In the last century, if you wanted to verify user information, you could hop on a phone call, or opt-in for physical meetups with a client. However, as technology has evolved to make client data easier to manage, CRMs do have the disadvantage of being difficult to monitor. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have made exponential progress as one of the most commonly implemented digital tool kits across nonprofit organizations. As an organization grows, the need for CRM software to make data have high quality and integrity has also increased.
Why being transparent with your data is important
As experts in the nonprofit sector, sharing information from your data can say a lot about your organization’s growth. Data transparency externally and internally empowers employees to work in unison to improve the quality and speed of decision-making amongst each other and with clients. Adopting it into your CRM processes will benefit your work within the organization and establish trust and credibility with donors and supporters.
If you’re setting up a new CRM, having transparent data helps create new insights from the previous data within the old system. It’s not that you couldn’t find much needed answers from a previous system, but more so those answers weren’t available to discover! So after investing into a new system and implementing it into your organizational strategy, the opportunity for data transparency increases exponentially! And last but not least, transparency breeds trust from donors when executives openly share the financial impact of fundraising efforts. Having access to clear data will help you monitor the outcome of your fundraising and serve as a catalyst for upcoming operational decisions. To sum up, data can help you interpret your communicative efforts and impact externally and internally.
Approval processing in CRM
To add an extra layer of data protection, organizations can add approval processes as part of their data management. Let’s take Salesforce for example. You have an audit coming up at the end of the quarter and you want to make sure that it’s presentable to your donors. You say, “Hey, I need a process put in place where it’s confirmed someone has reviewed this information.” What can happen is you build up the process that’ll require a “approval” or “dismissal” and other triggers to complete its cycle. You’d be able to adjust the process accordingly to the content you want to see within the audit. By the time it’s finalized, your organization has the necessary material, donors are satisfied with the presentation, and you have a system in place for validating your data’s integrity.
Implementing data integrity with your CRM
A big part of building donor relationships is ensuring your data remains consistent and accurate over the course of that relationship. Your organization relies heavily on data to make strategic decisions. You also have to consider your organization’s reputation when making data-based decisions. The quality and accuracy of client and donor data in the CRM system will impact a consistent, error-free way to enhance the client experience. For example, eliminating duplicate entries will reduce marketing costs by preventing duplicate marketing mailings, advertisements, and emails.
To validate the strength of your CRM data, take a few steps to keep it polished and free from errors. Remove any unnecessary or duplicated information to ensure you have data that displays honesty and trustworthiness. After each session, don’t forget to back up your data. This could look like saving it on a file or sending a copy to yourself. It’s always good to keep a backup. Also, try doing an audit trail periodically. With an audit, you can learn firsthand on how to spot a problem so that you can provide a proactive solution. Instill these practices so you’ll never worry about your organization’s credibility!
Still not sure where to start in securing your CRM transparency? Our team at Tackle would love to help you increase your data integrity. Contact us today to get started.
At Tackle, what our services are and how we provide them is crucial for nonprofits to be successful. Your customer resource management (CRM) platform is the backbone of digital fundraising efforts. From implementing a new software platform to launching a new software, we know how to make an impact at every stage!
Services
We define our offerings based on three tiers: implementation, usability, and strategy. As your nonprofit grows, your long-term goals are likely to change. Within the transitional period, things like client and donor information become harder to manage, so you’ll need the right CRM tools to save you time and keep your organization afloat! We at Tackle will ensure you can introduce new technology while also integrating your systems with compatible software. Through integration, we’ll provide you with a new software selection as well as optimizing your current software for the best performance.
Implementation
Implementing a new CRM software can be a hassle. Let’s face it, how you use your current data can conflict with your organizational needs overall. That’s where we come in! We’ll help you launch new technology that can integrate with your present organization’s systems. Compatibility matters when you’re managing client information. So we understand that as your organization launches a new system, knowing how to migrate data from an old system needs to be taken into consideration. A successful launch requires a commitment to establish a proactive implementation plan and an energetic execution of that plan. No need to panic because we have the best experts that’ll make the implementation process run smoothly!
