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Service Pack 2009.01

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The Helix development team has been very busy this fall working on one of the most significant and comprehensive set of enhancements to Andar in recent times. On January 28th, 2009, release 2009.01 will be available for download.

Included in the January release is a new Content Management System (CMS) that allows our customers to build their entire web site directly in Andar. Tracking of constituent's web pages viewed and interests is automatic and updated live on their Andar account. Sharing of content through popular social networks such as Facebook is also tracked within Andar. The easy-to-use interface can also be used to build e-newsletter articles, and enhancements to the newsletter subscription module make e-mail blasting an easy one-click function. The new United Way of America "Live United" branding has been included in Andar as an easy look-and-feel web-option.

The campaign monitoring report has been revamped to use the customizable column feature currently used in the transaction register report. This will allow our customers to pick and choose which columns will appear in the report.

The Andar Community Building module has been enhanced to include year-over-year community indicator tracking and reporting. Also, the program allocation information can now be rolled-up to the agency level for a quick-summary view. Forms and surveys have also been enhanced to allow customization of font sizes and other viewing attributes.

Perhaps the most extensive list of enhancements are those pertaining to the Major Individual Gift (MIG) module. These include the import of analytics data from QBase Inc., into a new sub-tab of account attributes. This data can be displayed on the account dashboard and can be data mined. Helix is also releasing the ability to define Step-Up programs within Andar. These programs will automate the tracking of donors from year to year as they progress towards a leadership giving level.

The MIG enhancements also include the tracking of expectancy gifts. These, often called "fuzzy" gifts, are entered by resource development staff without the strict requirements of the finance department. Both the expectancy gifts and the regular financial transaction will support multiple gift relationships. These relationships are intended to provide additional thank you letters, foundation gift tracking, solicitor recognition, improved memorial gift tracking, etc. Giving totals will appear on all accounts related to these gifts. The thank you letter process has also been enhanced so users can predefine their thank you letter codes and build fast and easy selection lists for heads-down transaction entry staff. Additionally, billing schedules have been enhanced so that donors can specify not only the date of future billings but also the specific payment amounts for each billing date.

A key factor in the successful implementation of a CRM strategy involves the definition and execution of workflows throughout the organization. To support this endeavor, Helix is releasing, as part of MIG, workflow definition enhancements to the Plans feature of Andar/360. These enhancements include the ability to define dependencies and actions between tasks so that, for example, a task can only begin either once all tasks in a group are completed, or after any one task in a group completes. Custom decision points can also be defined to direct the workflow towards specific tasks. Other related enhancements include the ability to automatically link tasks, surveys, communications, and prospect touch points. This linking eliminates the need for users to navigate from one area of the software to another. Instead, upon completing a task of a plan, the user can automatically be taken to the appropriate window to complete a survey, a communication entry and/or enter touch points for an account. This sets the stage for additional workflow enhancements to further automate common business processes.

Helix continues to incorporate web technologies into Andar/360. As such, we have included in MIG the ability to display live RSS news feeds on constituent account dashboards. This means that upon viewing an account in Andar/360, users can be presented with a list of news articles live from Google or Yahoo that pertain specifically to the account. This will play an important role in the implementation of CRM.

Helix has also started the implementation of a new, more powerful, filtering feature that can be applied to lists (spreadsheet screens) within Andar. Filtering and sorting preferences will be automatically saved for each list and each user of Andar.

This press release highlights only the most significant of enhancements, the detailed notes accompanying the release offers the complete list. For additional information, please contact Helix at 1-877-479-3780 x303.

A Personal Note

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For more than ten years it has been my pleasure to work with Helix and our extended family of customers. This job has afforded me many blessings, and I count among these all the friends I have made and the privilege of meeting so many of you. My tenure with Helix has been one of the most rewarding experiences, but it's a new year, and the wind blew, and I'm off on another adventure. January is my last month with Helix.

Even though I will not be with Helix, I can assure you I won't disappear! I have accepted a position with United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania. As the Associate Director of Andar, I'll still be part of the family and I look forward to connecting with you in this capacity.

I wish you all the best for this New Year, and I hope to see many of you in Charlotte.

Sally Hickland
Helix Instructor/Consultant

Book Of The Month

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Major Donors: Finding Big Gifts in Your Database and Online

Read more...

Midwinter Institute

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Helix will be at the 2009 United Way Midwinter Institute in Madison, WI. Please visit us at our booth.

Read more...

Schedule Of Fees

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We have updated our schedule of fees. Download it from our support center home page (

CRM Consulting Services

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CRM depends on good quality data and the right procedures to ensure that it stays that way. Helix is offering a two-day onsite CRM Consulting Service where our consultant will review your data policies, procedures and issues. This is a hands-on process consisting of interviews with staff from all departments and an Andar system review. The result is a full report with recommendations on how to streamline your procedures and build better relationships with your constituents.

For additional information, please contact Ed May, toll free, at 1-877-479-3780 x222.

e-Class: Generating Tax Receipt Letters

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Tuesday January 13, 2009, @ 1:30 ET

Helix has scheduled this e-Class in mid-December and mid-January for those who would like to get a 'head-start' on their receipt submission.

In this e-Class, students will explore the entire process of creating IRS tax letters; from selecting transactions using cutoff dates, date ranges and threshold amounts through to downloading the data to the workstation and merging it into an MSWord tax letter document.

Pre-requisites: Basic knowledge of Andar including general knowledge of transaction entry. Knowledge of mail merges in Microsoft Word or other software used to merge Andar data into the tax letter template. Knowledge of IRS tax laws regarding charitable giving receipts.

Target audience: Finance department or person responsible for sending out IRS tax letters.

For fee and registration information, please contact the Helix Help Desk, toll-free, at 1-877-479-3780 x314.

United Way Users Group Conference

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The date is set for March 2nd through 4th. Mark your calendars. More details will follow.

Read about the Users Group.

Quote of the Week

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I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.

Charles Swindoll

Friday Morning Coffee Break - Archive