As a nonprofit, you’re passionate about your mission, right? That’s why you got into this field. But sometimes that passion can turn into frustration as you have more to-do lists floating around in your mind than are humanly possible to execute. You want to give personal touches to donors. You want to cultivate new donors. You want to inform your board at the level they request. You want to attract volunteers, who are the backbone of your workforce. And I haven’t even mentioned staff yet — you still need to follow up on goals, monitor follow-through, oversee productivity, and mentor each person as they are wired to learn.
I feel your pain.
Something as simple as your CRM can manage, prompt, and break down information so you can actually do all the things you want to do. Yep, a database well-used can be the core of your success… and the key to having personal time.
Over 39,000 nonprofits use Salesforce or some other data management system, but very few are taking advantage of the capabilities embedded into each tab and setting. So to all you busy leaders, here is a checklist for some of the basic power you may be missing.
Letting Software Do the Work
Say you’ve invited your donors to your golf tournament or your annual fish fry. There are many moving parts that make an event go smoothly. Through your CRM you can automate things like registration, ticket sales, and even finding a preference for chicken or fish. If your golf tournament is cancelled due to bad weather, you can quickly notify all attendees at once and work on issuing refunds.
Make It About People
Investing in relationships is more than important—it’s your core job function. Numerous disjointed spreadsheets may contain everything you need, but they can become overwhelming. Often they create a false sense of competence, because you have all the info, but you don’t actually use it. With a unified, cloud-based system, you not only have information, but it’s usable. Think smartphone accessible.
For example, you see a donor you recognize at a networking event. Take the time to look them up and make them feel appreciated by thanking them for the donation they made earlier in the week. By having your database cloud-based and ever-present, you can quickly drum up information anywhere, any time.It’s the difference between, “Hey, it’s great to see you again,” and, “Jane, I saw your check come in on Tuesday, and it made me think all over again how much you support what we are all about. Thanks.”
Keep It Simple
How many people set out to call or look you up online but get distracted as they maneuver the gauntlet of actually signing up or asking their question? I don’t want to be redundant, but this is where automation via the web can save you time and help more people cross the finish line rather than merely being curious about the race. In addition, you probably have a staff member burning the midnight oil entering, organizing, and possibly printing what you need.
An online form can almost effortlessly direct your volunteers to what they need and into your database. You can even flag them if they want to be contacted. You probably don’t need convincing. You get names, contact info, and shirt size if you need it. This can be the first step to finding a donor in the midst of your volunteers, too. If you need background checks, that can be triggered. The options are almost endless.
Staff Management
It’s the day of your big event, and you have staff members waiting on direction… from you. You can’t be in 12 places at once. Have you thought about coordinated to-do lists with detailed info, timelines and email alerts? Yes, you can do that.
Enter time stamps and notes. Search for and filter interactions. Your staff has that same cloud-based access that you do–with unique permissions, of course. They can make notes that everyone shares or comments for their eyes only. Memphis Athletic Ministries uses this system to record notes of each staff interaction with students to monitor progress.
If you can think it, a good CRM can do it.