Training

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CRM readiness – critical steps to ensure success

Is your organisation ready for a CRM adoption? You might feel ready, but are you really prepared? Are you fully prepared for a new CRM? There are critical steps to ensure CRM readiness.

The fact is a CRM adoption involves more than just a robust search. There are pre-requisite steps which must be completed in order to determine your readiness for a CRM adoption in the first place. In fact, putting many of these pieces in place prior to conducting a search may save you a headache (or two) down the road. The following should be considered:

  1. Leadership endorsement
  2. Investment
  3. Resourcing
  4. Processes
  5. User-readiness/User adoption

Let’s look at this one by one.

Requisite Steps

Leadership Endorsement

A CRM implementation will not be successful unless you have the full endorsement of your leadership team. Endorsement means the backing of your leadership team. Endorsement also means  your CEO, CFO, or another senior leader’s participation on your project steering committee. Leadership endorsement also means recognition of the investment required for the CRM.

In short, leadership needs to jump in with both feet or you should cease moving forward.

Investment

We have highlighted the need for leadership to fully fund the CRM, above. Investment in a CRM includes CRM licenses, the professional services to implement the CRM, and the ongoing costs to train staff and maintain the CRM in future years.

Resourcing

Resources for a CRM go beyond the costs to implement and the ongoing expenses. Resourcing includes staffing for a project and staff to manage the CRM post go-live. When thinking through staffing, ensure you have the appropriate staff to implement a CRM. An implementation requires dedication on the part of the supplier, as well as a commitment of the non-profit organisation. Consider engaging outside project management and other external resources. Also consider relieving current staff of job responsibilities in order to join the CRM project on a part-time or full-time basis.

Post go-live, you want to ensure your non-profit organisation has proper staffing to manage the CRM including ongoing support of end users. This, too, may be outsourced or may be managed from within.

Processes

A CRM adoption is the best time to turn every business process upside down. A CRM adoption offers the opportunity to question each and every process and to consider the chance to automate processes, reduce time and effort required to conduct your day to day business, and to eliminate redundant processes.

Organisations should document business processes in an online platform and make a commitment to keep this documentation up to date in the coming years.

User-Readiness/User Adoption

Your end users should be engaged throughout the transition from one CRM to another. Doing so is the best change management strategy possible.  Involve end users in design, configuration, user acceptance testing and, of course, training.

Non-profit organisations are quick to jump into a CRM transition project before ensuring the fundamentals are in place for a successful adoption. Taking weeks or months to put the above infrastructure in place prior to commencing the CMR adoption will ensure a successful outcome for everyone.

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Invest in your non-profit’s constituent relationship management (CRM) solution

FundraisingForce receives a telephone call or web enquiry every 7 days asking for assistance with a non-profit’s CRM. The caller typically suggests one of two issues: 1) the CRM is the issue; or 2) the database administrator is the issue.

While issue #1 or #2 certainly might be true, there typically is a third issue: the non-profit organisation failed to make an annual investment in the CRM.

Investments Needed

Non-profit organisations often times fail to invest in the CRM and to budget for this investment on an annual basis. Organisation’s certainly budget for licensing costs, but the investment usually ends right there. Instead, your organisation needs to invest in the following:

  1. Data health.
    • Performing data cleansing on your CRM on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis is a prudent investment.
    • Train and encourage staff to CEE every record.
    • Establish data hygiene queries and reports in your CRM and handle the issues at the end of each week or month.
    • Hire data experts to perform national change of address (NCOA) on your file on a routine, or at least annual, basis.
  2. Solution upgrades.
    • The CRM you bought is not the CRM in existence today.
    • Suppliers invest in research and development.
    • New technology and functionality is added to your CRM routinely – sometimes quarterly, sometimes annually.
    • If your organisation does not accept the upgrades from the supplier, you are missing out.
  3. Business processes.
    • Develop business processes for your team.
    • Review business processes at least one time per year to ensure they are the most robust and efficient possible.
    • When business changes, ensure the business process is documented and up to date.
    • Train on new business processes.
  4. Training.
    • Train your staff, retrain your staff and retrain them, again.
    • Offer training at Go Live.
    • Offer training for new hires as part of their on boarding process.
    • Offer refresher trainings.
    • Offer morning teas or brown bag luncheons focused on one business process at least one time per month.
  5. System Administrator.
    • Hire and fully train a system administrator.
    • Hire the best of the best.
    • Invest in the system administrator allowing them to maximise their professional development.

