Software Licensing and Evaluation

Starting with version 2.70, DONATION has software licensing built into it.

What this means is that when you first install DONATION, or first upgrade an earlier version to version 2.70 or later, it will start out as an Evaluation version of the program. This evaluation version will expire in 60 days, and is limited only in that you cannot create and store real receipts with the program. The only option on the Receipt menu that is available is the Current Donor Sample option, which creates a sample receipt so that you can see what they look like. However, the sample receipts do not get stored in the program's database.

Extending your Evaluation Period

Every time you start the program when it is still an Evaluation version, an Evaluation and Licensing window will come up telling you how many days you have left in your evaluation period. If your evaluation period has 14 or fewer days left in it, and you need more time to decide on whether or not to purchase DONATION, you can click the "Request Key for Extension of Evaluation Period" button. That brings up an email, addressed to Software4Nonprofits.com, requesting a 30-day extension. Please fill in the reason for your request, then send the email. (Note: Until you only have 14 days left in your evaluation period, this option is not displayed.)

You should receive an email response, generally within 48 hours, but usually much sooner. This response will explain what to do. Basically, the email contains a key, consisting of numbers and letters. In the Evaluation and Licensing window, click the "Install Key for Extension of Evaluation Period" button. That brings up the Install Evaluation Extension Key window. You will need to copy the key out of the email you received (e.g. by highlighting it with your mouse and pressing Ctrl-C) and paste it into the entry field in this window (by pressing Ctrl-V). Click the "Accept Key" button, and it should extend your evaluation period by another 30 days.

Obtaining a Full License to use the Program

In order to have DONATION stop being an Evaluation version, you need to obtain a Full License from Software4Nonprofits.com and install a corresponding License Key in the Evaluation and Licensing window. After doing this, that window will no longer come up every time you start DONATION, and all of the features of DONATION will be available.

You are entitled to receive a License Key for your organization if, within the last 12 months prior to your request for the Key:

To make a payment or to see the criteria for a free license, go to the PRICING page at http://www.software4nonprofits.com/purchase.htm.

Assuming that you are entitled to a Full License (and any payment has been received and acknowledged by Cooperstock Software), you can click the "Request License Key for your Organization" button in the Evaluation and Licensing window. After asking you some questions about whether you have paid or received a free license, that normally brings up an email, addressed to Software4Nonprofits.com, requesting the license. If desired, you can add any further comments to this email, then send it. (If you have not yet paid, it gives you options on how to do so.)

You should receive an email response, within 48 hours, but usually much sooner. This response will explain what to do. Basically, the email contains a two-line key, consisting of numbers and letters. In the Evaluation and Licensing window, click the "Install License for your Organization" button. That brings up the Install License Key window. You will need to copy the two-line key out of the email you received (e.g. by highlighting it with your mouse and pressing Ctrl-C) and paste it into the entry field in this window (by pressing Ctrl-V). Click the "Accept Key" button, and it should install your license, and change DONATION from an Evaluation version to a full version.

Licenses are Connected to Organization Names

Your Full License is associated with your Organization Name. If you change the name of your organization in the Maintenance à Organization Info window, you will no longer be licensed and DONATION will go back to being an Evaluation version. You will have to request another license key. In the email that you send requesting it, please explain that this is due to a name change. To make this request immediately, you can either exit and restart DONATION, which will bring up the Evaluation and Licensing window, or use Help à Request or Install License Key which will also bring it up. There will be no further charge for your license for a name change.

Similarly, if you use Database à Switch Database to create or switch to additional databases for other organizations, or Database à Restore to restore a database with a different organization name in it, you may need to obtain another license key for the different organization names. There is a small additional charge for maintaining databases for more than one organization on the same computer - please see the PRICING web page linked to above for details.

If you need to move the program to another computer for the same organization (or, for instance, rebuild your computer after a hard disk crash), you can use the same license key for that other computer. The same applies if you use DONATION on two computers, and transfer your database between computers. If you no longer have the email containing the license key, just request it again.

Count of Donors with Donations

The payment levels listed in the web site's PRICING page referred to above are based on your number of donors that have donations within the current year. Your license key also reflects that payment level and number of allowable donors. If you have paid for one level but you actually have more donors with donations, the program will warn you of that fact every time you start it. If this is happening, you need to make a payment that is the difference between your original payment and the payment required for the number of donors that you now have. Once that payment has been received and acknowledged by Software4Nonprofits.com, you can go to Help à Request or Install License Key and request another license key, to match the new number of donors for which you are eligible. After installing that new license key, the warning messages will stop.

Eligibility for Upgrades and Support / Annual Renewals

When you purchase a full license or an annual renewal, you are then eligible for upgrades or support for one year from your payment date, which is the date on your cheque, or the date you paid using a credit card. The expiry date for your eligibility for upgrades and support is part of the license key that you install. To see your expiry date, use Help à Request or Install License Key. It will be displayed in the window that comes up.

Users who first downloaded DONATION before May 1, 2007 who have not made any payment in the last 12 months are not eligible for support or updates, including the update to version 2.70 or higher. Such users need to pay at least the annual renewal fee in order to receive a License Key.

When you are approaching your annual renewal date (specifically, within 2 months of it), the "Request License Key for your Organization" button again becomes visible on the Licensing and Evaluation window. Once you have made your annual renewal payment, you can use that button to request an updated key, to extend your eligibility for support and updates for another 12 months.