Software for Social Good
We design, build, implement and support innovative Software for Social Good that connect donors – and companies – to the nonprofit missions and causes they care about
and we’ve got a committed partner – Microsoft Corporation – joining us in that effort.
“The disconnected nature of our [previous solution] made reaching the goal of becoming a truly donor-centric organization nearly impossible. StratusLIVE helped us make a fundamental shift to a true fundraising CRM system and bring control back to our internal staff. We no longer need multiple systems, third-party data management, analysis and segmentation vendors.”
Caroline Itoh, Associate VP of Strategic Business Operations
National Wildlife Federation
WHY STRATUSLIVE 365?
For too long organizations have been saddled with outdated, proprietary legacy systems that deliver as many nonprofit technology challenges as they do solutions. The nonprofit community deserves better. StratusLIVE on top of Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a better solution. See why:
WHY STRATUSLIVE IGNITE?
Our world is changing. Today’s donors expect a frictionless, personalized giving experience from their favorite causes and charities. StratusLIVE Ignite brings an intuitive, modern approach to today’s online giving and volunteerism efforts: Here’s how:
THE CRM SOLUTION JUST FOR NONPROFITS
As one of the world’s most successful and innovative technology companies, Microsoft and its systems are able to adapt, scale, and innovate to meet any nonprofit need.
StratusLIVE 365 delivers a dynamic approach to building, storing, analyzing, and putting constituent data to use in ways that meet and usually exceed your organization’s wants and needs.
We free your team members to do what they do best so that your nonprofit organization can focus on improving constituent relations and achieving mission success.
ONLINE GIVING & VOLUNTEERISM THAT MAKES AN IMPACT
Compared to our competition, StratusLIVE Ignite enables us to implement your online giving site and have your donors engaged in charitable campaigns in a matter of days.
From multiple campaign and giving modes to a volunteerism solution that includes in-person, virtual or hybrid events, StratusLIVE Ignite is the flexible online giving solution you and your company partners need.
StratusLIVE Ignite lets you easily brand your online giving efforts and demonstrate to donors, your organization’s commitment to causes that matter.
A Few Words About
StratusLIVE and Microsoft
Our relationship is characterized by award-winning, innovative, dependable technology. But it is forged in the spirit of something even more important: a shared commitment to advance nonprofit and social good missions regardless of the need, scope, or complexity.
Together we are focused on Software for Social Good.
Latest News, Research, and Thought Leadership
- Infographic: Top Five Employee Giving Campaigns to Run
Employee giving campaigns managed underneath Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs translate an employee’s philanthropic passions into impact. These campaigns provide meaning to the workplace and demonstrate a company’s values to the public. Both companies and nonprofit organizations can manage these campaigns. Federated organizations may run these campaigns on behalf of their corporate partners. Traditional nonprofit organizations may partner directly with a corporate partner. Hospital networks may even manage employee campaigns that contribute to hospital foundations. If you’re ready to implement an employee giving program, or experiment with a new campaign type, here are five campaign ideas to try: Read more » - 5 Key Traits Every Nonprofit Leader Should CultivateStrong, thriving nonprofits require great leaders. This includes not only the CEO or Executive Director of the organization, but also skilled leaders in all areas, including programs, development, communications, and operations. While leadership comes in many different forms, here are five key traits every nonprofit leader should cultivate in order to be successful: Read more »
- Five Ways to Cultivate Workplace Donors into Lifelong SupportersNonprofit organizations work tirelessly to secure and build corporate support through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. These programs offer a unique blend of initiatives including corporate contributions through a foundation, cause marketing initiatives, or sponsorships. Nonprofit organizations secure other forms of corporate support by way of corporate employees through matching gifts, volunteer grants, skills-based volunteering, or employee giving programs. Read more »
- Using Business Automation at Your Nonprofit OrganizationNonprofits investing in automation have increased in the last few years due to the pandemic. Organizations are working smarter not harder with fundraising platforms that free up time to focus on more strategic initiatives. Business automation has become more advanced allowing for easy cross-collaboration between all departments. Where can business automation be applied at your organization? Read more »
- Reframe your Corporate Partnerships through Shared PurposeToday’s social and environmental challenges require cross-sector collaboration to drive effective and meaningful change. Corporate-nonprofit partnerships through initiatives such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) offer a tremendous opportunity to leverage each partner’s unique strengths and work toward a collective goal. Prior to engaging in a partnership, it’s critical that nonprofit organizations along with their corporate partners consider their shared purpose. Read more »
