
- Fostering alumni relations
- Planning a Grandparents Day
Evaluating GiveSmart and Competitors
Yes - OneCause. It didn't have as robust a platform. We didn't have the same options for branding, use of logos and colors, etc. We also love the text-to-donate feature and the ability to run the auction from a mobile device, which OneCause doesn't have. We appreciate being able to match our school's exact Pantone colors, to customize the ordering forms, etc.
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
Product usability and features were the most important in our search, with money being close behind. We wanted a product that could help with our annual campaign, our fundraising gala, and our donor database. The ability to customize all our forms and web pages is terrific--it blends seamlessly with our website. I like that we can choose our suggested donation, suggest that they cover the handling fee, and other features that help us keep as much money as possible. The fact that the gala has such a strong mobile experience is great. I love that people can text and be brought directly to the auction site, bid on silent auction items on their phone, etc.
There is little that I would change about our decision to go with GiveSmart. With the other programs we considered, GiveSmart was the clear winner. I suppose the only thing that would have been helpful would be to have known more about how the merger would happen.
GiveSmart Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Change management was minimal - I was not in my current position when we used to use OneCause, so I didn't have to "unlearn" that and then learn GiveSmart. I was and continue to be the only person that really uses it for all its features, so change management was minimal. If I had to do it over again, I would have watched more tutorials before starting to play in the system.
- My own excitement! I wanted to get going right away because I was excited about the product. In retrospect, it would have gone more smoothly if I'd watched the tutorials and such before starting. But that was really the only issue with implementation.
GiveSmart Training
- No Training
Yes! GiveSmart is very intuitive for someone who is pretty tech-savvy. I don't know what it would have been like if I didn't have much computer experience. If you're not tech-savvy, I would definitely recommend getting the training.
Configuring GiveSmart
No because I'm not entirely sure what is meant by "configuring".
Yes - we have customized the interface extensively - It was very easy to customize and make GiveSmart work with our organization. I created logos and banners in Canva and it was easy to make the visual design details support the theme of our annual campaign, the theme of our fundraising gala event, etc. I knew our Pantone colors and was able to utilize them in the online platform.
No - we have not done any custom code
The customization was one of the biggest factors for us in choosing GiveSmart.
GiveSmart Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response | None |
We did not purchase the premium support. Ours is a small, independent, private school that is non-profit. Our budgets are always tight, especially in the last few years because of COVID. I knew we could always add the premium support if we needed it, so we just went with the basic support with our initial purchase.
During the last few weeks as our spring fundraising gala approached, I had a lot of questions pop up that I hadn't anticipated. I had to reach out several times to the support team at GiveSmart, and the issues were time-sensitive. I was so pleased with the speed they responded, the thoroughness of their response, and the care they exhibited with my concerns.
Using GiveSmart
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar | None |
- Designing the online giving forms is very easy
- Building the silent auction was very easy
- Printing reports after fundraising was helpful and easy
- Only because of the merger, I have found it challenging this year to figure out how the keywords work together for the annual campaign and the fundraising gala event
- We had billing issues through all of last year. We had paid in full, but kept getting billed, they threatened to cut off our access and accounts, etc. Our bookkeeper, Director of Finance and Operations, and eventually our Head of School had to get involved and it tooks months to solve.
Yes - Extremely well! I used it to donate myself, to bid on auction items, etc. I also used the desktop version, and they are virtually identical. Very easy to use. We did have some older patrons at our gala that didn't like having to use technology, but we got them on board with it.
GiveSmart Reliability
Integrating GiveSmart
- Not at this time
I'm sure they would!
Relationship with Community Brands
I'm not sure. We went with what was suggested to us; I wasn't aware that haggling or negotiating was an option!
No--I think they do a great job!
Upgrading GiveSmart
- We haven't upgraded
- We haven't upgraded