Logical Design Helps Non-profit Find a Logical Solution with Alpha Five Logical Design Database Solutions

“With Alpha, we were able to improve this non-profit’s entire appearance and perception in the marketplace. Alpha is now their lifeblood.”

Keven Thibeault, Founder,
Logical Design Database Solutions

Customer Situation

A New York State-based non-profit was using MS Excel to manage all of its member, donor, and event information. But with new data steadily streaming in and constantly changing, employees had difficulty keeping donor information updated and in order. Data stored in the Excel spreadsheet could accidentally be lost. Without that information, the non-profit would have no record of who donated what, when. Employees found it nearly impossible to succinctly record, organize, and recall all of the information they needed to keep the organization running efficiently. Because the non-profit’s database was only desktop-based, it could only be accessed from the office. So remote and traveling employees would have to call the office and ask someone to look up the information they needed, which was tedious and time consuming. The non-profit needed a database to connect its people with the organization’s various events and activities so they could rapidly mobilize community leaders when issues arose in their area. The application would also have to allow simultaneous multi-user accessibly and use. The non-profit came to Logical Design looking for a solution that would fit its restricted budget. It also needed to target specific groups of contacts within the database for various campaigns and fundraising outreaches. As the organization worked with municipalities, churches, and schools, it needed to mobilize certain sub-sets of contacts based on geography, past activity participation, and donation history. The ability to send an e-mail to several hundred targeted contacts, followed up by a personal phone invitation to the same group was a key requirement, as was the ability to go back to that same targeted group for future campaigns.

Partner Solution

Keven Thibeault, Founder of Logical Design Database Solutions, knew Alpha Five was the only way he could create a customized solution that addressed all the needs of the non-profit for less than what it would cost to buy a generic, off-the-shelf application. Alpha’s array of Web component editors made it possible to create a Web-enabled back end office application that could be accessed by multiple users from any Internet-connected computer. The non-profit’s niche requirements were easily supported by Alpha’s development tools. Thibeault built a multi-level relational model, which allows multiple contacts for a single name. For example, a single contact might be a member of a church and on the school board at the PTA. And because Alpha’s toolsets were so simple and efficient, Thibeault was able to complete a working prototype in one month. The system uses a MySQL back end database with an Alpha Web component-based front end.

Benefits

Thibeault was able to deliver a complete system that tracked pledges, events, members, donations, and communications, within budget. The new application lets employees pull up a list of everyone in a certain geographic area who follows a certain political issue, and alert them of news of interest. For instance, the non-profit could rapidly generate a list of local educators, politicians, and pastors, and notify them of a new education item on the area’s ballot. This makes it possible to quickly connect to and mobilize the community for support. Donations are tracked, and thank you cards are printed out at the click of a button. Employees can e-mail directly from the application, eliminating tedious copy and pasting of e-mail addresses from the database’s 4,000 contact entries. The application has an unlimited number of highly specific, customized searches, all of which can be saved for later use. Because of Alpha’s fast learning curve, employees of the non-profit were up and running within days. And Alpha’s low cost kept Logical Design’s cost within its means.

For More Information

Alpha Software, Inc.
781-229-4500
www.AlphaSoftware.com

Logical Design Database Solutions
617-418-1107
www.LogicalDesignDBS.com