- The Power of Positive LeadershipLeadership is much more than providing direction and guidance to team members, as well as training and delivering feedback . It's a job that requires hard work and a diverse set of abilities. If you’re a leader, you know it can be a difficult job. Read more »
- Beyond Affinity Groups: Ways to Appeal to Younger DonorsOrganizations that adopt a next generation-driven donor engagement strategy can expect a whole new level of participation as this generation brings their personal connections and passions to the causes they care about. Read more »
- Infographic: 10 Asks to Make that aren't DonateOver time, your continued request to donate to your cause may fall on deaf ears. That's why it’s important to sprinkle in other ‘asks’ to your supporters. These asks offer opportunities to educate and inspire further involvement with your cause. Through this process, you receive additional insights on your donors including their communication preferences or their capacity or willingness to give their time. These interactions serve as signals that inform future asks. Read more »
- Ten Fresh and Fun Ways to Engage Individual GiversIndividual giving is the lifeblood to nonprofit fundraising. As a nonprofit grows its individual donor base, it develops a pool of supporters upon which it can cultivate for sustained giving. Read more »
- Current Trends in Philanthropy Here are some of the biggest philanthropy trends to watch out for this year, along with tips on how to leverage the trends t o strengthen your fundraising strategies . Read more »
- Infographic: The Possibilities of Modern Nonprofit TechnologyFor too long, nonprofits have been held hostage to slow-moving, proprietary systems creating numerous challenges and preventing innovation. These challenges create friction for donors, hinder internal collaboration, and underutilize IT staff. Ultimately, these legacy systems increase costs and threaten the security of nonprofit systems. Despite these challenges, there is another world in which nonprofits can harness a vertical cloud solution: Read more »
- A Beginner's Guide to CRM SoftwareCRM Software Defined CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management and it’s digital technology for managing customer data and relationships. The goal of CRM is to improve your relationships with your customers or donors in the nonprofit world. Read more »
- Four Benefits of a Consolidated Online Giving PlatformOne solution for event management. A different solution for peer-to-peer fundraising. Yet another solution for marketing. Does this nonprofit technology mishmash sound familiar? Read more »
- Using AI-Driven Fundraising at Your NonprofitWhat is Artificial Intelligence? Artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of a computer, or a robot controlled by a computer to do tasks that are usually done by humans. Artificial intelligence (AI) makes it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs, and imitate intelligent human behavior. Some AI applications you may recognize include advanced web search engines (ex. Google), recommendation systems (used by YouTube, Amazon, and Netflix), understanding human speech (Siri and Alexa), and self-driving cars (ex. Tesla). Read more »
- Autism Speaks Continues to Lead Nonprofit Industry by Selecting StratusLIVE Technology to Facilitate Donor EngagementStratusLIVE, the leading provider of cloud-based solutions for nonprofits, foundations, and workplace federations, announced today that Autism Speaks recently implemented its nonprofit CRM, StratusLIVE 365, to support their vision for a world where all people with autism can reach their full potential. Read more »
- Integration: Getting Your Donor Database and Fundraising Intelligence Solution to TalkActive listening is a powerful skill, and it’s something we strive for at iWave. By listening to our clients and partners, we have learned about the need to ensure wealth screening, prospect research and fundraising is efficient and effective for their teams. From there, we commit to continuously identifying gaps and opportunities to improve our product and services. And since our focus is helping to make the researcher and/or fundraiser’s job easier, we take all feedback very seriously. One path we’ve taken, thanks to the advice of our clients and partners, is to integrate iWave with other software applications you… Read more »
- Creating Successful Nonprofit CollaborationsIn today’s world of limited resources, many nonprofits are collaborating with other organizations for skills, resources, and contacts. Recent surveys conducted by the BridgespanGroup and the Patterson Foundation reveal that 91 percent of nonprofits engage in some form of collaboration. Read more »
- Avoid these Nonprofit Technology Implementation PitfallsYour organization secured a budget for nonprofit technology and chose a provider after a lengthy selection process – well done! However, the work isn’t over quite yet! Now’s the time to prepare your organization for the implementation process. At StratusLIVE, we have a 100% implementation success rate, so we’ve learned a thing or two about the process and some common pitfalls to avoid. If you consider these common mistakes prior to embarking upon this process, you’ll set your team and organization up for success. Read more »
- 5 Steps to Take Before the Implementation ProcessWithout an implementation plan, your organization could be rolling out big changes with no clear direction leading to stressed-out employees and inadequate outcomes. Here are some steps to take before your implementation process. Read more »
- How to Create a Successful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program That ThrivesMost companies already practice some form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the communities they work in, either through direct donations and sponsorships or employees volunteering for local charities. While CSR can be beneficial to your business, you shouldn’t design them as a method to increase profits. Read more »
