Version: November 1, 2012

• Database Terms
  
• "Flat" and Relational Databases
  
• How Databases Are Joined
  
• Shopping for Database Software

This information is designed especially for small mission-based organizations (nonprofits, non-governmental organizations or NGOs, civil society organizations, public sector agencies, etc.) with very limited staffing and funds.

Database Terms

The following terms are used repeatedly in this overview. However, different database software probably use different terms.

• database
  an organized collection of data (.dbf)

• view
  a "window" to a database or databases (.apr)

• form or screen
  a way of looking at information in a view

• file
  an organization of views for a database(s)

• join
  databases can be "joined" into one view file, so that information from more than one database for one record can be viewed at one time

• report
  a view that shows data from multiple records on a single "page"

• record
  central entry into a database (usually a person); for instance, a record is all of the information about ONE person: a name, address, phone number, meeting attendance, publications ordered, committee membership, etc. A record can also be about an individual project (date project started, location of project, progress of project, etc.)

• fields
  information categories for individual records

• finding
  isolating and displaying a set of records based on data in one of more fields

• sorting
  reorganizing a set of records in the order you prescribe

• read-only
  a file that can only be read; in a read-only database, changes cannot be made to the records, but view changes may be allowed

Flat Databases & Relational Databases

A flat database is very easy to manage, because it has all of its information stored in one source. You can have relational data on a flat database, meaning that some or all of the data from a flat database can be used in a relational database. For instance, a relational database may pull information from the flat database, combining it with data from another database, so that you can see how many board members have email addresses, or how many donors are also volunteers. A flat database should allow you to create a variety of different ways to look at the data (input screens, reports, mailing lists, etc.).

The limitation of a flat database is usually not in the number of records you can put on (for instance, how many volunteers you can track), but in how much information you can track per record. Limits of a flat database are usually realized the more information you need to track about each individual person (a record), rather than the number of people (records) you need to track. As time passes, different people at one organization need to track more and more information about each record, or view it in very different ways. For instance, one staff member may want to track meeting attendance and program involvement in detail, while another may need detailed information about each record's donation history.

You can create a different flat database for each staff person's need, but this will eventually make it very difficult to find out all information about one person quickly; imagine having to look on one database for board information, another for event attendance information, another for publications they've received, another for their volunteer involvement, and you get the idea.

There are two ways to avoid this project entirely: by requiring everyone to input their information into one database, or, requiring everyone to use the same software to create their databases, and then making these databases relational, so that you can pull from multiple databases to view information for a single record. With a relational database, users do not see the separate databases that have been related together when viewing a record's information; instead, users see different pieces of information about a single record (person), without being able to see which databases each piece of information is being pulled from. Only an advanced user will be able to tell that, when she is looking at one record, she is also looking at more than one database.

Upgrading from a flat database to a relational database allows for a great deal of growth for information-tracking. A good relational database allows for endless sorting and viewing options; virtually any combination of information in any form can be generated from a good relational database.

How To Join A Database

To join a database, there must be a field that has something unique about each and every record in a database. It's best to create a field specifically for the joining process; this field should hold a unique identification number. When a new record is added, it should automatically assign a unique number in the MAIN database; this number is then copied automatically to every other joined database. It's also a good idea to create a function that makes the first name, last name and company affiliation also copy to each database, and changed automatically and simultaneously. If a record is deleted, it is also deleted from all other databases.

Also have a look at the online support pages for whatever software you are using. There may have their own tutorials about database basics as well.

Shopping for Database Software

• The person or people who will use it the most can feel ownership of the software; it's easy to use and easy to learn.

• It can work on the computers and operating systems you already have in-house (no need for upgrades).

• It can import and export data to and from the most-used software packages for both IBM/Clones and Macintosh computers (FileMaker Pro, OpenOffice Base (part of the entire free OpenOffice suite), NeoOffice database (part of the entire free NeoOffice suite), LibreOffice, Lotus Approach, various Microsoft products, etc.). That means that it can export data as comma-delimited, tab-separated, dbf, dif, sylk, csv or a spreadsheet. Why? The data in your database is used by more than just your volunteer manager or your fundraising manager -- it's going to be used by the bulk mail house, an outside consultant, the marketing manager, maybe even traded with another organization, and they all aren't going to have the same software as you.

• It comes with a tutorial of some kind

• It has lots of screen captures or sample database templates, so you know exactly what it does or can look like

• It allows the user (preferably the person who will use the database the most, not just your IT person) to change existing view screens, and even create new ones (users should be able to change what information they see on screens as appropriate).

• It allows the user (preferably the person who will use the database the most, not just your IT person) to change, add or delete fields of information. Your organization may have a particular information interest in a particular group, and no specialized software can anticipate every organization's every need.

• It can be networked (people can access the information from more than one computer, either via a LAN or the Internet/the cloud).

• It allows the main user to set up security measures (read only access for other users, for instance; see Customer Database Principles for more information)

• Has relational capabilities, (e.g., adding a new record to the donor database will add the same record to the ticket-selling database, and vice-versa)

• Users can generate personalized mailing labels, letters, name tags and other customized reports.

• Users can set up automated functions on the database (sometimes known as macros), such as automated numbering fields and automated calculation fields.

• Make sure you understand the basics of databases and database management before embarking on a purchase (this is easily-acquired knowledge).

• Make a list of the features and qualities you and others who will work with the database will need.

• Make sure that you have systems in place to gather the information you will use in the database (volunteer hours and interests, donor pledge dates, etc.).

• Request a demo of the software from the company that markets it or the consultant or volunteer or staff member recommending it.

• Talk with representatives of at least two organizations that use the software. Make sure you talk with the people who actually input information, run reports, etc. using the software, not senior management or the IT department. Ask them how easy the software is to learn, what they use it for, and their experiences when calling the company's support line.

  Here is additional information about how to choose software.

Develop your systems of tracking "people" information based on how your staff wants to use information about clients, volunteers, donors and potential audiences. The first step in deciding WHAT information you need to track is to find out what each staff member wants to be able to do with the database. Fund-raising staff may want a list of volunteers each quarter who have also made financial contributions; the executive director may want to occasionally see what city and county officials have attended your organization's events; the marketing staff may want to know to know weekly who or what referred people who call your organization. If you don't know what staff members need out of your information-tracking systems, ASK.

Deciding what information needs to be tracked will help you decide what fields to create to track information about people in your database(s).

These tip sheets may also help you:

• Customer Database Principles

• Customer Database Regular Maintenance

• Importing Information Into a Database

• Free Help With Databases & Software

• Keeping Volunteer Information Up-to-Date

• Choosing Specialized Software
  (label-making software, volunteer management software, project management software, fund raising software, etc.)

• List and comparison of volunteer management software

• Global survey on volunteer management software
  In March and April 2012, myself and Rob Jackson drafted and circulated a survey regarding software used to manage volunteer information. The purpose of the survey was to gather some basic data that might help organizations that involve volunteers to make better-informed decisions when choosing software, and to help software designers to understand the needs of those organizations. We also wanted to get a sense of what organizations were thinking about volunteer management software. The results of the survey include an executive summary of our findings, as well as the complete responses to questions and our analysis of such. Rob and I did not have time to analyze all of the comments made in answer to some questions; for all questions, we listed the comments made, but we did not always offer any observations about such, or group the responses into categories. We welcome the efforts of other researchers to offer their own analysis of the data provided.

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