Item: Bonterra Guided Fundraising
Rating: 1
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Network for Good was what we needed as it combines several different services in one easy-to-use platform, including donation management and email marketing. However, the change over to Bonterra has not been great. The customer service has gone down and they've changed terms regarding our contract, without our approval or signature. Overall, I am very unhappy with Bonterra and won't be renewing with them.

Pros and Cons

Customer/donor management

Training is too drawn out
More information on the details of transferring existing contact information
Customer service is slow and poorly done.

Most Important Features

Email platform
Ability to accept credit card donations

Return on Investment

Decreased usability of platform until we submit to their requests outside of our original contract.

Alternatives Considered

Benchmark Email, Flipcause and Firespring

We had been using Benchmark for emails but had only utilized the free version and we're needing to begin paying the $35 a month for upgraded services. We had also been using Flipcause, but paying ~$1800 a year to accept online donations wasn't working for us. We needed more services to be provided if we were going to pay that kind of money.

Key Insights

Do you think Bonterra Guided Fundraising delivers good value for the price?

Are you happy with Bonterra Guided Fundraising's feature set?

Did Bonterra Guided Fundraising live up to sales and marketing promises?

Did implementation of Bonterra Guided Fundraising go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Bonterra Guided Fundraising again?

Other Software Used

Benchmark Email, Flipcause, Yoast

Likelihood to Recommend

Bonterra has taken a decent platform and completely destroyed it. It is not suited for any nonprofit as it is expensive and they don't treat their clients with respect. They sell your information and refuse to assist when issues arise.

Users and Roles

2 - Executive Director, Financial Officer

Support Headcount Required

1 - The Executive Director manages the people using the platform and uses the platform to create content, manage donation campaigns, and more.

Business Processes Supported

Monthly newsletter
Online donations
Forms for getting new contact informtion

Innovative Uses

Thank you letters to donors
Explore text to give opportunities

Future Planned Uses

Text to give
Online auctions

Likelihood to Renew

We are still learning and rebuilding our nonprofit using this platform, so this year is a trial run to see how we can increase our network and our donations. So long as we are able to see a significant return on investment in terms of donations received through the platform, we will renew for next year.

Support Rating

Bonterra customer service is slow and terrible. They take forever to address the actual issue, constantly making incorrect assumptions about the issue. I have spent more than 45 minutes on hold, just to speak with a customer service representative when the chat function was unable to provide assistance with my issue.

Bonterra Guided Fundraising Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
None	Slow Resolution Poor followup Less knowledgeable Not kept informed Escalation required Difficult to get immediate help Need to explain problems multiple times Support doesn't seem to care Slow Initial Response

Rebuilding post-pandemic with help from Network for Good

Overall Satisfaction with Bonterra Guided Fundraising