Convio Luminate (discontinued) vs. NGP VAN

It works okay if you have a large budget and don't have the technical experience on your staff to set up NSPS appropriately. It probably also works better as a purely development-driven database; trying to track multiple departments with very different goals in the same database is challenging.

Incentivized

Well suited when we have to run lists of those already canvassed or need to be canvassed. Not Well suited when the phone bank and MiniVAN does not work together. As it could cause someone to canvass someone who has just been phone banked or vice versa. Also, need to better provide emailing options.

• Luminate takes some of the legwork out of setting up NSPS for nonprofit use of salesforce.

Incentivized

• gives current addresses
• gives phone numbers
• comments regarding issues
• voters by districts
• lists other party voters

• Big Investment
• It's a sales program with a donation management overlay so it has some troubles around reporting.

Incentivized

• Geo tag outside of USA on MiniVAN
• Convert counts into Pie or Bar charts
• Synch MiniVAN canvassed with phone bank canvassed

As long as I’m an active Democratic volunteer I will use it, unless the Dems quit using it. I enjoy using NGP VAN and discovering more capabilities as I spend more time with it.

I think you have to have understanding of computer basics to master NGP VAN. I doubt a non-computer person, or someone who is hesitant about technology could do much with NGP VAN. It helps if you’re sort of a computer nerd (as I am, despite my old age) because then you don’t worry about experimenting.

Support for the product is horrible; often support will have you bouncing between Blackbaud support and Salesforce support and it's very rare either are able to find simple solutions. Most of the time the solutions almost always cost money and hiring consultants which, for a smaller organization, means not being able to achieve proper solutions.

Incentivized

I can hardly remember since it was years ago. Various individuals have also coached me since then. If I can actually play around with it myself that’s the best way to increase my proficiency.

I recently started using EveryAction, it is much more robust and nimble and does not need a lot of customization. The only big feature I miss is the acknowledgment process for Luminate CRM and Analytics: it was much more robust, but overall it doesn't have the cumbersomeness of Luminate CRM. I don't think I would ever switch back.

Incentivized

I have no other experience.

• Hard to work with
• Resource intense

Incentivized

• Cost effective for a campaign to have