It’s easy to blame the software or blame the database administrator on your issues. And, while not every software is perfect and not every staff person is a rock star, think of your new CRM the same as a new homeowner. Anyone who has purchased a new home knows the home will require maintenance each and every year. The roof will not need to be changed for 10-15 years and the air conditioning will last 10-15 years, as well. But, the house will require painting, patching, and other maintenance on a routine basis. The house does not care for itself and neither does your non-profit’S CRM.

For more information, contact us.

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FIA Conference is fast approaching

Snip20151207_40In a little over a week’s time, fundraisers across Australia will be cleaning up their desks and preparing for the Christmas and New Year’s break. It’s a great time of the year – celebrating the end to a calendar year, preparing to launch plans for the New Year, and getting ready to enjoy about a two week break with friends and family.

There is one more important thing to do before you lock the office door…

…register for Fundraising Institute Australia Conference 2016 in Melbourne, 2-4 March. And, early bird registration closes in three short days. Save yourself and/or your organisation money by taking advantage of the early bird discounts. Reserve your spot at FIAConf2016 to set the platform for your professional development in the New Year.

There is something for everyone at #FIAConf2016 – small shop or large and those new to fundraising or the most seasoned professional. New this year is a scholarship specific to small organisations. Check this site to learn how you may qualify and apply for a conference scholarship.

Don’t start 2016 regretting you did not take a few moments to submit a registration before you left for the holiday break!

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Professional development – a non-negotiable for managers and staff alike

 

"EDUCATION" Tag Cloud Globe (training university exam degree)Managers often argue against investing in the professional development of staff by saying staff turnover makes them shy from sending staff to various external courses or learning opportunities. Hearing the word “no” is too common for staff when staff request to attend a conference or course.

Professional development should be a non-negotiable for managers and staff alike. Management should budget for staff professional development and staff should take ample advantage of these opportunities – those which cost and those which are free-of-charge.

Why is professional development important for organisational development?

Why should staff take advantage of professional development?

Professional development benefits both staff and employers. Managers who send staff to education courses, seminars, conferences, and webinars will find staff to be more enthused, engaged and loyal. Staff will find themselves to be knowledgeable about current trends and practices, gaining knowledge, and sharpening skills.

Professional development is a life-long responsibility you and I have as managers, leaders and staff.

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End of Financial Year – Raiser’s Edge and NetCommunity Training Sale

Student, classroom, internship.

Looking to train your staff in The Raiser’s Edge and/or Blackbaud NetCommunity? Do you have some leftover budget you’d like to invest, but you are unsure of training dates? Looking for a great discount, but you don’t want to sacrifice on product or service?

We hear you! FundraisingForce has a solution for you.

Book your training with FundraisingForce by 30 June and receive 40% off! Even better, we have a combined 50 years of non-profit experience and over 25 years combined experience on The Raiser’s Edge and NetCommunity! With FundraisingForce, you work with consultants who know your business, know the product, and understand your pain points and how to solve them.

Contact us today to learn more and to book this special offer in these final days of the financial year.

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Professional development opportunities galore

Snip20150518_3We live in a country where fundraisers do not lack professional development opportunities.

The Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA) Education program offers a host of courses. The 2015 semester II brochure just arrived in our letterboxes and is rich with new courses, as well as well the standard FIA courses – Fundraising Essentials, Certificate in Fundraising and Diploma in Fundraising. New course offerings include Data Analytics for the Empowered Fundraiser, Digital Storytelling for Fundraisers, Fundraising Change Leadership, and I Gave at the Office – Workplace Giving Masterclass.

