Welcome to Nuverb's Frequently Asked Questions page. We make every attempt to address your most common questions. However, if you have a specific question that isn't answered below, be sure to send it to us.

1. What kind of support do you provide?
2. Do I need to pay a yearly fee to use your software?
3. How much do upgrades cost?
4. How long have you been in business?
5. Who uses Donarius^®?
6. Why are your prices lower than your competitors?
7. How are you able to offer free software changes?

1. What kind of support do you provide?
   
   Our software comes with a one year warranty. During that time you get free technical support. If you need help in using your software just call or email us. You also get free program changes during the warranty.
   
   
2. Do I need to pay a yearly fee to use your software?
   
   There is no yearly fee to use any of our software. After your one year warranty is up, you can still call or email us, and we will answer any questions you may have. If you are having a problem, we will fix it. However, sometimes an upgrade will be necessary to fix the problem. Since we are constantly improving our software, you may want to upgrade anyway, to get some new features. (To find out what new features have been added to Donarius^®, click here.) When you upgrade, you will get another year of warranty.
   
   
3. How much do upgrades cost?
   
   Upgrade costs are based on the difference between the version # you have "paid up to" and the version # you are upgrading to. To determine the approximate cost to upgrade, check how many years you have been using the software since your original purchase or your last upgrade. You would pay the percentage shown in the chart below.
   
   

   How many years have you been using the software?	Approximate cost as a % of the full price
   <1 year	Free Updates
   1 year	20 %
   1.5 years	30 %
   2 years	40 %
   2.5 or more years	50 %

   
   The "paid up to" version is calculated as follows:
   1. when you purchase your software, you have "paid up to" its version number
   2. if you report a problem, during the warranty period, that requires an update to fix, 0.05 is added to your "paid up to" version number, to compensate you for the inconvenience
   3. if you request new features during the warranty period, your "paid up to" version number will be increased by:
      0.01 x (# of months to do the change)
      to compensate you for any delay in doing the software change for you
   4. when you purchase an upgrade, you have "paid up to" the version number you were billed for
   
   
   
4. How long have you been in business?
   
   Nuverb Systems was founded in 1993 doing custom programming for some clients in Toronto, Ontario. In 1998 we developed Donarius^® and the first copy was purchased in June of 1998 by a church in Windsor, Ontario.
   
   
5. Who uses Donarius^®?
   
   Donarius^® is used by over 2000 churches and other charities in Canada and the USA. Here is a breakdown of customers by region and type:

   	Canada	U.S.A.	International	Total
   Churches	627	1036	15	1678
   Other Charities	153	169	4	326
   Total	780	1205	19	2004

   The number of donors in these churches and charities varies from a low of about 30 to a high of about 92,000.
   
   
6. Why are your prices lower than your competitors?
   
   Our pricing is based on what most churches can afford. There are many small churches in Canada and the USA, with an attendance of less than 100. (The number of these varies from 40-50%, depending on the denomination.) For such a church, we offer a 25% discount. We know from personal experience that even many larger churches cannot afford an expensive piece of software. Some are still tracking donations on paper. We could charge more, but we want to make sure our prices are fair for most churches.
   
   
7. How are you able to offer free software changes?
   
   Consider what often happens when you buy software. After using it a while, you may find something about it that you would like to change. But what can you do? You often can't return the software because you have already opened the package. And even if you can return it, you will have to look for another product that will do the job.
   
   We provide a solution to this dilemma by changing the software for you, free of charge. We know that if you suggest a change, there are several other people who would like the same new feature but simply did not think of asking for it. Your new feature, then becomes a part of the current version, available to all future customers. In the long run we both benefit. You get better software and we sell more of it.
   
     Some examples of customization...