Hey friends, I was thrilled to host our recent session, Fundraising Tech Stacks 101: What You Need and How to Select the Right Tool, featuring the fantastic and highly practical Kim Peterson, CFRE, of Cedar Fundraising. We all know that feeling of staring at a dozen vendor websites, wondering which one is the “best,” and our goal for this event was to swap that anxiety for a clear plan. Kim absolutely delivered!

For those who couldn’t make it or want a recap, here are the 7 most actionable insights we took away from the session.

Top 7 Learnings from Our Session

1. Your Tech Stack Rests on Three Core Systems

Kim made it clear that to build a sustainable and successful fundraising operation, you need three foundational tools: your CRM (Donor Database), your Online Giving Platform (specifically the form), and your Email Communication System. The CRM is the central brain that stores all your invaluable donor data and history. Getting these three to work seamlessly together is the starting point for fundraising efficiency.

2. The CRM is the Engine of Your Relationship Building

We often hear “CRM,” but Kim reminded us that this tool is not just about data entry—it’s the core of your donor relationships. A clean, functional CRM helps you organize supporter information so you can communicate thoughtfully and appropriately. This is where you track engagement, manage efficient gift processing, and equip your entire team to do their jobs well, whether they are direct fundraisers or not.

3. An Optimized Donation Form Drives Revenue

It’s easy to treat the online donation page as just a utility, but Kim pointed out that it’s a high-impact conversion tool. A smooth, mobile-friendly, and well-designed form increases overall giving and is particularly vital for inspiring the monthly gifts that are so critical for predictable revenue. Crucially, a form that is integrated with your CRM eliminates administrative headaches and data errors.

4. Integration is the Key to Unlocking Staff Time

The “stack” only works if the pancakes are connected! System integrations—when your CRM, email system, and donation platform “talk” to each other—are the true secret to efficiency. Whether you use a built-in (native) connection or a third-party tool like Zapier, connecting these systems is what reduces manual data transfer, cuts down on human error, and gives your staff back the time they need to connect with donors.

5. Shift Your Mindset from “The Best” to “The Right Fit”

One of the most powerful insights was Kim’s insistence that there is no single “best” tool. The only question that matters is: What is the right fit for your organization? Every decision must be filtered through your unique constraints, budget, team capacity, and specific needs (e.g., membership management versus grant tracking). Resist the urge to follow someone else’s opinion and commit to a Systems-First approach.

6. Start with Internal Discovery, Not External Googling

Kim’s three-step process begins not with research, but with Discovery. Get your team together and ask the hard questions: Why are we moving away from our current method? What are our non-negotiable “must-have” features? What is our realistic budget and staff capacity for implementation and ongoing use? This essential upfront work prevents you from being overwhelmed and sets you up to find a product that aligns with your operations.

7. Use AI to Make Research Efficient, but Verify Everything

For the research step, Kim showed us how powerful AI can be. By plugging your prioritized needs and constraints into a tool like ChatGPT, you can generate a tailored shortlist of vendors in minutes. This saves hours of browsing! However, the crucial final step is to always verify the AI’s results and pricing by checking the vendor’s website and following up with targeted questions during the sales call.

Kim Peterson’s Bio and Resources

We were so fortunate to have Kim Peterson, CFRE, the owner of Cedar Fundraising, guide us through this process. Kim specializes in helping small and mid-sized nonprofits build out reliable fundraising systems and strategies, offering her expertise across operations, communications, and annual giving programs. Her Systems-First approach is all about designing the structure, tools, and workflows that lead to more consistent and sustainable fundraising success.

🌟 Resources from Kim Peterson 🌟

Kim wants you to put these learnings into practice immediately! She has generously shared two resources we mentioned during the event:

• CRM Selection Checklist
  • A helpful Google Sheet designed to guide your team in defining your mandatory features, comparing various platforms objectively, and making a data-driven final choice for your donor database.
• AI Research Prompts
  • A set of ready-to-use ChatGPT prompts to help you efficiently research, compare, and evaluate fundraising tools, saving you a ton of time.

Connect with Kim:

• Website: www.cedarfundraising.ca
• Email: kim@cedarfundraising.ca
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-peterson-cfre-7b39831b/
• Newsletter: Subscribe to Kim’s monthly systems-first fundraising newsletter for small nonprofits here.

I hope you’re now feeling  prepared for your next tool selection, and I’ll see you at our next session.

Eli, TechSoup Connect Canada