One of the greatest pleasures of being part of a team of CRM consultants working in multiple market sectors is that no two days are the same. Our clients, both existing and prospective, are constantly providing us with opportunities to do something remarkable. The whole team at Collier Pickard rises to these challenges and applies our deep experience to making our clients lives better.
Some from the Charity and Non-Profit sector have recently highlighted gaps in their understanding of CRM. They were reporting that nameless CRM vendors pushed features that delivered no value! This left them unsure as to which CRM features, they really needed to achieve their goals. They challenged us to demystify CRM for Charity and Not-for-Profit Organisations.
Challenge accepted!
Time to set the record straight and use this article to share what I have learned and how Collier Pickard helps.
Where are the problems with CRM for Charity?
Looking at the business world, a lot of organisations strive to be exactly like their competitors and run with the pack. In contrast, successful Charities and Non-Profit organisations understand they need to be different. Campaigns and processes relating to fundraising and donor management are fluid. Leading organisations need to be ahead of the curve to remain relevant to their audiences.
So, what challenges have I highlighted?
CRM isn’t just a tool for Sales
Organisations researching CRM can become despondent very quickly. CRM Vendors who focus on features relating to sales functions hold little value for organisations focussing on growing a base of donors, improving fundraising management, or increasing effectiveness when lobbying on behalf of their members.
Feature versus Value
Software vendors, not just in the CRM world, shout about the latest features that have just been released in their software package. What often perplexes is, who asked for those features? With all the features on offer these days it is easy for organisations to get trapped in conversations around CRM that are feature-driven and not value-driven. If a feature holds no value, why pay for it?
The Cost of Change
My comment about organisations needing to be fluid in the way they manage their processes poses a big issue. If you need to tweak a process or change it completely, how much is that going to cost? When will the vendor or the implementation partner have the time to make that change once you have paid?
Charity/NFP Specific CRM
Off-the-shelf CRM designed and built for your industry will limit what you can change or add. Some may even result in you be paying license fees that are based on the number of contacts you have in your database – a disincentive to growing your donor base!
CRM for Charity – The Solution
So how do we solve this?
The solution is simple and found in CRM Platforms that can be administered and configured by educated amateurs, such as your employees or volunteers. With relevant training, any user in your organisation can change processes, add in extra fields for profiling data and run imports. With a bit of help, they can go as far as renaming modules so that the platform reflects your language and culture. All essential to delighting your audience.
Top Tip – be sure to select platforms that charge per user, and not per contact! This should ensure costs related to CRM can be forecast and communicated to your trustees.
Who is Collier Pickard?
Collier Pickard is a team of independent CRM consultants that has been operating for nearly three decades. We partner with organisations and use our experience to ensure that a CRM project is well detailed and thought out before anyone starts looking at platform options. When we identify what platform will work for a client, we are then also equipped to onboard that platform covering everything from training and support to configuration and user adoption.
Valuing your Mission
CRM Projects should be exciting, not stressful. Our mission is to guide and improve the ways our client’s function. We understand that CRM cannot just be installed, it needs to be adopted. We drive adoption by ensuring the platform delivers value to the users, the organisation, and most importantly your charitable mission.
They say the proof is in the pudding, well the Collier Pickard dessert trolley just rolled in and I suggest you try some before embarking on a CRM project of your own.
