I work for a charity whose revenue comes entirely from fees. We must raise funds to upgrade several buildings over the next five years or so - about £5 million. I am a lone fundraiser.

Currently, we use Microsoft Access to record the contact details of our supporters - around 800 in total. We are tracking income received in a spreadsheet, with a separate spreadsheet that records research on trusts and foundations and their history of donations.

While I recognise the drawbacks of our systems, I'm not convinced we should be shelling out funds and time on buying fundraising database software at the moment. Our chairman is keen that I research the options with a view to upgrading.

Do you think this is the way to go, and if so, what are the best options? the names I know are Donorflex and the Raiser's Edge.

Thanks