Actually, most of what small groups needs to do can be done with the runtime version, either through the built-in features or with exports (for example, to MS Word where you can create letters, thank yous, etc.). What's more, you can still use the Thank You routine to mark payments as acknowledged, or do a global replace to do the same thing.
Once your system is set up, the additional time needed to use the runtime is not the great - in some cases there's none at all. There is a huge difference between big groups and small as to what is needed from the database, but since this list mixes both, it's possible to get a wide variety of opinion on such questions. I don't think any of them a wrong, but if ebase is working for you as a runtime, I'm not sure you need to change. Carl Walter Daniels wrote: > > I thought the whole point of ebase was that it was free! Our small > > organization, with a small budget has been using the run-time version > > for about 5 years and we are willing to just grumble at the inability > > to generate custom thank you letters and line up our labels, if we > > don't have to buy filemaker. We really don't need filemaker. Call > > us foolhardy, but we are just strapped for money and appreciative of > > the free software. > > > Time is money! Volunteers are not free. They are very valuable. If they can > get more done in the time they put in you are ahead. If you are hand typing > thankyou letters instead of getting ebase to generate them, it would easily > be worth the cost of FileMaker. It is hard to put a value on the > professional appearance of stuff you put out, but it is certainly worth > something. You really can get FileMaker for free if you try and are patient, > especially if you are at the low end of the total operating budget. > > ------------------ > Reminder to each recipient: To change your list account preferences, go to > http://email.sparklist.com/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=support and enter the email >address you used to subscribe to the ebase support list:: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > ebase - Relationship Management for Nonprofits, http://www.ebase.org > --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------ Reminder to each recipient: To change your list account preferences, go to http://email.sparklist.com/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=support and enter the email address you used to subscribe to the ebase support list:: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- ebase - Relationship Management for Nonprofits, http://www.ebase.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------
