Free eBook: The small charity’s guide to choosing a CRM
Posted on: June 16, 2020
Beacon, a nonprofit database provider, have created a free eBook to help small charities choose a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
Due to the source of the content we expect there to be some bias, but there are some useful tips for any organisation looking to procure a new database system:
1) What kind of data do you need to store?
Think about all the different kinds of data that you need to store and write down a list of them. You’re going to want a system that can handle all the things you need to store. For example:
- Donors
- Memberships
- Volunteers
- Fundraisers
- Grants
- Funds
- Legacies
Key Point: Know what you need from a charity CRM and choose one that’s flexible enough to handle everything
2) How are you taking donations?
Your charity CRM and your donation flow should work beautifully together. There’s no need to pay twice for a donation processor and a CRM – make sure your CRM comes with great-looking donation processing built in. And remember these things to look out for from an online donation processing system:
- It should look good and modern
- It should come with automated gift aid processing
- It should support all the modern payment systems like Apple pay
- It should be mobile friendly
Key Point: Make sure your charity CRM comes with a modern donation processing system
3) Who’s going to run the show?
If you choose a very complicated system you’re going to need experts to run it – or you’re going to have to pay for expensive consultants! Choose something that’s really easy to use – and ideally something that’s been built specifically for charities.
Key Point: Your charity CRM should be flexible and easy to use
4) How much can you afford?
It’s worth figuring out exactly what you can afford. There’s a balance between cheap (you get what you pay for, right?) and being charged a fortune by a big corporation. Look for a public pricing page and really clear pricing. Most modern CRMs just charge per user so it’s really easy to calculate.
Key Point: Get pricing information up front and know your budget
5) Try out a bunch of charity CRMs
Make sure you try the systems out yourself – don’t just get a demo! There’s a lot of old, clunky software around that’s been around for ages and it’s slow and hard to use. Modern software should look and feel smooth, easy, and intuitive!
Key Point: Try things out for yourself
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