Tag Archive for: data transparency

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.