CRMs for Nonprofits

Tom Fellner • January 12, 2023

To CRM or not to CRM... that is the question

If the answer is yes, which CRM (Customer Relations Management)? This can be a murky journey down a black hole of confusing features and functionality. As a business owner, working with nonprofits and businesses, I've dealt with this question many times including for my own businesses. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer and it really depends on your needs and requirements. What are your needs and requirements you say? Well, there lies the real question that needs to be answered first.

Why do you want to use a CRM?
What specific goals, tasks, and activities to you want to accomplish?
Who are the stakeholders?
Who is going to manage it? Do they have time or desire?
What's your budget?

a computer monitor displays a mission control dashboard

Where I'm going with this is, before considering a specific CRM, there should be a defined decision-making process in place if you really want to do this thing right. A common methodology can be found here, although it may be a bit overkill. You may want to customize the process to fit your needs. That said, understanding the why and asking the question like those above, will go a long way towards selecting a solution that fits your organization's needs and requirements.

BUT...

Here's a little cheat sheet. I did a quick web search on "CRM's for nonprofits" and the following solutions come up frequently:

I've also worked with clients using Salesforce CRM for nonprofits. Salesforce offers its solution free of charge for qualified nonprofits. Be careful here, as Salesforce often requires a certified consultant (ie. $$) to use and may be overkill for many.

On the business side, here are a few I've used over the years and would recommend checking out: Hubspot's free CRM, OnePage CRM, or Nimble CRM.

Need help? Contact me to set up a free consultation to explore further.

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