Database and CRM

Database & Data Management

Are you having problems managing information about your organization's donors, supporters, members, volunteers, and other constituents?

If so, you're not alone. Many organizations struggle with the volume of information they'd like to track and the number of methods they use to track it. The result is a lot of frustration. Organizations don't know where the most current contact information sits on a day-to-day basis. And creating a list of all supporters — for instance, to let everyone know about an event or fundraising drive — can be a multi-day affair.

The challenge of consolidating constituent data into one place and making systems work together is common to both commercial companies and nonprofits. A strategy borrowed from the commercial sector has been gaining popularity in the nonprofit sector over the last couple years: CRM.

Constituent Relationship Management (CRM)

CRM is the set of processes and supporting technologies used to acquire, retain, and enhance constituent relationships.

"Constituent" refers to ALL people with some relationship to the organization — donors, funders, volunteers, clients and all other people who help an organization to achieve its mission or are benefactors of the mission. "Enhancing the constituent relationship" can mean increasing donation amounts and frequency, volunteering, event attendance, client and supporter satisfaction, or other activities that further the impact of an organization’s mission.

Every nonprofit manages relationships with constituents, whether through a sophisticated tool or through scraps of paper, Excel spreadsheets, and miscellaneous databases. However, managing through these informal and decentralized methods is inefficient if not downright chaotic.

Next Steps