Nonprofit

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CRM Implementations – your IT department cannot do it solo

CRMWhat’s the number one mistake you can make when implementing your constituent relationship management (CRM) system for your charitable organisation, school, or university? The number one mistake is to leave it to your Information Technology (IT) department to implement it. Your IT department cannot do it solo and in a silo.

Earlier this week I wrote a blog post titled CRM loses the new car smell quickly. Is a change worth it? In the previous blog, I wrote about a five step process FundraisingForce uses to work with its clients to search for a CRM to meet their requirements. Searching for a CRM is only half the battle. Implementing it, and then maintaining it, completes the picture.

Identifying a project team made up of key users, or subject matter experts (SMEs), to implement the CRM is critical. Too many organisations rely on the IT department to implement the new solution “because it is technology focused”. Sure, involve the IT team on the steering committee and use them when technical tasks arise. But, leave the actual implementation of business processes and business delivery up to your project team/SMEs.

To have your IT department implement the CRM spells D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R. Here is why:

  • Your business owners/SMEs understand the finite detail of their business processes. IT teams are good at the back-end technology and infrastructure. Use the IT team for what it is good at and let your business owners drive the implementation and the change required.
    • You would not put a chef in charge of your brain surgery, so why would you expect an IT team to be able to implement business processes in the front end of a solution?
  • SMEs and staff in your departments will be the day-to-day users of the solution. Maintaining ownership of the implementation of the solution with these business owners is critical. To have IT own the CRM simply does not make sense.
  •  Core change management principles suggest change efforts must include plans for identifying leaders throughout the company and pushing responsibility for design and implementation down, so that change “cascades” through the organisation. IT transformation projects, such as the implementation of a new CRM, requires people across the organisation to lead and to get their teams to participate.
  • Involving SMEs broadens the talent on the solution implementation team rather than have the focus of the project simply on the technology.
  • If you want your CRM to be accepted, utilised, and proven to be the right investment, you need user adoption. The way to commence user adoption is to involve your SMEs and core users in the implementation.

Your CRM project will be one of the single largest investments of your organisation. Engage the right talent at the right levels and remember your IT department cannot implement the CRM in a silo.

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CRM loses the new car smell quickly. Is a change worth it?

CRMFundraisingForce receives a telephone call or web enquiry every four days from an organisation seeking to find the “perfect CRM”. They’re using The Raiser’s Edge, eTapestry, ThankQ, iMIS, Salesforce, or one of the other lesser known solutions. “It’s time to change”; the current system “does not work”, “it is not meeting our needs”, “it is antiquated and I know there are more up to date systems out there”, and “I used ‘ABC’ system at my old job. It worked really well” or “my friend uses DEF system at her organisation and she likes it”  are all typical comments made. But, should you change CRMs just to change? The CRM loses the new car smell quickly. Is a change worth it?

There certainly are legitimate reasons to convert from one CRM solution to another. The most legitimate of the statements above includes “it is not meeting our needs”. I would ask “what are your needs?”. Most charitable organisations, schools, and universities cannot articulate their needs or CRM requirements. That’s where organisations like FundraisingForce come into play.

FundraisingForce has a five step CRM process to guide any non-profit organisation, school, or university to find the most suitable CRM for their organisation. The fact is there is no “perfect” CRM, but finding the most appropriate fit for your organisation is what it is all about. Here are the steps we follow:

  1. Requirements gathering. Our team will spend a number of days working with your staff to identify the key requirements for any new CRM.  Workshops are held, business processes are analysed, and gaps in the current system are surfaced.
  2. Market supplier identification. Here we identify which suppliers FundraisingForce recommends should be included in the CRM search opportunity.
  3. Documentation. FundraisingForce creates a Request for Proposals (RFP) packet to distribute to the market, which includes:
    • Notification letter. A letter to be distributed to invited solution supplier participants inviting them to participate, outlining the process and the timeline, and asking them to sign your organisation’s confidentiality agreement.
    • RFP letter. A cover letter to go with the Request for Proposals.
    • RFP. A Requests for Proposals is written to outline the request you are making for the suppliers to submit a proposal.
    • Business Functional Requirements. A large Excel spreadsheet containing a tab for each department and all associated requirements.
    • FundraisingForce Observations and Recommendations. A document containing our observations and recommendations, which is then used for your organisation to address issues in parallel to teaching for a new CRM.
  4. Demonstrations and discussions. FundraisingForce will facilitate the demonstrations and discussions between suppliers and your selection committee.
    • These demonstrations often require a couple of rounds.
  5. Negotiation. FundraisingForce will assist you to negotiate and solidify the best possible agreement and scope of work for your project.