Usability
To maximize your CRM’s performance, it’s important to actually know what you’re doing. The significance of software usability is to develop good practices because you want to increase your productivity. With our help, we’ll establish the best tactics of how to re-deploy software utilizations, user software training, and business process design. Our goal with this service is to ensure you have the knowledge on how to identify tasks, metrics, and key performance indicators to make your technology work for you!
Strategy
What’s your plan when making decisions based upon your fundraising efforts? Or do you need help figuring out a plan? These are the questions we here at Tackle can help you discover! Selecting a new CRM takes into account the software’s mobility, flexibility, user experience, and your goals! Some CRMs are designed for certain industries and market segments, while others have a “one size fits all” approach for any organization. And that’s what we’ll analyze when we work with you. We start by performing a needs analysis to help you identify which metrics to focus on and how to build a strategy around that. After it’s complete, we’ll select the most compatible software choice for you!.
Case Study Examples
When CureSMA decided to move away from their current CRM and fundraising platform to something that better suited their expanding needs, they turned to Tackle to help them navigate the best plan for their growing technical needs. Take a further look here!
StandUpToCancer needed to implement a new software platform. Moving from Luminate CRM to the Nonprofit Success Pack on Salesforce was the goal! Since Tackle has established a long-term standing relationship with them, they looked to us on implementing Salesforce’s Nonprofit Success Pack and migrating their information to the new CRM. Check it out!
Importance
A successful CRM provides you with a value proposition that’s hard to replicate. The more interactions your CRM can monitor, the more opportunities you get with donors to create a personalized experience. On the organizational side, perks such as better collaboration across marketing and development teams leads to clear understandings of your donor and gifts processing data. Through your CRM process, a donor’s journey can be shared among your teams to create cohesiveness and cross-functionality.
Having data problems? Training not moving fast enough? Whether you are looking to select a new CRM or you need an extra hand getting your current CRM up to speed, Tackle can help! Contact us today!
Working in a nonprofit brings many challenges. The biggest challenge of all: finding a centralized system to keep your data organized. There’s a lot to manage — client list, customer data, emails, donor lists, and many more. Lucky for you, Tackle knows the right CRMs that’ll meet your needs! Take a look at the CRMs we recommend and set yourself up for success!
Salesforce
Staying on top of supporter information is the overall most important task for nonprofit organizations. For Salesforce, their CRM gives this principle an upgrade. Salesforce offers their Nonprofit Success Pack that’ll transform your organization from start to finish. Track and measure impact using real-time data to improve your organization’s mission. Optimize your organization’s data to create personalized content and emails to drive your marketing and engagement efforts. Utilize premade templates to create donor-centric initiatives, simplify grant management, and amplify your objectives to the highest level! This might be our favorite CRM because of its diverse feature offerings and scalability for nonprofits of all sizes.
HubSpot
Looking for a platform that can provide an all-for-one solution for your fundraising? Then HubSpot is the right tool for you. With HubSpot, you can scale your nonprofit to reach your supporters at the right place at the right time. Using HubSpot’s Nonprofit Starter package will give you a CRM experience worth the investment! Includes an emailing platform, blogging, and social media! Also, use HubSpot to integrate with other software like Google Analytics and Mailchimp to further improve your fundraising, marketing, and communication needs. While HubSpot hasn’t been a widely-used CRM for nonprofits in the past, it is quickly becoming a solid player in the fundraising world and we think it has excellent potential to bring your organization to the next level.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Nonprofits who heavily focus on their donor and volunteer management need a CRM to specialize in integrating the information. This is where Dynamics 365 comes in! Dynamics 365 would be a great CRM for your nonprofit because of interpersonal benefits like intelligent donor engagement, the modernization of your business processes, and the utilization of your data to make equitable decisions with your fundraising. It’s an all-around connective platform that gives your organization resources to integrate your data with AI-driven recommendations and customer-led journey capabilities. Regardless of demographics and communication channels, Dynamics 365 does its due diligence in tailoring its services to clients and donors. Microsoft has truly built a solid CRM and has been developing more features specifically geared toward nonprofits.
