The Raiser’s Edge

, , , , ,

Do we really need a new CRM?

ChangeSearching for a new CRM is a complicated process. But, when done right, landing the perfect CRM is a great feeling and a wonderful accomplishment. Change is nice. But, remember the new car smell only lasts so long. Ask your organisation, do we really need a new CRM?

It is typical for organisation leaders to be convinced a new CRM is essential.  “If we only had Salesforce, The Raiser’s Edge, Microsoft Dynamics, Blackbaud CRM, or product X, we could…”. Staff leap to this conclusion without first analysing the current CRM and their functional requirements in order to first determine the existing CRM is incapable of meeting business requirements.

Why

FundraisingForce receives one new lead for a CRM search every 7 business days. Step one for FundraisingForce is to explore with the non-profit organisation the why. Why is there a need to change? Are you seeking to use your CRM organisation-wide and your organisation adopted a fundraising CRM years ago? Have your fundraising requirements outgrown the existing CRM? Can you demonstrate the investment in a change will return dramatic financial results through increased revenue and improved efficiencies/time savings?

Perhaps staff require leadership to invest in training on the existing CRM. Maybe there are add on features your organisation needs to acquire in order to meet new business requirements which did not exist when you adopted the existing CRM 7-10 years ago.

Investment

Searching for and implementing a new CRM is an investment. The investment is not simply what you will pay in licensing and implementation/services costs to a supplier(s), but also the cost to engage your staff in the implementation. Additionally, there will be some loss of productivity as you ramp up the use of the new CRM and staff become used to new processes. The cost is never the cost presented when you sign the agreement to purchase. Study the true cost of ownership, which includes staffing resources and other costs.

The new car smell is gone in a month or two. Ensure the decision to leap to a CRM search is the right decision before you leap to a CRM search. Make sure you have done the analysis so you do not have buyers remorse after driving the car off the lot.

 

, , , , , ,

BPay – is it a lucrative option for Australian charities to offer?

BpayThere are hundreds of charitable organisations sending me appeals throughout the course of the year. Animal welfare, health, education, international aid organisations, and others send me appeals for one off and regular gifts. It is rare a non-profit organisation offers the opportunity to make the gift via BPAY. Is BPAY a lucrative option for Australian charities to offer?

CareFlight sent an appeal this week offering BPAY as a convenient way to make a donation. Prominently displayed on the response device, CareFlight informs me the biller code and my reference number. CareFlight use The Raiser’s Edge as their CRM. Most CRMs are capable of producing a BPAY and PostPay number for your supporters using the configuration required by your financial institution. The BPAY number is created upon creation of a record in your CRM.

Given the average age of most non-profit organisations donor base, why wouldn’t Australian charities offer BPAY and PostPay as an easy option for people to give. Young people likely find credit card easier. Older people may prefer to give via cheque or direct debit. But, BPAY and PostPay may be attractive to a subset of the older population.

 

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

, , , , , ,

BPay is another option on the giving menu

Of all the charities I give to throughout the year, within the FundraisingForce mystery shopping study and independent of, I am surprised how few charities offer BPay as an option on the giving menu.

Donors prefer choice. BPay should be added to the menu of giving options for your charitable organisation.

BPay is very popular in Australia for you and I to use to pay our monthly bills. We use it for rent, mortgage, credit card, and other payments. Electronic bill pay is far more popular in Australia than it is in my home country, the United States. In fact, in the US, cheques are still the preferred method. This is particularly true amongst the over 65 age group. In Australia, the direct marketing target audience is largely over 65 and this group is already conditioned to prefer BPay for day-to-day business. Why not offer them BPay on your charity’s direct mail response devices?

FormQIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (QIMR) is one such organisation offering BPay. QIMR have offered BPay for the last 7 or so years.

QIMR use functionality in The Raiser’s Edge, which produces a BPay number based on the algorithm required by their bank. The Raiser’s Edge automatically creates a BPAY number for all new constituents added to the CRM, and it creates one for anyone in the database who may have been missed through a batch functionality. This smart technology means QIMR are able to offer choice to donors above and beyond their counterparts in the sector.

Does your non-profit’s CRM offer BPay creation for your donor records?