With a marketing spend that dwarves its competitors, it is hard to have a conversation about CRM in any industry without talking about Salesforce.  Between its innovative platform, customizability to just about any industry, and vast network of apps, integrations, and resources...Salesforce continues to take the CRM world by storm.

Although technology can’t replace relationships, CRM can do wonders in tracking those relationships and ensure you’re making the most of them!

But as I start analyzing the problem, asking questions, and peeling back the layers, it’s not uncommon to find…there’s actually no application problem at all.

If you’ve weighed the pros and cons and you’re still on the fence, V4S just might just be the application to move you over to Salesforce.

Where most CRMs have certain modules that come standard (constituent management, donations, activities, events, volunteers, etc.), custom objects allow you to support the unique needs of your nonprofit.

They already feel connected to the work, they are invested in it.  So most of your fundraiser’s work is already done.  Perhaps the only reason why they don’t give…is because nobody ever asked.

Although there’s no “right or wrong” when it comes to soft credits, I’ve seen organizations where they have proven to be a game changer in fundraising results. 

Those of us who’ve walked a mile in the shoes of a major gift officer know that it is not always easy cultivating relationships, connecting the dots between influencers and documenting the dozens (or hundreds) of touch-points it may take to secure a major gift.

Sometimes initial funding dries out and organizations struggle to achieve their mission.  While other times, missions may shift or expand, and a new stream of funding becomes essential.  In either case, the true reality of nonprofit work comes to the fore - it’s not enough to be an expert in your cause, but you also need to be an expert in fundraising. 

Despite the increased role of CSR initiatives from our corporate counterparts and the rise of social businesses that aim to address the world’s most pressing issues, there are still those societal problems that lie in the spaces between.

A few years ago, I was facilitating a design session for a CRM implementation at a mid-sized nonprofit.  At one point, I asked the project team to give me examples of the type of constituents they track.  Their response caught me off guard.