NeonCRM
Looking for a CRM that’ll landscape your business into being a data collection maven? Then NeonCRM is the solution for you! Whether you operate a small or large nonprofit, your staff will greatly benefit from using this platform for automating time-consuming tasks and integrating current and past information to make data-based decisions. Create customized reports, use management tools critical to your organization, and control workflow. The expandability of Neon CRM makes it a great platform for nonprofit organizations of all sizes.
Need a new CRM? Here at Tackle, we have a vast array of experiences with software platforms. When you work with us, you’re getting a unique value proposition when we apply our expertise to help your nonprofit thrive! Contact us today!
You just wrapped up your big end-of-year campaign and after many curse words and much hair pulling, you have decided you are done with your current software. It sucks, it’s not working like you need it to, your staff complains about the platform on a regular basis.
You are officially ready to move on to a new technology system.
Making a software change can be a huge endeavor. While some platforms are easy to use right out of the box, there is still the getting started process, system integration setups, training your staff on the new systems, and the dreaded unforeseen complications.
So before you dive into a system switch, make sure you are accurately setting your expectations by asking yourself these two questions.
1. Why are you looking to make a change?
Every organization brings its own backgrounds and challenges as to why they are ready for a software switch. Generally it comes down to the fact that you are not able to accomplish your goals with the software you are currently using.
From our experience, the reasons you want a change generally fall into one or more of the following categories.
You have outgrown your current software. When your team got started with your current platform(s), your needs were much more narrow. But now you have way more donors or a new website or your services have changed (or maybe even all three) and it is just not working for you anymore. The good news is many digital systems are constantly expanding and updating, but if you found you maxed out all of their offerings that definitely could be a convincing reason you need to move on.
Staff changes. Maybe the person who set up the software has left your organization and it is a good time to reassess how you use your software. Or maybe you hired a new staff person with experience using another system that they absolutely love and think your organization would benefit from it. Regardless, staff transitions are a common, and, honestly, an excellent time to consider new technology.
It is overwhelming to use. This is a common issue with systems with a vast feature offering. Salesforce is a great example of this. There are many features and options and if your system was not set up well in the first place, it can make using it one big headache. Lack of training can also put a hindrance on using your technology to its full potential.
Your systems don’t work together. You have one platform for your email, another for your CRM, an online donation processing system and none of them actually work together. You have set up lots of work arounds and manual inputs, but if they could just automatically update between systems it would make your job so much easier. So you are considering a new more diverse technology option or possibly some better system integration options.
The bottom line is there are many reasons why you might not be happy with your current technology systems. A new platform is appealing, but there is one more question to consider before you actually make that jump.
2. Is a new system worth it?
Sure, implementing new technology sounds like it would magically solve all of your problems like a digital fairy godmother. And while it very well could, you have to think through the process to get there, because unfortunately it’s not as easy as waving a wand.
Budget
Obviously, price is probably your top factor when considering a switch. It is usually the first thing I look at when exploring new software and it is probably your first stop as well.
There is the cost of the actual software, but are there extra start up costs or will you need to hire someone to help you implement this new software? Is it a monthly cost or is it just a standard one-time flat rate? What about training? Will your staff need extra help getting started and is that included in the cost?
All of these things go into making sure this new technology fits into your budget. But you should also examine the extra income this new system has the potential to bring in that could offset costs. Also will this new platform reduce the time your staff has to manage the software? I am guessing their time, and thus hourly rate, would probably be more beneficial spent on something else besides cursing at managing a software system.
Time
You know that saying, “time is money?” Yeah, this definitely applies here.
How long will this take to get started? How much staff time will need to be dedicated to implementing this? What about training?
While some systems are easy to use from the start, systems like CRMs can take from a few days for a very small organization to over a year for larger nonprofits to get your new database in working order. Can you put some things on hold to make this work? Is this something your team can manage?
Staff Involvement
It only takes one person to derail your team’s journey with your new software. That is why it is especially important to make sure everyone is on board before you onboard.