- Blog Series: Best Practices for Creating Successful Peer-to-Peer Fundraising CampaignsPlanning Your Campaign The first step in an online giving campaign is to start with a plan. Decide what is it that you're fundraising for: Maybe you want to raise 5,000 dollars to build a food pantry for students or raise 10,000 for a scholarship fund. Use this goal to set up the framework for your peer-to-peer campaign. Next set an activity timeline. Planning will keep your team aligned and your campaign organized for maximum impact. Make sure everyone knows dates and what to expect. Have a kick-off date to track activities and to motivate your team and supporters. Ideas for… Read more »
- Blog Series: 10 Ways to Motivate your Donors to Run a Peer-to-Peer CampaignDonor activation is critical for a successful peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. In this post, we’ll outline three audiences to target for your next peer-to-peer campaign. We’ll also provide suggestions to encourage your donors to participate because peer-to-peer fundraising is much more than launching a pretty campaign page. Read more »
- Army Historical Foundation selects StratusLIVE 365 and StratusLIVE Ignite for a Comprehensive Donor Management and Online Giving SolutionStratusLIVE, the leading provider of cloud-based solutions for nonprofits, foundations, and workplace federations, announced today that The Army Historical Foundation recently selected its nonprofit customer relationship management (CRM), StratusLIVE 365, and online giving platform, StratusLIVE Ignite, to support their mission to honor the American Soldier. Kerri Kline, the foundation’s VP of Operations, described the importance of engaging Americans in the campaign to build and support the National Museum of the United States Army as the Museum’s official foundation. “The Army's history is our nation's history, so our foundation works hard to involve grateful Americans from across the country in our… Read more »
- Blog Series: The Power of Peer-to-Peer FundraisingWhat is Peer-to-Peer Fundraising? Read more »
- United Way of Greater Houston joins a growing list of top United Ways adopting StratusLIVE technology to expand their online giving initiativesStratusLIVE is proud to share that United Way of Greater Houston has selected StratusLIVE Ignite to facilitate their workplace giving campaigns and inspire individual giving. Read more »
- Infographic: Five Ways to Cultivate your Donor Base Outside the WorkplaceWorkplace giving campaigns have become the fundraising lifeblood for United Ways and other federated fundraisers. However, in an increasingly complex fundraising environment, it’s important to explore strategies to engage individual givers. Here are five ways to cultivate your donor base outside the workplace: Read more »
- Solving Data Management Problems at Federated NonprofitsMany federated nonprofits have an overwhelming influx of data coming in, including information about their donors and supporters, and information from their affiliates, each with their own data and systems. Read more »
- Cryptocurrency: A Burgeoning Trend in Nonprofit FundraisingHave you been curious about cryptocurrency and how it would work for your nonprofit? A few charities have started accepting Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from their constituents. Here’s what you need to know about cryptocurrency: Read more »
- 5 Reasons the New Year is a Great Time to Launch a New CRMWhat does CRM stand for? CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management and it’s digital technology for managing customer data and relationships. The goal of CRM is to improve your relationships with your customers or donors in the nonprofit world. Read more »
- StratusLIVE Announces Major Upgrade and New Modules for its Ignite Online Giving PlatformStratusLIVE, a leading provider of cloud-based solutions for nonprofits, foundations, and workplace federations, announced today a major upgrade and expansion of the StratusLIVE Ignite Online Giving Platform. Read more »
- What our Most Read Blog Posts Tell us About Nonprofit Leaders in 2021Authenticity, purpose, and connection… these themes were reflected in our most read blog posts published this year. Read more »
- Five Fresh Year-End Fundraising IdeasIt's that time of year when donors are inundated with year-end fundraising appeals, and nonprofit organizations struggle to have their messaging stand out. By offering new fundraising ideas, your donors will be excited to create meaningful holiday traditions. Read more »
- Infographic: The Cycle of the Digital DonorThe need for digital engagement opportunities for donors will only increase in importance. If your organization has yet to respond to the needs of today's donors, it’s difficult to know where to begin. Read more »
- Three Ways to Engage Donors in New AvenuesDonor-centric fundraising is not a new phenomenon. Popularized by the fundraising expert, Penelope Burke, donor-centric fundraising responds to donor needs while it increases donor loyalty and gift amount. Read more »
- Digital Donor Diaries Part Two: Inform Comprehensive Fundraising StrategiesTo accurately set expectations and goals for future fundraising initiatives, it’s important to evaluate your campaign history and create a habit of data analysis. This approach along with identifying trends both within and outside your industry and researching donor expectations will ensure you prepare for the future while you realize your own organization’s success. Read more »