The FIA courses are taught by dynamic, experienced, and diverse fundraising professionals such as Kathy John/RobeJohn, Shanelle Newton Clapham/Parachute Digital, Nigel Harris/Mater Foundation and Peter Dalton/fundraisingfutures, and Bonny Bayne and Rachael Beckett/Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). These talented professionals offer a wealth of experience as part of the content they deliver throughout the semester.

Register for these courses today. FIA is able to offer these courses in cities across Australia if we support our professional fundraising organisation.

 

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Finding the ‘perfect’ database for a non-profit

content‘Tis the season for non-profit organisations searching for the ‘perfect’ database.

There are countless organisations in Asia-Pacific searching for a new constituent relationship management (CRM) or Supporter Relationship Management (SRM) solution. All of these non-profit organisations are attempting to find the right fit, which will accelerate their organisations productivity.

Available Product

There are about 8 CRM/SRM key products or platforms in the Australian marketplace. Those products or platforms have many things in common, but there are some key differences across the systems as well. Additionally, a single supplier may have a variety of solutions to offer non-profit organisations.

Do your research before you approach these companies.

It’s About the Relationship

Non-profit organisations thrive on relationships staff create with donors, volunteers, and others. When a non-profit selects a new CRM/SRM, the suppliers are often very focused on the relationship. Ask current customers whether the relationship continued after the point of sale. Has the supplier continued to develop the relationship 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5+ years down the road or do they only contact customers when there is a sale to be had?

Remember, a relationships with a the CRM/SRM supplier goes beyond customer support. The relationship is about customer service.

Business Requirements

Are you really confident of your non-profit organisation’s business requirements? Are you able to articulate those business requirements to the market? Being able to communicate the requirements of each department in your organisation is essential in order to allow suppliers the opportunity to determine the best fit within their own product set.

While there are many products in the Australian market and they have many attributes in common, there are some key differences in the systems as well. It troubles me when I hear an organisation is signing a contract with a supplier simply because the supplier was “very nice” and “very professional” in the sales process. It further troubles me when an organisation is signing a contract with a supplier without having done their due diligence and conducted a search beyond that one supplier.

Dump your current CRM/SRM?

Moving away from your organisation’s current CRM/SRM may very well be the right decision, but it is not always a wise decision for every organisation. First you need to identify reasons you are looking to move away from the CRM/SRM. What are the reasons you feel the current system does not meet your organisation’s needs? Often times those reasons are not about functionality, but about internal factors such as business processes, training, and change management. No matter what CRM/SRM you adopt, your organisation may face the same internal issues again unless these issues are addressed.

Does the perfect non-profit CRM or SRM really exist? The answer is not a yes. But, it is also not a no. The answer to that question depends on whether your organisation runs a thorough process to search for the CRM/SRM, which is the best fit for your organisation based on the following:

  • Size of your organisation.
  • Business requirements identified for your organisation.
  • Future growth plans and strategies.

The Process

FundraisingForce is working with three non-profit organisations presently searching for systems. FundraisingForce suggests the following process when searching for the right CRM/SRM fit:

  • Examine the current CRM/SRM to determine its strengths and weaknesses. Be sure to examine what impact your organisation has had on the determined weaknesses. Sometimes this is the most difficult task to own.
  • Conduct a requirements gathering exercise and confirm the requirements with subject matter experts (SMEs) to be sure of accuracy.
  • Write a request for proposals document asking suppliers to respond to specific areas of interest to your organisation. You will seek information about functionality of the product, information about the supplier, and responses to questions. All of these will study the supplier’s strengths, weaknesses, stability and other critical factors.
  • Conduct a meeting with suppliers to review your process documents and to be available to answer any questions.
  • Create an internal selection committee.
  • Review proposals and answers to your requirements documentation.
  • Conduct demonstrations by suppliers about proposed product lines. Include an expanded audience (beyond your selection committee) to gain buy-in from staff across the organisation.
  • Check references offered by suppliers. Also, check references not provided by suppliers. You would not hire a candidate for a position simply based on what the references they provide say about their past. Simply calling the references a supplier puts forward is limiting.
  • Negotiate price. Whatever price the supplier puts forward is not the price that will be agreed to in the end. The fact is the supplier will want to know more information about your organisation, your business requirements, and other factors before the supplier is able to quote a more exact price. Remember price is only one piece of the overall process. Be sure to think through costs you will incur internally, as well, such as staffing and other variables.

