5 Crucial Reasons Why Every Nonprofit Needs a CRM
You have made a decision - you want to go ahead and purchase that CRM that I keep talking about (yay!). You understand the value, but you're not really sure where to start. Below are five elements to consider before you write that check.
#1 - One of the most important things to consider isn’t price - but rather the time investment that's involved with implementing a new system.
You want to make sure your organization is in a spot where your team has the time to properly set this up. There's nothing worse than starting out with a clean database and having a bunch of mucked up information/data uploaded. It doesn't help or benefit your team and you will likely end up frustrated before you even get started.
So, make sure your team has the right amount of time and that it is a good time of year to clean up your data, implement a new system and get everything that your organization needs out of this new program that you've just invested in.
#2 - Consider scalability. As you're shopping around and deciding what the best product is, make sure it will grow, shrink, move and change with your organization.
Your organization is going to go through many changes over the next few years, I'm sure of it, so make sure your system is flexible enough to follow along on the journey.
Nobody wants to have to repurchase and relearn software over and over again. Make sure whatever tool you decide to buy can scale up and down with your organization as you go through the different changes and phases of being a nonprofit.
#3 - Now let’s start the price discussion. Obviously, you're going to look at that final bill before you write a check, but there are more things to consider than just the cost of the software.
Some considerations include monthly subscription fees or licensing, is it an a la cart system or does it come with everything? What are all of those hidden costs that you need to consider before deciding if this is the right tool for your organization?
Make sure when you talk with the reps at every company (after a demo, of course), that you discuss the extra costs that may not be listed in the quote or proposal before you make your decision so you're not surprised or disappointed later.
#4 - Something that is really crucial to consider in your decision to purchase new CRM is customer support.
I’m sure everyone on your team is at a different stage of technological skills and abilities. We all have staff that come from different backgrounds, so you’ll want to consider how much support you’ll need to implement your new software.
Will you need full tech support for a year or just knowledge articles that you can research on your own and figure things out? Talk with your internal team and figure out where you are technologically as an organization and then make an appropriate decision - which will affect your overall cost and time investment.
#5 - Finally, it is incredibly important to look at all of the available features when purchasing a new CRM. People ask all of the time what my favorite database is and what they should go with. Unfortunately, I can't answer that for you.
Gather your team to make a list of all of the features you think you’ll need. Make a list of features you can’t live without and a wish list of features that would make life amazing (or at least way easier).
Compare your lists with all of the features available in all of the different programs out there. That will help guide your decision on what program may be best for your organization.
I know this process can be overwhelming. If you want some help navigating these different elements and picking out the appropriate features, let’s talk!
Check out the video of this blog below: