Why you should use a CRM for your nonprofit

Nonprofit organizations are a hard-working bunch. Whether it's maintaining a strong network of contacts with donors and members, or writing up requests for the sake of winning grants from government and philanthropic organizations, there's so much to do. It takes a lot of effort to keep things rolling, but if you work for a nonprofit, you probably persevere because you believe in your group's mission and goals. Being more organized may greatly help you perform better at and handle outreach in a way that comforts your organization's supporters. Sometimes it helps to take a few pages from big companies in how they handle their customers, in other words: through customer relationship management software.

"Customer?" But I have supporters, not consumers!

That's true. However, CRM tools aren't just for businesses and corporations, as CRM Software Blog notes. They also serve nonprofits in important ways. If it makes you feel better, refer to it as "Constituent Relationship Management," since you're dealing with constituencies.

Okay then, why do I need it?

Think of it in terms of strategy, as The Connected Cause explains. What CRM software does in general is find and attract new people, develop a relationship with current users, win back those who left the organization and reduce the cost of communications and marketing.

Let's think about how this relates to nonprofits' goals. Organizations always look for ways to bring more people to their cause and keep membership strong so that they can advance their agenda. That means bringing in new people, keeping close tabs on those who have been active members for at least some time and trying to bring people back who have drifted away from the nonprofit. Organizations also work closely with people who can help push their cause from behind the scenes in the same way, such as donors and major organizations that provide grants.

In other words, nonprofits have a lot more in common with CRM than you may imagine.

How does it help me though?

As noted before, it makes communications and marketing simpler and less expensive. Running a nonprofit means you have to rely heavily on donations and membership fees. Anything you can do to lessen the burden on your supporters and make them more inclined to donate when you ask for their support will help you grow as an organization. It can also make it easier to talk to a constituent directly, which makes him or her more attuned to what you're doing. By utilizing this software, it takes less effort to attain the same level of outreach, if not more. It allows you to spend more time working on your organization's mission.