4 Time-Saving Benefits of a CRM Integration for Nonprofits

This post was originally published on the Salesforce.org blog. 

Whether your nonprofit has a two-person team or a staff of 200 employees, every opportunity you take to improve your daily operations can make a difference in reaching your fundraising goals.

The first step toward efficiency is consolidating your fundraising technology. Integrating your customer relationship management (CRM) platform and online fundraising platform is a simple, time-saving solution that can help you collect all donor data in one place.

Learn how Classy seamlessly integrates with Salesforce to power growth for nonprofits worldwide. Discover how HOPE Atlanta, Metro Atlanta’s most established agency committed to fighting homelessness and hunger, capitalized on this integration to optimize their data collection and explore how your organization can do the same to maximize fundraising potential.

Read Next: HOPE Atlanta’s Success With Classy for Salesforce

4 Ways a CRM Integration Can Boost Efficiency

1. Automatically Transfer Data Between Platforms

Forty-seven percent of nonprofits are challenged when it comes to capturing and managing accurate data on their constituents. It’s much more difficult to create an effective fundraising strategy or growth plan when you lack a firm grasp on your donor data.

Just as open, streamlined communication is critical to the success of your nonprofit team, adopting tools that communicate with one another in real time is one of the most important components of data collection.

The Classy for Salesforce integration makes it possible to sync your online fundraising data, make informed decisions, and personalize your donor touchpoints with ease.

Cut down on time spent manually importing and exporting donor data to make more room in your calendar for the work that matters most—accelerating progress on your mission. HOPE Atlanta did just that with the integration to create more time for donor stewardship.

2. Gain a 360-degree View of Donor Activity

To effectively target and tailor your communications, you need to first understand how, when, and why your donors are engaging with your cause. Simplify this process with a CRM system that integrates with your fundraising platform to gain a comprehensive look at donor activity throughout all stages of the donor journey.

Nearly a third (31%) of nonprofits that used a CRM system for donor relationship management exceeded their goals, according to Salesforce.org’s 2020 Nonprofit Trends Report. Nurture relationships by identifying supporters who have decreased their involvement and develop engagement strategies to get them back on track. Keep tabs on major and long-term donors as well, as they can be the perfect candidates for a recurring giving appeal or future event sponsorship.

HOPE Atlanta’s donor retention rate steadily increased after adopting Classy for Salesforce. Their team was able to target donors before, during, and after campaigns with more personalized messages and motivation that felt relevant to each individual.

3. Eliminate the Risk of Error

Mistakes can happen when entering hundreds of data points manually. A CRM integration not only saves time but also increases accuracy. Gain hours back in your day and gather more clear-cut insights by opting for a technological solution to this tedious task.

4. Streamline Internal Communications

A CRM integration can help you monitor which team members have contacted particular donors, the dates of their last touchpoints, and what was discussed so your team can avoid saturating donors’ inboxes or, worse yet, forgetting to reach out.

It’s critical, however, that you choose a CRM integration that your team can easily adopt and use without straining too much of your organizational resources. Seventy-six percent of nonprofits say a lack of resources to train employees challenges their adoption of new technology.

Classy for Salesforce is an intuitive, easy-to-use tool that simplifies the data collection process, so everyone on your team can learn quickly and contribute to your larger goals.

Centralize Donor Data, Raise More for Your Mission

Classy for Salesforce enables you to cultivate lasting supporter relationships, identify new opportunities to boost revenue, retain support, and increase your impact.

Gain access to a near real-time data sync to better understand your donor base and engage with supporters in more personalized ways. Complete with a custom control panel that serves as the hub of your integration, Classy for Salesforce allows you to:

• Access an array of pre-loaded recommended reports and dashboards
• Sync historical Classy data over to Salesforce
• Connect directly to Nonprofit Success Pack or NGO Connect
• Monitor the health of data syncing to your instance
• Enable certain configurations like custom field-mapping or enhanced contact-matching

When you connect your platforms, you gain a holistic view of your audience. Improve your organizational efficiency, get more out of your fundraising efforts, and see the return on your hard work.