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from Mission Research CEO Charlie Crystle...
WHY GIFTWORKS COSTS JUST $399
When I started Mission Research in 2001 with Dave Weaver and Chris Walker, we knew we wanted to make a difference. The sale of our last company Chili!Soft to Sun Microsystems (SUNW) gave us a substantial opportunity to invest in a new venture. I had spent a lot of time in Central America advocating for the rights of street kids, and ended up advising a number of nonprofits on technology along the way.
What I learned about the software was bleak: it was all very expensive, very hard to use, and poorly designed. It bothered me to see so much money spent on software and not on mission. We agreed that we wanted to serve the nonprofit world by creating software that was both affordable and a joy to use.
We're good at building software—that's what we do well. Software is about solving problems, some of which aren't technical at all. We became consultants to some great nonprofits, and we learned lots while we developed truly innovative technology. We learned that nonprofits such as yours deserve to invest more money in your missions and less on technology. We learned that nonprofits have gotten a raw deal for too long. And we learned that we could create a profitable business by selling great software at a very affordable price.
Our Guiding Principles
MAKE IT AFFORDABLE. Most software for nonprofits is way too expensive. Who can afford thousands of dollars for Raiser’s Edge? So you end up using Excel, Access, or some other unwieldy application that takes up your time.
But GiftWorks from Mission Research is an affordable $399 per computer. Like QuickBooks accounting software from Intuit, we make money by selling lots of great software at a reasonable price.
No surprises, no hidden costs. You don’t have to buy support (though you can for only $399). You don’t have to buy training because it’s so easy to learn. But you can learn from online materials or training classes as you need. You just get great software at a great price. GiftWorks changes everything.
MAKE IT EASY. Most software is too hard to use. Software shouldn’t require training on how to use software.
We wanted GiftWorks to be different from most software: easy to use, obvious tasks, written in plain English, and powerful enough to greatly simplify fundraising and donor management tasks that used to take you too much time, like mail merges. That’s what we achieved. Sections are on top, things you can do are on the left, and help is on the right and follows where you go. Simple.
MAKE IT SAFE AND POWERFUL. We learned that most nonprofits don’t trust their important information somewhere out on the Internet, so we built desktop software instead of a web-based application. GiftWorks offers you easy access to tools such as a built-in importer, easy mailings, instant reports, quick lists, donor and donation tracking, and more.
But we also knew it was important to offer certain web-based services, such as seamless updates. And through our alliances with partners such as the United Way of America, Avery, and Intuit, mass email, online donations, and other web-based services are on the way.
MAKE IT SPEAK FOR ITSELF. Download and try GiftWorks. You'll be impressed—I know I am every time I use it.
We really love working with nonprofits—it's such fulfilling work to help people like you who are helping to improve the world. It's a privilege and an honor to work with you. We’re so very pleased to have you consider becoming a part of the Mission Research family, and we hope you'll contact us soon!
Sincerely,
Charlie Crystle
CEO, Mission Research |
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