Selecting a CRM/SRM may well be the biggest decision and the largest investment your organisation makes. Investing in the process and ensuring your organisation makes the right decision is critical. Once you select the CRM/SRM, the fun part starts – the implementation! I will write more about the implementation in a future post.

Does all of the above seem a bit daunting? Hiring experts, like FundraisingForce, who have worked on the supplier side to help you to navigate the process.

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Prepare for your tax appeal segmentation – now!

segmentation-feature-dBelieve it or not, we are talking Tax Appeals already. In fact, we are…a little late.

It’s surprising the organisations that send the same package with the same copy to everyone on their data set simply because it’s “too hard” to segment the data set and to craft messages for each segment. Other organisations rely on suppliers to segment the data when, in fact, these organisations could segment their own data with just a bit of help.

Organisations using The Raiser’s Edge, or other marquis CRM products, have the tools to create segmentation in house if they simply had the knowledge.

Any organisation lucky enough to have a CRM as powerful as The Raiser’s Edge, or the others in the market, should gain knowledge from an expert to create segmentation in house. It is not enough to bring in an outside expert to simply create your segmentation for the upcoming Tax Appeal. The knowledge should be transferred to your staff so segmentation may be created for future appeals as well.

Sending an appeal to everyone on the database simply because the supporter exists on the database is not good enough. Invest some time to create the segmentation on paper and then work with a FundraisingForce Consultant to build the segmentations strategy in your database. Ensure the strategy is future proof and may be used for the Christmas Appeal and beyond.

1 July will be here before we know it. Your appeal should be dropping in May. It’s nearly mid-March. Let’s work together to ensure a successful Tax Appeal for your organisation.

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Stop. Do not train your staff. They will leave your organisation anyway.

TrainingWe have all heard supervisors tell us why we cannot attend a training course or a conference.

Training costs too much.

My staff does not have time for training.

There is no money in the budget.

We will send you on a training course in the future.

Why bother to train my staff? They are going to leave anyway.

“What’s worse than training your workers and losing them? Not training them and keeping them.”

– Zig Zigler, Motivational Speaker

Studies about workplace learning show that investment in employees improves the organisation’s bottom line.

According to a post written by Dale Dirkes on LinkedIn, the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) concluded a national study of workplace learning practices and outcomes in 540 U.S. corporations. By creating two sub-samples in the study (one sample invested an average of $900 per employee per year and the other invested an average of $275 per employee per year) researchers found the top group outpaced the bottom by:

  • 57% higher sales per employee.
  • 37% higher gross profit per employee.

The study also offers organisations — some for the first time — reliable ways to measure tangible results from a training investment.

In a second phase of the study, ASTD identified leading edge companies for “Best Practices” ideas.

Here’s what they learned from the best of the best. They:

  • Invest up to 6% of payroll on overall workplace learning.
  • train 86% of employees on average.
  • utilise high-end technology (Internet, Webinar, computer-based training) to complement classroom sessions.

A graduate-level research project completed by Robert Klein, sales education manager for Nabisco, and aided by professor Dan Tanomery of Fairleigh Dickinson University, centered around what some U.S. companies are doing to train sales professionals.

The findings show there was a direct correlation between sales training and seven key business results:

  • sales increase.
  • market share increases.
  • there is a tendency for more new product rollouts.
  • productivity increases.
  • higher employee morale (and better retention).
  • customer satisfaction increases.
  • net Profits Increase.

