When you think “customer relationship management,” it’s easy to focus on the word “customer.” But the emphasis is really on relationships. Having partnered with many associations and nonprofits over the years, we know the importance our clients place in the ability to build and nurture relationships with volunteers, members, donors, staff, and the community. CRM solutions can help.

We’ve Compiled the Top Seven Reasons Why Canadian Nonprofits & Associations Should be Using CRM:

1. Building Relationships with Your Existing Members or Donors

CRM solutions are able to track member and donor relationships, analyze their interests and behaviors, and identify the donors who are most likely to pledge again or the members likely to renew. Nonprofit enterprises have to streamline their operations and make the best use of their time. A CRM solution makes it possible to identify individuals that have a solid relationship with your organization, as well as the donors or members that have yet to give or join. Charitable donations increased 4% in 2017, with more individual spending geared towards charitable causes; individuals are looking to donate their money, they just need to know where.

2. Keeping Consolidated Records and Documentation

A CRM system is able to reduce overall administrative time by providing a consolidated database that facilitates contact and relationship management. Whether it’s looking up prior pledge information or sending out an email blast to everyone on a list, a CRM solution is going to have that data available in a single, concise, and centralized place. These consolidated records can also be used for regulatory compliance and reporting.

3. Targeting Specific Markets in Your Community

What do the 30-year-olds in your market respond to? What do the 60-year-respond to? It’s likely that a nonprofit organization will have multiple demographics they are trying to reach. Rather than blanketing all of your contacts with the same messaging, CRM allows you to target it. A CRM system lets you to store any contact information and history related to anything from web pages visited, interests, age, schools attended, gender, marital status, job titles, and any other demographic data that could be used to better target your messaging. Being able to pull targeted lists on a whim and tailor communication to demographics is very powerful for nonprofits and associations.  Targeting your marketing and messaging means that your audience will be more likely to pay attention to because they will find it relevant. It will also greatly reduce the chances of users opting out from receiving your company correspondence.

4. Track Your Best Volunteers

CRM solutions make it easy to tag and track your volunteers and staff, promoting those who are the best at what they do. Volunteers can come to an organization from different backgrounds and for different reasons; many of them have unique skill sets that you want to take advantage of. A nonprofit will be able to run reports to find the best volunteers for a specific project and can track how well these volunteers have performed in the past.

5. Engage with Social Media

Social media is now becoming one of the most important tools for nonprofit organizations. 32% of NGOs now have a written social media strategy. CRM solutions can directly interface with social media, making it easier for you to engage with high-level donors, volunteers, and your community. By forging stronger relationships through social media, you can improve the perception of your organization and increase your reach.

6. Comply with Canadian Anti-Spam Regulations (CASL)

Since 2014, Canadian not-for-profits have found themselves between a rock and a hard place when it comes to using commercial electronic messages (emails) in order to generate interest and revenues beyond straight fundraising. This means that all Canadian associations and nonprofit organizations need to comply with strict CASL regulations for tracking not only consent, but also ongoing communication and permissions in order to avoid penalties and fines. A CRM system provides an organized and dynamic way for organizations to send and track CASL compliant emails and monitor the opt-in permission status of marketing lists, donors, and other key contacts.

7. Access Information From Anywhere

Most CRM solutions are now platform independent, letting you access your consolidated information from anywhere. Whether you’re on a mobile device, laptop, or desktop computer, you can look up information about donors, communication, fundraisers, and more. This is especially important for nonprofit organizations that frequently work offsite, move from location to location, or have multiple offices or chapters that they need to manage.

 

A customer relationship management solution is more than just tracking “customers”; it’s about building solid relationships with individuals and their community. By leveraging a CRM system, an organization can reduce administrative overhead, streamline volunteer processes, and build relationships with the most active donors, members, volunteers and staff.

 

Ottawa Region’s #1 Partner for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Dynamics 365.

Get started today! Partner with CRGroup for the implementation, deployment, customization and training of your customer relationship management platform, trusted by Canadian associations and not for profits.

CRM in Action: Canadian Associations & Not-For-Profits

 

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