You may have read about Non-Profit organizations investing millions in a worthy CRM software. Both the for-profit and Non-Profit CRM work on fairly the same concept- hosting, storing, and sorting the data for organizational success. While for-profits rely on CRM to drive more data-driven sales, Non-Profits use a CRM mostly to develop fruitful relationships that turn in to donations.
Choosing the right Non-Profit CRM software that aligns with your organizational goals can be an overwhelming process. Most Non-Profits find it arduous as they don’t know where to begin. If you’re on the lookout for the right CRM software, you’re at the right place. This article will help you deep-dive on what needs to be done to find the ideal CRM that helps you prioritize your relationships by reaching out to people on a more personal level.
Step 1:Evaluate the process & begin with a CRM strategy
Non-Profit CRM software are quite powerful and a significant investment for any Non-Profit initiative. So, it’s crucial that you layout a well-researched strategy to find a CRM that tackles all your Non-Profit requisites.
Each organization has its unique goals, and your strategy will hinge on what your requirements are. Before shelling out money on that heavily advertised CRM software, ask these questions:
- How do you hope to change your Non-Profit’s operations with a Non-Profit CRM?
- What all aspects and features the CRM offers?
- Would you need support with CRM execution and upkeep?
While shopping for a CRM software, you should contemplate the problems your Non-Profit is currently facing and how a new software will help in making it easier for you.
Step 2: Gather inputs from different departments in your organization
A good starting point would be involving all key stakeholders and conducting a survey for their responses to make an all-inclusive software wishlist. There are so many distinct aspects involved in fundraising that a CRM needs to address within a Non-Profit. That’s why getting feedback from different departments and team members becomes important while selecting a CRM software. Roll out survey forms to your relationship development team, ask questions to your marketing team, have a discussion with your event planning team and grant writers. This will give you a clear insight into what kind of features would they want in the CRM that you’re going to invest money into. It might seem a task now, but trust us when we say this, this collective effort towards the CRM selection process will ensure that your operations run smoothly and everyone on your team has access to the tools and resources they need to deliver their best in the future. However, you must keep in mind that some Non-Profit CRMs are priced upon the number of users, so you must pick wisely and determine the staff who will use the database.
Step 3: Find out how many staffers will need to use your CRM
While taking collective feedback is important to decide what all features you would want in the CRM that you are putting your money into, it is equally important to consider who will be using the software. Before you make a CRM purchase, you must have a list of software users in your mind. Multiple vendors offer various CRM packages to include varying number of users. Thus, keeping the user count in mind will help you in managing your budget. More the users, pricier the CRM software- don’t forget that.
Step 4: Reckon the constituents you’ll store in the CRM
It’s not only the staff members you need to be taking account of when shopping for a Non-Profit CRM software. After all it’ called “Constituent Relationship Management” for a reason- it holds all data – information, history of interactions and insights about your donors, supporters and other contributors and constituents. Just as the number of users impacts the CRM pricing, the number of constituents a CRM is going to manage also influences its cost. A considerable number of Non-Profit CRM software feature a pre-set number of users in the built-in cost. Getting an accurate count of your constituents is important, but please pay attention to the following:
- Donors are not the only constituents. Volunteers, Corporate Sponsors, Members, Service Recipients who is helping you in spreading your mission is a constituent.
- Work with your vendor to design a CRM system that segments and stores relevant contacts in one place while archiving those profiles that aren’t active for a while so that you aren’t charged per record.
- A CRM should be able to scale to accommodate your donor base. Purchase a software that can grow with you giving you room to accommodate new constituent additions in the future without having to pay extra money.
Step 5: Determine your needs
When you start considering CRM software options, you will come across innumerable solutions. But not every software will meet your needs. Non-Profit CRM Software, such as GiveLife365, that are customizable and have add-on options are your best bet. To know which CRM software will serve the purpose, you need to recognize your organizational needs. Here’s what you need to consider:
- What data you need to store in the CRM
- Reports and analytical functionalities
- Criteria on which you will be filtering your data
- Software integration with other online platforms, apps, or software that you currently use
- Is the CRM customizable
- Data hosting and security
When a Non-Profit makes the decision to purchase a CRM software, the most difficult part is simply getting started. It’s an overwhelming process and there’s no denying that. If you’re stuck with deciding, reach out to experts at GiveLife365. We’d love to hear about your organizational goals. Our experienced CRM professionals work dedicatedly in running you through our CRM that’s been developed to track and enhance engagement thereby boosting retention, decrease attrition, and increase revenue. Powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365, GiveLife365 is available on cloud and empowers Non-Profits with tools that empower them. Its modern interface makes all the operational activities of a Non-Profit smooth and easy to manage. Further, we work with you in offering seamless integrations with several tools including financial systems and PCI compliant payment gateways.