Every nonprofit starts off with a noble and worthy cause. After all, it’s what drives you every day to push forward and progress. And just like there’s no “I” in “Team”, there’s no nonprofit without volunteers and donors. It’s your donors’ financial contributions and your volunteers’ energy and time, that make your NPO push forward. Donors and investors are the ones who breathe life into an operation where there was none before. They’re the ones who give you a chance to meet your goals when you didn’t have one before. And it’s their blood, sweat and tears that remind you of that you’re not alone.
Because of all they do, your relationship with donors and volunteers requires continual and consistent cultivation. You know you care. You’re grateful and appreciative for every outpouring of support. But the questions are . . .
How well do you know your donors, investors and volunteers?
What happens when your list of donors grows faster than what you anticipated?
What do you do when donor and volunteer information is changed and altered?
Most importantly . . .
How do you keep track and keep your donor and volunteer data current and up to date without allocating hundreds of man hours or employing an army of data entry specialists? Post-its? Rolodex? Spreadsheets?
From Manual Processes to Automated Financials in the Hospitality Industry
Since enlisting a battalion of customer success reps isn’t in the cards, you know the solution lies somewhere in the realm of work smarter, not harder. You and your team are already logging 60 hours work weeks, so working hard isn’t the issue. You’ve got buckets of elbow grease and tanks of adrenaline to spare. What you don’t have is an abundance of time or a budget for additional staff or more hours. And guess what? You don’t need to. Instead of praying for a pot o’ gold at the end of a rainbow, why not implement a system that’s designed to systematically and accurately maintain and oversee your donor and volunteer data? It takes none other than a solid CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system to efficiently and effectively manage every aspect of your donor relationship.
Ok, back in the day, the idea of implementing a CRM system was about as likely as Jimmy Kimmel meeting Mayweather in the ring. And maybe you thought “great to have, but too much to implement and maintain”. The verdict then: not a viable option. Now fast forward to late 2017 and solid CRM systems are everywhere and even more powerful than before, but the right CRM is all things powerful, robust, flexible and cost effective.
So, what does this mean for you and your nonprofit? A solid CRM is a powerful tool that can help your nonprofit effectively manage events, programs, donors, volunteers and supporters, and financial data without straining that fragile NPO budget.
How do you cultivate strong, meaningful relationships with every donor? Make each donor feel special and significant by actually learning about each one. No, this doesn’t mean getting briefed by your staff before each phone call or email; and you don’t have to pour over a thick dossier trying to memorize everything about them. Instead, get to really know each donor by effectively keeping track of your NPO/ Donor interactions. The right CRM will help cultivate that relationship by helping you to…
Complete Audit Trail: See the full giving history, recurring donations, and pledge amounts on one easily accessible page, with a few clicks.
Social Media Interactions: Link social media accounts and connect to donor profiles for easy online connections. A great CRM will integrate the varying aspects of your business, instead of just acting like another semi-useful tool.
Customize Fields: Ability to easily customize fields and organize donor-related documents to stay on top of every interaction. After all, it’s your Set it up, your way.
Assign Donor Types: Depending on your relationship (individuals, households, etc.) every donor is different.
Effectively Monitor and Coordinate Email Subscriptions: Ensuring you’ve explored every means of correspondence and communication with your stakeholders and donors.
Track and Analyze Donations: Dates, frequency, amounts, stipulations.
Properly Oversee and Manage Volunteers: Tracking hours, school credit, ensuring compliance.
Effectively and Properly Address Client Cases: Address specific concerns in a timely manner.
Cultivate and Improve Grant seeking/grant giving: Know where your nonprofit stands at every step of the grant-seeking process.
Streamline Campaigns: Know who you’ve reached out to at every step of each campaign.
OK, so now you’re more than curious. You’re thinking sign me up! Then consider implementation of a cloud-based accounting solution; and when you’re operating with a cloud-based solution, consider Gravity Software® (Gravity). Gravity is structured to help manage and efficiently operate your nonprofit. By implementing a cloud-based solution on the Microsoft Power Platform (aka Dynamics 365), you’ll reduce overhead costs while increasing operational efficiencies across the board. Learn more and schedule your online demo today! My business is connected. Is yours?
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