Findings also show:

  • training improves employee performance.
  • training enhances the bottom line.
  • training saves labour.
  • training saves money.
  • training improves an organisation’s competitive edge.
  • training increases worker productivity.
  • training saves supervisory and administrative time and costs.
  • training improves supporter satisfaction.
  • training improves employee satisfaction and retention.
  • investment in professional development training is a win-win for a non-profit organisation and the employee alike.

Each of us has a responsibility to our organisations and to our staff to ensure our teams are fully trained and have the capability to do the job we have hired them to do.

Our peak body, Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA), offers a terrific range of courses for our sector and these courses cover a variety of skill levels and topics. Courses include:

  • Fundraising Essentials
  • FIA Certificate in Fundraising
  • FIA Diploma in Fundraising
  • Copywriting for Fundraisers
  • Creative for Fundraisers
  • Data Analytics for Fundraisers
  • Creating Transformational Mass Participation Events
  • Feel Good Major Gifts
  • Join the Bequests Revolution

FIA is offering courses in the classroom and also online to meet your training needs. Visit the FIA website for more details.

Semester I of the 2015 FIA training calendar launches this month. Signup for a course today and/or encourage your staff to attend a series of courses this year.

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FundraisingForce offers training on various fundraising database systems, including The Raiser’s Edge. We also offer training on Blackbaud NetCommunity. Contact us for more information and to tailor a programme to meet your organisation’s requirements.

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Nuggets of information from Fundraising Institute Australia 2015 Conference

Snip20150222_2The Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA) Conference is the largest gathering of fundraisers in Asia-Pacific. The Fundraising Institute Australia 2015 conference occurred last week on 18-20 February 2015.

If you could not attend, you missed a lot! And, because you missed a lot, I decided to create a blog post containing some of the nuggets of information learned from a few of the sessions I attended, including: a master class, plenary sessions, and various breakouts.

Wednesday, 18 February

9:00AM – 4:00PM

Building Your Personal Brand Master Class

The three days kicked off with some spectacular master classes, including one I attended called Building Your Personal Brand. This class contained a panel of four remarkable women from Brisbane, Sydney and Washington DC talking about the importance of building and maintaining a personal brand.

Presenters included:

  • Julie Lamberg-Burnet, Sydney School of Protocol.
  • Mary Macuga, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane
  • Korrin Barrett, Living Possibility.
  • Eva Aldrich, CFRE International.

The panellists combined to deliver a message, which included:

  • The importance of the first impression.
  • How to properly carry yourself in a social setting or interview.
  • Personality traits and work styles we each bring to the workplace.
  • How supervisors and co-workers learn to deal with our personality traits and work styles (and we deal with theirs) is key to successful offices.
  • How those same traits apply to successful donor interactions, Board relations, and donor solicitations.
  • How to rebuild your personal brand after a catastrophic situation.
  • How professional credentialing adds value to your personal brand.
  • How you can achieve goals and build your personal brand while also meeting the requirements to achieve the CFRE credential.

The day was packed with information and rich content from the presenters while, at the same time, insight from audience participants.

5:00PM – 7:00PM

Opening Reception

Often one of the favourite events of the FIA Conference, the opening reception was a chance for attendees to visit with suppliers in a sold-out exhibit hall, to make new acquaintances and to renew old friendships. The conference exhibit hall was packed and many of us found it the place to be to network and to gain insightful information from fellow conference participants.

Many conference participants coordinated one on one or group dinners to take advantage of the opportunity to network further and to kick the conference off right.

Thursday, 19 February 2015

Plenary I – Simone Joyaux, ACFRE (Joyaux Associates)

Simone Joyaux kicked off the conference with a direct and powerful message to the audience. She said fundraising is “not about the money”. Rather, its “about the donor’s own aspirations”. Simone has a unique style of presenting and the audience was captivated by her message.

Plenary II – Tom Latchford (Raising IT)

Young Tom Latchford offered a motivating talk about getting the NFP sector ahead of the commercial sector. His humour, coupled with his vast international knowledge, caused his message to resonate with the audience.

