Welcome to FastDecisions.org
Welcome to FastDecisions.org
Selecting a CRM

Selecting a CRM

1. Define Your Organizational Needs

  • Stakeholder Identification: List all the key groups (donors, volunteers, beneficiaries, partners) you need to manage.
  • Functional Requirements: Identify the must-have features such as donor management, event tracking, volunteer coordination, fundraising, and campaign management.
  • Process Mapping: Understand your current processes to determine how the CRM will integrate and improve your workflows.

2. Budget and Total Cost of Ownership

  • Budget Constraints: Determine your available budget including initial costs, ongoing licensing fees, and potential hidden costs.
  • Pricing Models: Compare subscription-based (SaaS) vs. one-time purchase options.
  • Additional Expenses: Consider costs for training, customization, integrations, and potential future upgrades.

3. Scalability and Flexibility

  • Growth Accommodation: Ensure the CRM can handle an increasing volume of data and users as your organization grows.
  • Customization: Check if you can easily add custom fields, workflows, and reports to fit your evolving needs.

4. Ease of Use and User Adoption

  • User Interface: Evaluate the intuitiveness of the CRM’s design to minimize the learning curve.
  • Training and Onboarding: Assess the availability of training resources, documentation, and customer support.
  • Mobile Access: Verify that the CRM offers mobile or remote access if needed for field staff and volunteers.

5. Integration Capabilities

  • Existing Systems: List your current software tools (email marketing, accounting, social media, etc.) and check compatibility.
  • APIs and Plugins: Look for robust API support and pre-built integrations to streamline data flow between systems.
  • Data Synchronization: Ensure that integration can support real-time updates and reduce duplicate data entry.

6. Data Migration and Management

  • Current Data Assessment: Evaluate the volume and complexity of your existing data.
  • Migration Support: Confirm that the CRM vendor offers tools or services to help migrate your data smoothly.
  • Data Quality and Cleanup: Plan for data cleansing efforts to maintain accuracy during and after migration.

7. Reporting and Analytics

  • Dashboard Customization: Verify that you can create dashboards tailored to your reporting needs.
  • Fundraising Metrics: Ensure the CRM can track and report on donations, donor engagement, campaign performance, and other key performance indicators.
  • Data Visualization: Check for features that help visualize data for easier decision-making.

8. Security and Compliance

  • Data Protection: Confirm that the CRM adheres to robust security protocols (encryption, access controls, backups).
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with data protection laws such as GDPR, HIPAA, or any local regulations applicable to your organization.
  • User Permissions: Verify that you can set granular permissions to control who can access sensitive data.

9. Vendor Reputation and Support

  • Non-Profit Experience: Look for vendors with a track record of working with non-profit organizations.
  • Customer References and Reviews: Seek testimonials, case studies, or references from other non-profits.
  • Support Services: Evaluate the quality and availability of vendor support, including live chat, phone support, and community forums.

10. Deployment and Implementation Considerations

  • Deployment Options: Decide between a cloud-based (SaaS) or on-premise solution based on your IT capabilities and budget.
  • Implementation Timeline: Estimate the time required to implement the CRM and plan for any necessary organizational changes.
  • Ongoing Maintenance: Understand the level of ongoing IT support and system maintenance required.

11. Trial and Evaluation

  • Product Demo: Request a live demo to see the system in action.
  • Free Trial: Take advantage of free trials to test the CRM with your real data and user scenarios.
  • User Feedback: Involve key stakeholders in the evaluation process to gather their feedback on usability and functionality.

Potential CRMs

These platforms are designed specifically with non-profit needs in mind (donor management, fundraising, volunteer tracking, etc.):

  • Salesforce for Nonprofits / Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud

    • Widely used and highly customizable; includes tools for donor management, fundraising, and program management.

  • Blackbaud CRM

    • A comprehensive solution favored by larger non-profits and educational institutions; integrates fundraising, marketing, and analytics.

  • NeonCRM

    • A cloud-based platform designed for non-profit fundraising, donor management, and event management.

  • Bloomerang

    • Focused on donor retention and engagement with easy-to-use tools for tracking donations and fundraising campaigns.

  • DonorPerfect

    • Offers robust donor management features along with fundraising and reporting capabilities tailored for non-profits.

  • Kindful

    • Provides an integrated platform for donor management, fundraising, and analytics with an emphasis on ease of use.

  • Salsa CRM (formerly part of Salsa Labs)

    • Combines donor management with advocacy and digital fundraising tools.

  • CiviCRM

    • An open-source CRM built specifically for non-profits, associations, and advocacy groups, with strong community support.

  • Little Green Light

    • A cost-effective donor management solution for smaller non-profits, offering features for fundraising and volunteer tracking.

  • Network for Good

    • Primarily a fundraising platform that includes CRM functionalities focused on donor engagement and online donations.

  • CharityEngine

    • An integrated platform for donor management, fundraising, and marketing designed to support growing non-profit organizations.

These systems aren’t built exclusively for non-profits but are highly customizable and used across many sectors, including non-profits:

  • HubSpot CRM

    • Offers a robust free tier, with sales and marketing tools that can be adapted for donor outreach and engagement.

  • Zoho CRM

    • Highly flexible and cost-effective, allowing for custom modules and integrations suitable for non-profit operations.

  • Microsoft Dynamics 365

    • A powerful, enterprise-level solution that can be customized for donor management, engagement, and case management.

  • SugarCRM

    • Provides strong customization and automation features that can be tailored to non-profit workflows and reporting.

  • Insightly

    • A user-friendly CRM geared toward small to mid-sized organizations; it offers project management and custom reporting capabilities.

  • Copper CRM

    • Integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace, making it a good choice for organizations already embedded in the Google ecosystem.

  • Freshsales (Freshworks CRM)

    • Offers a suite of tools for managing contacts and communications that can be adapted for non-profit use.

  • Pipedrive

    • Known for its sales pipeline focus, it can be customized to manage donor pipelines and engagement activities.

  • Agile CRM

    • Provides sales, marketing, and service automation in one platform and can be tailored for non-profit donor management.

  • Nutshell CRM

    • A straightforward CRM solution with strong pipeline management features that can be repurposed for non-profit engagement tracking.