Non-Profit CRM- A Necessary Add-On to Your Organisation

Managing a non-profit organisation is no child’s play. While in the early stages of the organisation, you might find software programs like spreadsheets being a perfect solution, it does not stay the same for long. Gradually, your organisation will gain popularity and, in turn, draw in more donor databases.

With your database getting larger, you will need a centralised system that is specifically designed for this purpose. This is where CRM donor management comes into play.

A non-profit CRM can be called a kind of donor management software that allows organisations to understand and maximise their donor relationships. In short, it provides a central location for the non-profit to store, track and manage all their donors, contacts, and supporters alike.

If you are only recently hearing about such software and want to learn more about it, this article is a perfect read. Here you will learn everything from what a CRM is to why it has become such a necessity for any non-profit.

What Do You Understand By A Non-Profit CRM?

CRM, short for Constituent Relationship Management system, is mainly used to keep all your non-profit organisation’s data in one place while bettering your team’s communication and relationship with your donors. This software has become quite synonymous with a donor management system which essentially helps organise donor data, make recommendations for future donations and identify donor trends.

A similar kind of software gets used in for-profit organisations, but there CRM is an abbreviation for Customer Relationship management. While that helps manage and build stronger customer relationships, non-profits use a CRM to do the same with donor relationships.

With some research, you can surely find a program that is capable of doing both, but it is always better to choose a dedicated system for your non-profit. Even with some other alternatives, CRMs have become the best solution for organisations to keep all data together.

How Can Your Non-Profit Utilise A CRM?

Simply put, a non-profit CRM acts like a physical storage unit but on the cloud. It helps manage all kinds of donor data for you for quicker access and easier communication.

This central location can help you learn more about your donor, keep that information stored, track their donation habits and better your relationship with them. With such intricate information about your donors, you can know their preferences, earlier donations, charities/causes of choice and much more.

Having all this information in one centralised location makes it much easier to understand your donor better, eventually increasing your donation rates and sums. So, if you are looking for a system that helps streamline a huge database for easier management, a non-profit CRM is the answer.

What Value Does A CRM Add To Your Non-Profit Organisation?

Now that you already know the basic information about a CRM program, you must be wondering if your non-profit needs it. Quite frankly, after a certain stage, a CRM program becomes an essential addition to any non-profit.

Any organisation that does not use CRM software often have to suffer from the ‘aggravation factor’, especially when it comes to their donor data. This basically means that with more information getting stored up every day, it will gradually get more difficult to find the right information when they need it.

With a capable CRM program, you can easily cut down on such issues and save time and other similar resources. All the saved resources can then be used to increase productivity and efficiency towards its main mission and cause. Further mentioned here are some common ways CRM software has helped organisations reduce hassles and focus their efforts.

• Easy Access:

This is perhaps the most important reason why one might choose to implement a CRM program in their non-profit. As explained above, the aggravation factor can be quite a hindrance to providing great support to your donors.

You might even miss a great donation opportunity just because you could not get the right data at the right time. Not only that but having your data stored on different machines can compromise communication with your team, making the information harder to find.

With CRM software, however, that is not something you have to worry about. You will have all your data stored in one location with easy access. This way, you will have all the information you need when you need it, without much hassle. You can filter your donor list with several tags, which makes the process even simpler.

More so, since all your team members will be using the same platform, there will be no confusion about what changes have been made. Nevertheless, this does not mean you have to compromise on security. You can decide the levels of access you want each team member to have based on their involvement in your organisation.

• Task Automation:

Secondly, CRM software will allow you to automate the several menial tasks that you might be wasting manpower or time with. Managing donor relationships is not as simple as just storing the information and forgetting about it.

You have to make sure your donors know about your events, give them proper reminders, get active reports of how things are going, etc. this can be quite a cumbersome process if you are doing it alone.

Even if you hire someone to do the same, you will be wasting resources that could come in handy in more important situations. Completing all these tasks manually can also lead to human error, which can prove to be expensive. To avoid any such complications, your CRM software automates all such tasks.

For instance, you can automate donor grouping, and reporting and even integrate your email marketing platform with it. This way, you can create a more personalised donor experience without having to put in any work at all.

• Task Reminders And Contact Records:

While your goal might be to increase your donor base as much as you can, that is of no good if you cannot properly manage them. Most non-profit organisations tend to focus on donors who donate large sums. However, they forget that supporters who have not yet donated are important as well.

With an efficient CRM, you can make relationship management a lot better, ensuring each new contact is not a burden for your manager. It will come with separate contact profiles. In these, you can clearly see every interaction you have had with the donor.

Be it when the last time they donated, how much they donated or even what kind of interactions you have exchanged. All the information will be listed under a specific profile made for the specific donor. CRM software gets even more intricate when it comes to communication.

Maybe you have more in-call conversations with one, while for another donor, you emailed them. You will get all details and even what you have talked about. You can also set reminders for small tasks that many often forget. For instance, a reminder for a thank you call to your major donors can take you a long way in this industry.

These are only three of the several ways using CRM software can ensure better efficiency in your organisation. That said, these are only true when you choose the correct software. There is no doubt that one quick search will present you with several options.

However, you should always consider what your non-profit organisation’s needs and challenges are to ensure you have made the right choice. Do not rush this decision, and research very well before you make a decision.

You can also try reading the client testimonials to get a better understanding of the service provider and their customer support. It is best to make a list of the features you are prioritising and filter your search accordingly. Rest assured, with the right software, you will almost instantly feel the difference in your organisation.