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"Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?

The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.

Alice: I don't much care where.

The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.

Alice: ...So long as I get somewhere.

The Cheshire Cat: Oh, you're sure to do that, if only you walk long enough.”

– Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

As summer fades into fall and we start donning scarves and warmer jackets, no doubt your staff is abuzz with putting the final touches on fall fundraising events and programs, and preparing for your final end-of-year fundraising push. 

If your nonprofit has conducted research about CRM software, you've probably come across Salesforce. Salesforce is a popular CRM for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

In nonprofit organizations, communication is key to ensuring your fundraising goals are met, and that your events go off without a hitch. 

As an Executive Director, you have to make sure everyone is on the same page, that roadblocks or challenges are identified as soon as possible, and that last-minute surprises are kept to a minimum. 

While you may hold regular staff meetings to collect status updates and keep everyone on the same page, don’t underestimate the power of one-on-one team member meetings to keep your initiatives and organization running smoothly.

This post was submitted by our friends at Averill Solutions.

Many nonprofits plan for year-end fundraising months in advance, and with the season quickly approaching, it’s time to make sure your organization’s strategy is perfected.

Like many nonprofits, there’s a lot of effort that goes into the mission of the organization. You and your team spend months planning and organizing events, and coming up with creative ways to cultivate and retain donors. Not to mention working on your corporate gift programs, grant writing, and building relationships with community partners. Nonprofit work can be fulfilling, yet tiresome, sacrificial and emotionally draining. 

Salesforce is a powerful constituent relationship management (CRM) solution. There’s a reason it’s one of the most commonly used for organizations of all types: it’s completely customizable.

If you've been researching CRM software for your nonprofit, or even if you haven't, you've likely heard of Salesforce. It's the world's leading CRM solution for businesses, nonprofits, consultants, and other organizations.

Many nonprofit organizations use advocacy campaigns to effectively draw attention to their mission and cause real change.  Whether you are targeting legislators at any level of government, or CEOs and other decision-makers, advocacy campaigns can be an effective engagement activity that helps get your supporters more involved with your cause.

Managing a software selection project

Whether your nonprofit is looking for a new CRM system, an event tool, or a complete digital marketing and donor management platform - an organized software selection project will ensure that you find the right solution for your organization.

A good selection project consists of the following:

1. Project team and executive sponsor

Selecting a new software system can be a huge decision. Take the time to consider what and who will be impacted by the change, and then put together a team that has the time and knowledge to assist with the selection process. Depending on the size of the project and the size of your organization, a project team may range anywhere from 2 members to 10.

When putting your project team together, consider the following:

• Who will be directly affected by the new system?
• Who will have the most valuable input? Don’t overlook lower-level employees who have been with the organization for a long time and may have a very different perspective from leadership.
• Who are the biggest users of the current system? Whether software or a manual system is being replaced - you will need to make sure that you aren’t losing needed functionality.
• Who will be the biggest consumers of information coming out of this system? Your ED will need operational reports, the board will want high-level intelligence, and others will need specific information to do their jobs effectively.

When you think about it, your donor data might just be your most valuable asset. It drives your donor communications, powers your fundraising efforts, and feeds your reports. Shouldn’t it be complete, accurate, and in tip-top shape?