Changing to a new CRM because it is clean and shiny (has the new car smell) is no reason to change at all. Base the decision to change in fact. Base it in facts surrounding the following:

  • Your organisation has outgrown the limited functionality in the CRM.
    • The current system does not meet requirements 1.7, 1.9, 2.4, 3.3, 6.9, and 11.4. Those six requirements are where your organisation plans to grow the most strategically and without a system meeting these requirements, that growth will be stunted.
  • The customer service received from your current supplier is appalling.
    • Some suppliers believe customer service ends with the sale. Once you sign the dotted line, it is difficult, at best, to get any sort of attention from the supplier. The only time you hear from the supplier is when the invoice is sent.
  • The demonstration received from your current supplier suggests the supplier has no plans to improve their technology to meet our expanding requirements.
  • The value for money paid to convert to the new CRM outweighs the cost maintaining the status quo.

Once you decide to conduct a process, ensure it is facilitated by someone you trust to do a thorough and fair job. Then, used properly, your CRM is as key to your fundraising success as having an army of talented major gift officers. Find the right CRM, implement it correctly, and keep watchful maintenance over the CRM for years to come.

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Innovative app helps homeless

It’s been described as a combination of innovation, technology and love. Ask Izzappy is an app targeted to the homeless community. The app lists more than 350,000 services including housing options, where to access meals, clothing and health services, legal and financial advice, family violence, mental health and drug and alcohol support.

Results are location-based, using Google maps technology, and searching is completely anonymous.

Ask Izzy is available for mobile, tablet and desktop devices.

Developed by Australian non-profit Infoxchange in partnership with Google, NewsCorp Australia and REA Group. Over the Christmas period, gift cards were available and promoted to offer up to $15 recharge cards for smart phones.

 

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#GivingTuesday – Australia, jump on board

Snip20141108_1What is your charitable organisation planning for #GivingTuesday? #GivingTuesday occurs in just 25 days – on 29 November 2016.

If you have not already jumped on board, it is not too late. And, if you have decided to participate in Giving Tuesday, it is time to create a concise plan of activities for that date.

#GivingTuesday is one day when Australian businesses, non-profit organisation, community groups, families and individuals come to together to celebrate a day of giving and to kick off the giving season.

This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday will reinforce the power of social media to create a global moment that is dedicated to giving around the world.

Are you a supplier to the Australian charitable sector or do you work for an Australian charity and want to know how to get involved in #GivingTuesday? Do not let another day go by – sign up today and become part of this global campaign to encourage philanthropy across the sector.

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Criticism of Australian Olympic Athletes is sickening

Snip20160829_12I’ve watched, with anger, the criticism of Australia’s Olympic athletes over the last two weeks. Many in the Australian public and the media have criticised Australia’s premier athletes.  The criticism occurred while the athletes were still in Rio and, even more, upon their return to Australian soil. Kitty Chiller, 2016 Chief de Mission, spoke eloquently each and every day from Rio about the pride she had for the athletes, whether they won or lost, and held off the daily criticism of her team. Chiller was a class act at each and every press conference.

Chiller became not just Chief de Mission, but cheerleader in chief. Imagine the job she had to do in front of the athletes each and every day in this age of social media.

The barrage of criticism about Australia coming in tenth in the medal count has been sickening to watch and mind boggling to try to understand.

How many Olympic medals do you have in your home?

Last time I checked, I had zero. I would guess the same is true for every single person reading this blog post. So, who are we to criticise these young people who worked day in and day out to make the Olympic team and to compete on the world stage with the world’s finest athletes? Further, who are we to criticise any of them for coming home with less than Gold or no medal at all.

It is sad to see the conversation occurring in the public forum, including the airport hanger when the Qantas jet arrived from Rio. Imagine how this must have made the athletes feel knowing they were under such scrutiny despite having worked their hardest to make their country proud.

The conversation has been all about the funding of the “elite athletes” and whether Australians received their money’s worth. The discussion became about ROI and a debate about how Australian’s athletes should be funded in the future.

