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For years, we’ve heard nonprofit organizations talk about the dream of a single CRM: one database that offers the elusive, comprehensive, 360-degree view of each supporter. The dream is to have greater insight -- and to be able to act immediately on those insights.
After years of working with organizations pursuing this state of data zen, we know that there’s no universal playbook for how to do it. But there are dozens of organizations who are already living the dream using Salesforce.
We asked eight pioneering orgs: What does having a single CRM actually look like from a nonprofit’s point of view, from the inside? And, what does it take for nonprofits to pull this off?
They talked of the issues that sparked their quest: so many data siloes and systems; brittle data integrations and extensive manual data work; the critical missing view of each supporter and inability to share supporters across the org; and how their lack of internal coordination showed through to supporters.
They talked of their aspirations in pursuing Salesforce as their single CRM: a single data view, available everywhere; the hope of becoming a learning organization; a desire to move beyond the welcome series; the strategic impetus to pursue omnichannel marketing; and a goal of overall technology freedom.
And they talked nuts and bolts: How long does it take to implement a single CRM, and how much does it cost? What’s the right order of operations, and should it be done with a phased or all-at-once approach? And what else was needed to achieve complete engagement-technology ecosystem, in addition to Salesforce?
They shared their words of wisdom, their enthusiasm, and their sometimes road-weary stories of what it took to get there. And we put it all together, along with our unique view as consultants who’ve been privileged to ride shotgun on these initiatives, into this white paper.
Download: In Search of the Holy Grail
We hope you find this useful as you consider your own (or your client’s) quest for the holy grail!
Yours in the search,
Alice Hendricks and Misty McLaughlin, Co-authors
