If one of your employees asked for the contact information for a specific donor, how long would it take for you to find the current phone number or email address on file? Do you have a way of recording every interaction you have with a potential supporter? Can you easily process online donations?
CRM is the abbreviation of Customer (or constituent) Relationship Management. CRM systems are an essential tool for businesses, nonprofits, and organizations of every size and shape. They help nonprofits organize and keep track of all kinds of interactions with current and potential donors, volunteers, and everyone else in your network.
Despite the dizzying number of CRM systems on the market, many organizations try to manage their CRM activities manually, which is usually inefficient, frustrating, and results in inaccurate records.
Unfortunately, it can be an overwhelming process to try to find the right CRM software for your organization. There are so many products on the market with countless features and options. Which one is right for your organization? Have no fear! We are here to help you understand exactly what to look for in a great CRM system for your nonprofit.
[fundraising-newsletter-cta][/fundraising-newsletter-cta]Essential nonprofit CRM features
CRM systems vary dramatically, from sophisticated software that automates the sales process to basic email contact management software that keeps track of all your donors. Here is a list of six essential functions we think are most important for nonprofits to have in their CRM system.
1) Manage your contacts
This one probably seems obvious, but at the very least, you need a CRM system that will help you better connect with your current and potential donors. Every nonprofit should be gathering people’s contact information in one easy-to-use, searchable location.
Many CRM systems allow you to classify people into categories and create specific profiles for each person. This is a valuable feature for organizations that interact with different groups of people.
A quality CRM system will help you keep track of the following groups:
- Volunteers
- Employees and staff members
- Attendees at all your events
- Board members
- Current donors
- Potential donors and volunteers
- Recipients of your product or services
This CRM feature has a host of benefits for any nonprofit. First, it gathers all the contact information into one, searchable location so you can contact a single individual or an entire group of people with just a few clicks. Once you categorize everyone in your network, communication and managing the relationships is a breeze!
This feature also makes it easier to find vital data about your organization and events. For example, if you host an annual charity 5K, it’s helpful to know how many runners participated in previous years and how many new runners you attracted to each 5K. Trying to compare the list of runners from each year would be a painfully tedious process but a CRM system can help you sort this information in no time!
2) Track your interactions
A CRM system should help you track all your communications with an individual, from the moment they connect to your organization to when they make their first donation, and beyond. CRM systems can help you schedule when to contact each group in your network and keep track of how frequently you interact with each individual.
For example, say you meet with a potential corporate sponsor who is very interested in sponsoring your next charity 5K. During the meeting, they say they’ll have to check with their business partners and they ask you to follow up in a few days or weeks.
A CRM system allows you to schedule a follow-up phone call or email. Whoever completes the task can update the information, add notes, and create new tasks. Imagine the efficiency with which your team will work when everyone can see exactly what steps have been taken and what should happen next!
You can also schedule thank-you notes, email updates, and other forms of contact so each person in your network receives the right communication at the right time, without you or your staff having to stress over it!
3) Process Donations
Imagine not having to manually add each new donor to your contact list! How great would it be if your organization had an online donation page with your unique branding.
Many CRM systems let you create forms to receive online and mobile donations. Most CRM systems offer some type of secure online payment system. When a supporter makes a donation, the CRM software adds their contact information to your database.
We think this is an essential feature for nonprofits to have in their CRM systems. It will save valuable time and energy, keep your contact lists up to date, and let you create online donation forms with your branding.
Consistent branding helps create a positive giving experience and reassures your supporters that they are in the right place and not just a random donation page on the wild internet.
A CRM system with donor processing capabilities also helps prevent human errors that are inevitable when manually entering data. It even dramatically improves processing offline donations!
4) Email campaigns and list segmentation
We believe this is an essential feature for most nonprofits. A CRM system with an email campaign feature lets you create, send, and track email campaigns.
Whether you are leading a fundraising campaign, updating your donors on a specific project, or simply thanking people in your network, it’s essential to send the right content to each audience. You wouldn’t want to send a donor "thank you" email to every individual on your email list. Some of them probably haven’t donated yet! Similarly, you probably don’t want to send an email to your current donors that asks them to give for the first time.
List segmentation lets you separate the people on your email list into specific categories. Choose a CRM system that allows you to quickly sort people into lists based on any information you collect. The ability to send segmented email campaigns will let you customize each email to a specific audience.
5) Customization
Your nonprofit has specific needs and challenges. It’s helpful to find a CRM system that you can customize to fit your unique wants and needs. Look for a system that gives you full control over what information it collects and allows you to update and change various settings as you learn and grow.
A customizable system is more likely to grow with you and serve your organization as your needs change, preventing or eliminating the hassle of finding a new CRM system in the future.
6) Automated emails
Email automation is another great feature of many CRM software. We’ll put it in the "almost necessary" category because it’s possible to live without this feature, but it sure saves time and energy!
The email automation feature lets you schedule email responses to specific activities. For example, you can write a thank-you email that the system will send to anyone who makes an online donation. Or you can create an email introducing your organization that sends instantly to anyone who signs up for your newsletter.
With email automation, you’ll be able to write one "Happy Birthday" email and let the system send it to each donor on their birthday. These types of "donor care" tasks are incredibly valuable and sometimes time-consuming, unless you have an effective CRM system.
If your CRM system has these 6 features, then you likely have a capable software that will help your organization grow. If your current system does not have these features or they are challenging to use, then it’s probably time to shop for a different CRM system for your nonprofit.
Are you ready to update your CRM system or improve how you use your current software? Here are three resources to help you get started:
- Powerful Salesforce Training For Nonprofits: Salesforce is one of the most powerful CRM systems on the market. It has so many great features that it can feel overwhelming to learn how to use it. Learn about our training resources to help nonprofits get the most out of Salesforce.
- Nonprofit Payment Processing: As we said previously, it’s essential to choose a CRM system that lets you process online payments efficiently. Here’s a handy guide to online credit card processing and answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
- What You Need To Know To Start A Nonprofit: Are you in the market for a CRM system because you’re thinking of starting a nonprofit? We’re here to help you navigate the laundry list of not-quite-fun-but-necessary tasks to establish your organization. And if you’re a relatively new nonprofit, this list will help you ensure you checked all the boxes!