Nonprofit Technology: An Investment for Good

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If you’re working for a nonprofit, it’s likely that you are operating under a very tight budget. You may have to make do with outdated nonprofit technology, limited staff and not the most ergonomic office equipment. When it comes to making a big purchase, it takes a lot of planning, negotiating, discussion and possibly a large pros and cons list.

One of the investments that your nonprofit may have had on the back-burner is a nonprofit CRM to track donors, gifts and pledges, manage relationships and provide insight into appeals and fundraisers. We know that it’s a huge undertaking for a nonprofit to invest in something like new software, so that’s why we’ve come up with this list of ways to get your boss on-board with a new donor management software implementation.

  1. Do your research. There are so many donor management software providers out there, you don’t want to over-spend on one that has more features than your organization needs, under-spend and miss out on some great functionality, or find out down the road that the software you purchased is not the right fit for your needs. We recommend researching all of the software vendors that you’re interested in. Attend webinars, collect documentation, request personalized demonstrations and put together lists of each company’s prices, functionality and features, strengths and weaknesses. This will help you narrow it down and give you a stronger case for your preferred donor database provider.
  2. Show success. Many software vendors will have customer case studies, testimonials and success stories on their websites. Show your executives the success that other nonprofits have experienced with the software as a demonstration of the success that your organization could achieve.
  3. Organize a diverse team. The ultimate goal isn’t for your new CRM system to benefit just you, but to be an asset to all aspects of your organization. Get fundraisers, volunteers, accounting staff and executives on-board so that you can show your boss that the donor management system will be mutually beneficial to many different departments and positions in your nonprofit.
  4. Demonstrate ROI. While it’s important that your new software propel your nonprofit mission forward, you also want to show executives that it will yield a return on investment (ROI). You can use an ROI calculator to add up the time employees are spending managing folders and folders of spreadsheets, the potential gifts and donations your organization is missing out on and more. A donor management solution can help you better manage donations, find potential major donors, organize fundraisers and events and gain insight into appeals and campaigns with reports.

Investing in the future of your nonprofit is important, and a nonprofit CRM helps you achieve fundraising success and expand the impact of your mission. What could you achieve with the right nonprofit technology investment?