11:00 – 12:30PM – Breakout

Panel Discussion – Management and Leadership Issues in Fundraising

Dr Wendy Scaife, EMFIA (Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies – QUT)

Margaret Scott, FFIA CFRE (Margaret Scott & Associates)

Dr Daniel McDiarmid, FFIA CFRE (Global Philanthropic)

Simone Joyaux ACFRE (Joyaux Associates)

Nigel Harris, CFRE (Mater Foundation) led an expert panel discussion where the panellists focused on problems, challenges, opportunities and responses identified through research. The packed room gained insight from these seasoned professionals.

2:25PM – 3:10PM – Breakout

Mining Your Data – Getting the Gold

Dan Bernstein, MFIA (FundraisingForce)

Dan Bernstein, FundraisingForce, presented a 45-minute session full of tips and tricks to find the gold in your customer relationship management (CRM) system. As an experienced fundraiser and consultant, Dan knows how to get to the gold and his energetic presentation style and the information he presented captivated the audience. The audience was seen taking copious notes and some said they were creating a plan to implement right after the conference.

3:10PM – 3:40PM – Marketplace

How to Become a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) Next Quarter

Stephen Mally, CFRE (FundraisingForce)

I was able to take a dozen interested fundraisers through the CFRE process and to try to take the mystery out of CFRE. During the session I shared information about the application and examination process. I also invited participants to join the FIA NSW CFRE Study Group – whether these participants live in NSW or elsewhere. Videoconference is available for all.

4:35PM – 5:20PM – Breakout

Practical Ways to Use Your Data to Drive Up Results

Fiona McPhee (Pareto Fundraising)

Fiona McPhee’s sessions are always about sharing and Fiona did not hold back in this instance. She offered a lot of insight into RFM segmentation and how charities are winning the data battle in Asia-Pacific.

7:00PM – 11:00PM – Gala Awards Dinner

Friday, 20 February 2015

10:30AM – 11:25AM – Breakout

Deeper, Smarter Engagement of Donors

Derek Bell (MarketingCube) and Claire Wytcherley (Diabetes Australia VIC)

Marketing automation may be a foreign term to many in the NFP sector, but Derek and Claire offered definition and clarity into exactly what marketing automation is and how it applies to the NFP organisations. The two walked us through the process to change our marketing from “batch and send” processes to marketing automation processes. Derek and Claire discussed a need to understand our audiences and our supporter’s preferred methods of communication. Derek reminded us to be aware of the donor’s online and offline behaviour.

Diabetes Australia VIC is one such organisation seeing success through marketing automation. Cost reduction and deeper file penetration were both winds for Diabetes Australia VIC.

MarketingCube suggests the five p’s:  Plan, produce, publish, promote, and prove.

11:35AM – 12:30PM – Breakout

DIY Fundraising – 365 Days of Opportunity

Adrian Coupe and Henry Gresson (GoFundraise)

As the title says, do it yourself fundraising is available 365 days a year! Adrian and Henry offered insights into how charities throughout Australia are maximising the opportunity to captivate the attention of supporters to gain the most form every event. The two talked about the changing fundraising landscape: Fundraising landscape – 40% – signature event (owned by charity), 30% – 3rd party (owned by specialist event org), and 30% DIY. DIY is the fastest growing pillar in the fundraising landscape according to GoFundraise.

2:40PM – 3:25PM

Four Successes and a Failure: Sharing the behind the Scenes Secrets of Non-Profit Website and Social Media Successes to learn That Works and What Just Doesn’t

Tom Latchford (Raising IT)

Tom’s sense of humour and knowledge of best practice around the world came out in this session. Despite the fact we were in the midst of a cyclone, the room was packed and everyone benefited from Tom’s knowledge on leveraging best practices in websites and social media.

Closing Plenary

Following the Path to Donor Nirvana: The 6 Realisations Approach

Tom Ahern (Ahern Communications)

Tom Ahern offered several examples of US charity materials and showed best practice and opportunities for improvement. Tom told us if everyone tells you they love your newsletter you should “be suspicious”! He reminded us that we, as fundraisers, care more about the ask and the donor cares more about the thank you.

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