- Digital Donor Diaries Part One: Inspire Comprehensive Fundraising StrategiesThe age of the digital donor is upon us. This progression presents opportunities and challenges for the nonprofit industry. Those organizations that peek into the future to identify trends and remain relevant will more aptly respond to their donors’ needs. Read more »
- Why You Should Spend More Time Thinking About your Nonprofit’s CommunityA year spent apart along with an increasing reliance on digital tools to connect leave most of us longing for more genuine togetherness. This longing may include belonging to a community that reinforces our ideals, supports our values, and inspires us to work together toward the greater good. Read more »
- Take Your Nonprofit to the Next LevelIs your nonprofit keeping up with digital fundraising challenges? In today's challenging and competitive environment, nonprofits are adapting and evolving the way they operate and serve their communities by using the power of integrated, donor-focused technology. As innovative technologies develop, nonprofits are embracing change in order to take themselves to the next level. Read more »
- Top 5 Nonprofit Leadership Lessons from Ted LassoTed Lasso is taking the world by storm with his positive, can-do leadership style – a breath of fresh air in our current environment. Read more »
- Why Nobody Cares about ‘Nonprofit Impact’Is it just us, or has the terminology ‘nonprofit impact’ become trite and meaningless? The very nature of nonprofit work creates ‘impact,’ but how? Is it quantifiable or just a feeling? Read more »
- StratusLIVE Named Top Provider of Microsoft-based Solutions for NonprofitsCIOReview Magazine selected StratusLIVE as a most promising Microsoft Solution Provider in its July, 2021 edition. This is a listing of the 50 top companies that are at the forefront of providing Microsoft software solutions and transforming businesses. StratusLIVE is the only provider included in the list that focuses on solutions for nonprofit clients. Read more »
- Five Digital Strategies to Fuel All-Donor EngagementFor many nonprofits, the pandemic added a jetpack to their digital transformation efforts. Although in-person events are returning slowly, nonprofit leaders must continue to invest in digital strategies to engage donors and improve fundraising efforts. In this part two of our webinar recap, we'll discuss the five digital strategies to fuel all-donor engagement. (Dig into part one of this series, here. ) Read more »
- Three Hybrid Nonprofit Event Ideas that WOWHybrid events offer both in-person and digital experience options. These events provide flexibility for your attendees while they assist your organization in donor acquisition. Read more »
- Transform your Nonprofit's Fundraising and Marketing for a Donor-First Digital RevolutionIn 2020, many nonprofits converted their marketing, fundraising, and operations functions into an all-digital environment instantaneously. Before you move full speed ahead into the remainder of 2021, it’s important to revisit and future-proof your digital marketing and fundraising strategies for the future. Read more »
- Fundraising and Gratitude in the Digital EraAs almost everything has turned to automation and a digital-first society, it can be easy to overlook an aspect of fundraising critical to the relationship with your donors - showing genuine and authentic gratitude. Read more »
- Six Digital Transformation Tips for the C-SuiteThere’s no doubt 2020 threw most nonprofit leaders for a loop. As the demand for your services increased, you and your teams had to implement new fundraising strategies to engage your donors and work remotely. Read more »
- Kevin Ressler and the United Way of Lancaster County plan for the future with StratusLIVEStratusLIVE, a leading provider of cloud-based solutions for nonprofits, foundations, and workplace federations, announced today their inclusion as part of Kevin Ressler’s transformative changes at United Way of Lancaster County. Read more »
- Direct Mail Fundraising Metrics: Nice to Know vs. Need to KnowThis last year taught us so many things, and much of it has accelerated a digital revolution. When we weren't able to have in-person meetings, everything had to go online (hello, Teams meetings!) But then what happened when your donors started to get the dreaded “Zoom fatigue?" Today we are looking at going back to basics with Direct Mail because fundraising is all about meeting your donors where they are.This digital shift has brought so much to the forefront, including much more sophisticated data tracking. So in this post, we will go over Direct Mail Fundraising Metrics, the items that… Read more »
- StratusLIVE and iWave Form Strategic Relationship to Empower NonprofitsStratusLIVE, a leading provider of cloud-based solutions for nonprofits, foundations, and workplace federations, announces a new integration with iWave, the industry's top-rated fundraising intelligence solution. Through this partnership, StratusLIVE and iWave will support nonprofit organizations to achieve their fundraising goals by delivering the most comprehensive philanthropic, wealth, and behavioral data available.“We’re thrilled to partner with StratusLIVE,” says Mary Cote, VP Product, iWave. “iWave’s proprietary donor insights, including gift capacity and affinity scores, provide robust donor intelligence with wealth data right inside StratusLIVE. We both share a commitment to advancing the achievements of nonprofits and our combination of intelligence and technology… Read more »
- Three Common Questions about Monthly Giving ProgramsAs the demand upon the nonprofit industry’s services increases, nonprofits need a steady revenue stream upon which they can rely. Although labor-intensive to establish, a monthly giving program can serve that purpose. In this blog post, we dig into three common questions about monthly giving programs. Read more »