Reviewing the software with anyone who might use the technology (think marketing, development, finance teams and others) before you hit the sign up button will go a long way. Considering your co-worker’s input will go even further. This is where a consultant can go a long way in vetting your technology options and making sure it will actually work for your team(s).
Also, having a point person to lead the technology project is important as well. That person should also keep in mind that they should stay on top of the latest updates and feature releases your new software has to offer after it is implemented. Is there someone on your team that is willing to take this on?
Training
So you got the green light and your new system is set up, in fact, you even hired a consultant to customize it to fit your needs. It is perfect. But now no one on your team actually knows how to use it.
The effort and time it takes to train your employees on your new software, well, depends on your employees. Are they tech savvy? Good with details? Eager to learn this new system?
Training is a necessary part of implementing a new technology system. Make sure you have a willing staff and the time set aside for learning and troubleshooting.
Inconvenience
All of the factors above can work together to make a perfectly inconvenient storm. Is this something you can power through?
The money, time, and effort new software requires can put projects on hold, affect your fundraising, and can make things like reporting especially challenging in the interim.
Before you jump ship on your technology, it is important to examine your current software a little closer. Maybe there are new features you are not aware of, maybe your business processes need to adjust, maybe you just need to do some system integrations with a tool like Zapier? Or maybe your staff just needs a little bit of training or say in what their needs are? This is where I hands down recommend starting.
And after all that you still answer, “Yes! Switching to a new system is 100% worth the inconvenience,” then I would probably say you are ready to make a technology change.
Need a little help selecting a new system that will be a good fit for your team, helping implement a new platform, or any training or troubleshooting? The Tackle team is standing by to jump in and give you a hand, just reach out to us today.
The end of year is upon us and Giving Tuesday is weeks away, appeals are getting sent, and special events are wrapping up. With all of these pushes, reporting becomes critical in measuring the success of your fundraising efforts.
I also know from personal experience that reporting is not usually top of mind when you are in the EOY fundraising flurry. There are letters to write, lists to pull, Giving Tuesday graphics to design… Reports are for later, right?! (Spoiler: they are not.)
For EOY reporting most people are looking for two things—measuring results and monitoring progress.
You want to know the final results like response rate, revenue, number of new donors, but you also need to know things like if people are finishing filling out donation forms or clicking on emails and if you might need to pivot if something is not working like intended.
This year, set yourself up for success and add reporting to that to-do list NOW and not later by asking yourself these two questions before you even get that end of year ask in inboxes.
- How do I know if what we are doing is successful or not?
- Are we set up to measure that thing?
Knowing your goals is important, but knowing if you met those goals is even more critical. Make sure you are keeping record of data that is tracking your progress. For example, if you sent out a test version of your EOY appeal, is the gifts processing team making note which version when they are entering the donation information into your database? Same for A/B testing for an email?
If you don’t make this plan ahead of time, this data will get lost. So take a few minutes today and think through these two questions and save yourself some reporting headaches later.
One last bit of advice, these two questions should be on your EOY planning each year. This is not a set it and forget it kind of thing. Every year your reporting should be more comprehensive than the year before. Your goals can change too. Make it an annual process to review your reporting and what information you would like to know going forward.
And if after you ask yourself these two questions you find yourself feeling a little overwhelmed with all that duplicate data or feeling a little lost navigating your CRM, I recommend checking out our EOY Reporting Tune-up package. Right now we are offering this service for only $2,499 (regularly $2,999) so it’s a perfect time to let Tackle take the reins and get your EOY reporting in top shape so you start the new year off right!
This sucks. You weren’t planning for a big CRM switch in 2021, time wise or budget wise. But, c’mon now, you KNOW you’ve been talking about leaving Luminate CRM for years now. The time has arrived and we want to help you make lemonade out of these lemons.
Blackbaud recently announced that Luminate CRM would no longer be supported in 2022. That doesn’t feel like a ton of time to make a CRM switch, but for small- or medium-sized organizations, we are confident that this is very doable in this time frame.
