Ten CRM Case Studies for Charities

On the tenth day of Christmas, my truelove gave to me... Ten Useful Case Studies of How NFPs Are Using CRM Systems

Case studies are a useful way to see how charities and the NFP sector have implemented fundraising and CRM systems. The following are ten such examples (in alphabetical order):

• Access Group: Access thankQ CRM - Essex Herts Air Ambulance 
• Advanced Computer Software: Care NG - Woodland Trust
• Advantage NFP - Birmingham Royal Ballet 
• ASI Europe: iMIS20 - Rethink Mental Illness
• Blackbaud: Raiser's Edge - University of Glasgow 
• CiviCRM - Bloodwise (ex-LLR)
• Donorfy - Central London Samaritans
• Harlequin Software - Greatwood
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM - Midlands Air Ambulance
• Salesforce - Camfed

NB For clarification: this list in no way indicates that these are the ten best or the only ten systems you should consider. There are many more and you can see a more comprehensive list of Fundraising Software and CRM Systems on my website.

The 3 top reasons why you should still consider traditional fundraising software

 

So much is written now - by myself included! - about the (now not so) new CRM systems (I.e. MS CRM Dynamics, Salesforce et al) that you could be forgiven for forgetting that there are still other options. But the good ol' traditional fundraising database package is of course still going strong (e.g. Raiser's Edge, thankQ, CareNG, Advantage Fundraiser etc), and it is still selling well (out-selling CRM?) and there are clear benefits for at least considering it if you are looking at a new fundraising database solution.

These are my top three reasons why you should still consider the fundraising database package:

• The built-in fundraising functionality: this has to be number one. These guys have been selling fundraising databases before Salesforce was a twinkle in Marc Benioff's eye. And as such they have rich and comprehensive built-in functionality for fundraising. It's why they were created in the first place. And even the more thorough templates/apps which are now available for Dynamics and Salesforce are hard-pressed to match all the fundraising functions which the fundraising packages can offer - and some don't even claim to be more than a starting point. Some of them are getting closer of course...
• The suppliers themselves: This is almost as critical as the functionality - in fact, sometimes I would put it above the functionality for a reason as to why you should consider fundraising packages. Because the suppliers have years and years of knowledge of working with charities; they have staff who will have hundreds, even thousands of hours of experience which they have gleaned from the NFPs they have worked with; they have the heritage of working with the sector; and many have hundreds, even thousands of existing charity customers who already use the software, have provided feedback (good and bad) and who, believe it or not, may actually even like the software!
• Reduced risk of the implementation itself: Some of the more critical aspects of a fundraising database implementation are aspects such as direct debits, marketing selection processes, finance/donation structure, gift aid and so on, and these are the areas which the packages already have ticked and, as importantly, have implemented many times in many different environments. Even the better CRM systems still have limited exposure to such areas and are still learning. This does reduce risk. Equally, the wider functionality already available means you have a structure to the system and the implementation, you will be able to run your processes in proven ways and you won't just forget some functionality. Plus, the suppliers have done it all before many times and it's even quite feasible that some of your staff will even know the new system from other places they have worked.

All that said, and to keep things in perspective, I do realise that some of these benefits I am promoting could equally be seen as downsides by CRM suppliers, and some CRM suppliers could quite rightly point to their successes; so do remember I am just saying here why the traditional packages should at least still be considered...

Which database is best for a Solo Fundraiser?

Following on from my previous post about What is the best database for a small distributed charity or a solo fundraiser? this post considers what the difference might be for a charity who only has a solo fundraiser. However, my previous post addresses the fundamentals of any such decision even for solo fundraisers, so if you haven't read that yet then do so first.

The main additional points for a Solo Fundraiser to consider are as follows:

• Are you working for a small charity who does have an office and, if so, then do you already have an on-premise server? If so, then you can look wider for any system which might meet your needs as it doesn't have to be hosted/SAAS. You might still of course want one of the hosted/SAAS systems already mentioned in my previous post, but additional examples of such systems you could consider compared to the ones from my previous post are Donor Strategy, KISS Software and Harlequin Software.
• Even though you are a solo fundraiser, is it likely that the charity could grow in future? If so, then most databases should still be sufficient for such instances, but just don't forget or assume that.
• Even though you are a solo fundraiser, do you actually work for a larger organisation with more complex requirements? In which case, it might be that the very simplest fundraising database might not be applicable to your needs. Hard to quantify, but don't just assume therefore that a low-cost option is best for you. For example, I do know of some charities who have even bought The Raiser's Edge for a solo fundraiser, but in this sort of instance, that is more when they have good in-house IT support, when a fundraiser knows that sort of system and often when they are planning to grow later. (NB Clearly, other databases similar to The Raiser's Edge have also been installed for solo fundraisers - I use The Raiser's Edge as an example because of its wide awareness and to emphasise the point that it does need more support and consideration when implementing it).
• As no-one else is going to be using the database initially (although I realise some places might have the odd, additional manager also viewing it at times), you really do need a system which does not require complicated management. The difference here to the 'small distributed charity' is that that charity might very well have a few people using it and might be able to justify better the input required to manage it for the whole organisation.

And do remember the other advice I gave before: I'm afraid it isn't as easy as just plugging in the system - it will take time to set-up, even if there is only one of you!