Nonprofits Benefit from eTapestry's Web-Based Fundraising System

Indianapolis-Thousands of nonprofit staff members worldwide are accessing the most up-to-date version of their fundraising databases in eTapestry with the help of a Web browser and Internet connection.

Nonprofit staff are coordinating e-mail campaigns, creating specific giving reports and monitoring an integrated online giving system while traveling or working from home. Some even use eTapestry for grant prospecting, donor prospecting and to quickly track the history of current and potential donors before face-to-face meetings.

eTapestry's versatility has attracted nonprofits of all sizes, including the smallest of nonprofits that only have one user to large nonprofits, such as Goodwill Industries International Inc.

eTapestry's software is upgraded every few weeks by eTapestry staff, eliminating the need for nonprofit staff members to perform the upgrades themselves. eTapestry stores nonprofit data on secure servers that only allow authorized users to access their data, which they can download in popular database formats anytime they want.

"eTapestry has been so popular because it offers full functionality while reducing hardware and software costs and saving staff time," said eTapestry CEO Jay Love. "From years of experience serving nonprofits, the founders knew this was a product that nonprofits would appreciate."

Over a five-year period, eTapestry can save nonprofits as much as 40 percent to 50 percent of their costs on traditional software and its accompanying hardware.

eTapestry was the first application service provider in the nonprofit market. eTapestry founders, veterans of the nonprofit software industry, established the company in 1999, before the term application service provider was even defined. While eTapestry was ahead of the ASP curve, nonprofits had been using a similar technology, called EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) for years when contracting with service bureaus or direct mail firms.

It didn't take long for others to realize eTapestry's impact on the market. The NonProfit Times labeled eTapestry a 'dot success' in its March 2001 cover story on nonprofit dot-bombs. eTapestry's dominance in Web-based fundraising software has been reported in an independent survey published in the Chronicle of Philanthropy's June 14, 2001 edition. At that time, the survey said eTapestry had 1,000 customers while its nearest competitor had 240 customers.

In addition to North America, eTapestry has a presence in England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

Founded in 1999, Indianapolis-based eTapestry is the first Web-based fundraising software leased via the Internet. eTapestry provides nonprofits with dynamic, powerful, and easy-to-use software that can be accessed remotely. Through its strategic partners, eTapestry offers services, such as online giving and donor prospecting. eTapestry customers do not pay the large upfront costs or the ongoing maintenance and support fees typically paid in the use of more traditional software. For more information, go to www.eTapestry.com.