We often get asked how our CRM software can help our nonprofit clients improve their relationship marketing efforts. Nonprofits know better than anyone the importance of keeping stakeholders informed. CRM software is great for fundraising in general because nonprofits don’t stay in business without a steady stream of grants and private donations. If funding sources dry up, nonprofits face extinction. That’s why we put together these 6 Ways For Non-Profit Organizations To Improve Stakeholder Relationships With CRM Software.
1. Manage your donors
In a nonprofit organization, there are easy ways to keep track of donors using CRM software. An obvious way is to track donations as transactions. Each record includes a donor’s business or personal information and transaction details. This kind of information is useful for planning future campaigns. You can get strategic in who you target in the next mass email or snail mail initiative.
2. Create and coordinate donor events
Your CRM system can serve as your donor database, and it’s easy to plan events and invite donors to attend or give money to the event in advance. Your organization looks better to donors when you use the automation features of your CRM system, everything from using an event flyer template and colorful tickets to automatically acknowledging incoming RSVPs and donations.
3. Build long-term relationships
A nonprofit is in the business of building relationships, and automated features make it easier to personalize electronic, email, and postal marketing materials. Your staff must make the effort to update the donor database and ensure that you have the most current contact information for each person. This includes removing people from the database upon request and updating individual records when mailings get returned from the postal service.
4. Conduct online donor marketing
If you have a website, a blog, and social media pages, these accounts can easily interface with your CRM system. It’s important to track leads. Use your CRM database to track leads, essentially prospective donors. Every person who visits one of these web pages that your organization maintains could enter personal information. This could include a person’s name, telephone number, email address, mailing address, or post office box information. Once a person becomes a record in your system, he or she is a potential lead for future marketing campaigns.
5. Get mobile access
If you are going out into the field to meet with donors or working on volunteer projects, it’s best if your CRM system provides mobile access. You want access to information such as contact data and what donors have given in the past. A web-based system can help you do just that and give you more flexibility when you’re away from the office. A CRM system can also include accounts for authorized employees.
6. Create advanced reports
Some CRM software systems have advanced reporting features that can provide an in-depth analysis of donors. It’s essential to study your organization’s rate of donor retention. Many donors only give once. Nonprofits stay in business longer if they can get their donors to give additional donations. If you thought that the donor’s annual report was just to satisfy the requirements of a government grant or provide a measure of accountability, think again. This typical glossy publication helps donors envision their dollars at work and invites them to give more in the future.
We love helping our nonprofit clients make the most of their CRM software. Our system can serve as an integral component of your donor management and daily operations. Your staff must learn how to use all of its capabilities. For example, have employees follow up on donors in the database and discuss their needs. The more your organization can respond to donors in personal ways, the more you can keep them as long-term contributors to your cause. For more ideas on donor management, please get in touch with us.
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