First off, this transition might actually be easier than you expect. For many organizations, transitioning from Luminate CRM to Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) would be a viable and likely option. There are many similarities to how NPSP operates and it could actually be a generally easy transition for your data and your team.
For smaller organizations, this could be a good opportunity to move to a completely new CRM and other digital systems that might better fit your needs. Especially, because we know most small nonprofits aren’t getting the most out of Luminate CRM anyway.
Now you might be wondering with Luminate CRM going away, will Luminate Online still be around? The short answer is yes, at least for now, it will still be around. However, that does not mean it is necessarily the best option for your organization.
If you are using Luminate Online for online fundraising, peer-to-peer, and/or email marketing (which most Luminate CRM clients probably are), you’re going to need to consider your plans with those tools as well. You will have a very different range of compatible systems and modules available to you regardless of what CRM you transition to. And while switching from Luminate Online isn’t as urgent, it is something to keep in mind as you are making the decision which CRM you want to move to. The best part is that those options are generally big improvements over the equivalent Luminate Online tools.
The good news is CRM and online fundraising platform conversions are waaaay easier now, pretty much across the board, than they were 10 years ago or whenever your organization most likely transitioned to Luminate CRM in the first place. This is even easier if your staff is small and motivated to end up with better systems and processes than Luminate CRM provided.
The bottom line is we want to acknowledge that yes, this is urgent and needs to be dealt with ASAP. But we also want you to know it is totally doable without needing to be hasty or panicked. With some willingness to be flexible and endure some likely pain in the short term, you’re going to end up far better off.
Our team at Tackle is extremely well-suited to help you navigate this change. We have helped many clients transition away from Luminate CRM and are confident we can help you smoothly make this transition to a new CRM.
So don’t let this Luminate CRM news sour your day. Let’s work together and get you set up for success with a new CRM that actually fits your needs and budget. Reach out today and let’s get started!
If you might be scratching your head about recent emails from Salesforce about implementing a Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) requirement for your organization, you are not alone.
The key challenges we see with product announcements from Salesforce like this one are that they:
- focus on the needs of their medium- to large-scale B2B sales customers, not smallish nonprofits,
- are written for the use of at least moderately experienced in-house Salesforce admins, who can easily identify which parts of the announcement (if any) are relevant for that particular organization.
Many nonprofits don’t fall into these categories. In fact, we have had a few Help Desk clients check in with our team about this email so we thought we would share some information about it so your team can be on top of this Salesforce update.
Our goal with this post is to help nonprofit organizations of various sizes to be able to navigate this change to their MFA with the least amount of headaches.
What is the new MFA requirement in Salesforce?
Beginning February 1, 2022, all Salesforce users will now be required to enable MFA for access to their Salesforce products.
Yep, you have almost an entire year to make sure this change happens.
However, even though this is still a ways out, we don’t want to underplay this update because this changes the way your users login to Salesforce. And you can’t just ignore it until the February 2022 deadline. But don’t panic, because that’s way more time than most nonprofits will need.
What is MFA?
Before we dive into the how, we thought we would actually address what multifactor authentication, or MFA, actually means for your Salesforce users. Read more
If you are an avid Salesforce user, I am sure by now you have heard about the upcoming mandatory switch from Salesforce Classic to Lightning. In this blog series, the Tackle team addresses some of those looming questions you might have about this important change.
Jeff Miller, our Salesforce expert, weighs in on some of the changes in Salesforce Lightning vs. Classic. Check out what he has to say about the switch.
PART ONE
What is different from Salesforce Classic?
The user interface is significantly updated, making it substantially more flexible and modern, and much more customizable to an organization’s specific business needs and processes.
The look and feel of Reports and Dashboards changes quite a bit with Lightning, as does the design/editing process, though much of the underlying functionality carries over from Classic (including many familiar quirks and limitations).
In addition, most new Salesforce and 3rd Party App features are built with the Lightning interface in mind. Lightning also comes with some new architecture that will allow Salesforce to build new features that Classic couldn’t support.
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