The Australian Olympic Committee is a non-profit organisation. Like any non-profit in our country, the committee should raise money from the private sector. Like the US and other countries, money should be raised from individuals and from corporations to fund training programs, training centres, and sending the athletes to compete in various games. I also believe a lottery must be created for mass participation.

Investing in these athletes, just as we invest in the mission of any non-profit organisation, is a choice we can make to demonstrate our national pride. First, the AOC must invest in talented fundraisers to generate the necessary funding.

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Review of Australian volunteer organisation, Help me with it

The nonprofit organisation Help me with it connects people who need help with people who want to volunteer to help out. Help me with it is not a volunteering clearing house with a purpose of connecting volunteers to community organisations. Instead, Help me with it labels themselves as “digital disrupters in the social service and volunteering sectors”.

How does it work? Help me with it connects individuals who need help to do one-off tasks with individuals who can volunteer their time to fix, clean, care, shop, transport, garden, sort, teach and more.  The site is all about individuals helping individuals. Community organisations may refer their clients to volunteer and corporations may refer their employees to do the same.

The interesting aspect of this organisation is the fact they do not model themselves as a volunteer clearing house and, in fact, do not assign volunteers to community organisations. Instead, Help me with it is a people to people model. Think Airtasker.

The organisation piloted in Brisbane in May 2016 and has plans to explain nationally in 2017.

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Model Charity End of Year Receipt Pack

MS QueenslandEnd of year receipts will be sent by many non-profit organisations over the next few weeks. Most charities have either sent their end of year receipts or are in the process of creating their packs to send in the next two weeks.

I received an end of year pack from MS Queensland this last week and I judged it to be a model pack. The pack contains a warm letter; a detailed end of year receipt showing each transaction including a receipt number, the date of the transaction, the amount donated, and the total donated for the year; and, a supplemental piece about a woman named Britt who was diagnosed with MS in early 2014 at 21 years old. The supplemental piece is referred to in the thank you letter and ends with a tie back to the impact of donor support and a final “thank you so much”.

The MS Queensland piece contains everything a donor care piece should. It oozes with solid stewardship.

Have you sent your end of year receipt packs yet? What is contained in your pack and how similar is it to the MS Queensland package?

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Fundraising organisations lack policies and procedures

Snip20160714_37Does your nonprofit organisation lack a comprehensive policies and procedures manual? No? Join the thousands of other NFPs who, likewise, lack a policies and procedures manual. It is an epidemic.

Why do organisations lack a dedicated policies and procedures manual?

Perhaps the following are reasons:

  • Lack of time to create the manual.
  • Lack of a person responsible for the creation of the manual.
  • The manuals are viewed as a less than fun (often viewed as boring) activity to create.

A policies and procedures is an essential component of any fundraising operation. The manual will be a reference point and will guide staff toward best practice operations across the department.

A solid policies and procedures manual takes time (usually about 2-3 months to create) and dedication to create. In the end, it can be fun and rewarding to have in place.

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Proud of new Australian CFREs

Snip20160708_16As a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) myself, I am pleased to see so many new people in Australia successfully taking the CFRE exam and being granted the credential as a result of their professional experience. CFRE International announced this week another successful lot of Australians earned their CFRE credential.

Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA) conducts a CFRE Study Group to assist CFRE candidates to earn their CFRE and I am pleased to have to started this group and to have chaired it the past four years. Together, FIA and CFRE International are working hard to ensure individuals granted the CFRE credential have met a series of standards set by CFRE International which include tenure in the profession, education, and demonstrated fundraising achievement for not-for-profit organizations. They have also passed a rigorous written examination testing the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a fundraising executive, and have agreed to uphold Accountability Standards and the Donor Bill of Rights.

Congratulations to the newest certified fundraising executives!

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Tax appeals – where are the follow-up reminders?

It’s tax appeal time.

The fact I give to hundreds of charities throughout the year means I am inundated with tax appeals during May and JCARE Australiaune. With only nine days left in the financial year, I am most surprised at the lack of follow up reminders from those nonprofit organisations I have not yet supported this season.

This last week I received an SMS reminder from CARE Australia. This unique (at least the only one I received) reminder stood out with a clear call to action.

There are nine days left in the financial year. What is your nonprofit organisation doing to capture the donor’s attention and to acquire gifts in the final days before the end of the financial year?

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