Many nonprofits are overwhelmed by donor management systems that exhaust resources and demand manual upkeep. The best nonprofit CRM for your needs will simplify operations by automating routine tasks and offering tools that make personalizing donor communications a breeze.
Well-chosen CRM software elevates and optimizes how you engage with donors, manage precious donor data, and highlight your mission in every email, event, call, and campaign. More importantly, a responsive nonprofit CRM empowers you to make timely data-driven decisions, segment different donor types for personalized messaging, and automate communications and tasks, all while freeing up time for other important fundraising endeavors within your organization.
What Makes the Best Nonprofit CRM
Before researching the best donor management solution, look for features and tools that enhance task efficiency, ensure data security, and promote data transparency to boost donor trust and engagement. A robust CRM offers rich insights into who your donors are and how to communicate with them.
To successfully manage and grow your nonprofit, it’s essential to have a donor management system that covers all the bases:
- Reporting and analytics: Good decision-making is based on key, real-time metrics, such as donor retention rate, donor lifetime value, average gift amount, and total gifts, which should all be displayed on your CRM dashboard.
- Data security: Cybercrime is on the rise, and you have valuable donor information on file that spreadsheets cannot protect. It’s crucial to secure your data from a breach to maintain the trust and confidentiality of your constituents.
- Data integration: Unify your entire technology stack to track ever-changing donor details, ensure message consistency, and give access to fundraising data across departments.
- Usability: A CRM should feel intuitive and user-friendly, allowing even those with minimal technical skills to navigate it easily. This ease of use ensures a seamless onboarding process, enabling all team members to quickly become proficient with the system without extensive training.
- Customization and scalability: As your nonprofit grows, your donor management system should adapt to meet your changing needs by offering scalable solutions and customization.
- Customer support: A dedicated support team is like having a partner who’s truly invested in your mission. They’re always ready to help you tackle any challenges and ensure your success with the platform, making it feel like you’re working together every step of the way.
What to Look for in a Nonprofit CRM
Now that you’re familiar with the general features to look for in donor management software, let’s get into the specifics.
Segmentation and Personalization
Imagine receiving an email that speaks directly to your interests, desires, and beliefs. It feels like the sender took the time to listen to you and learn your preferences, right? This kind of personalization goes a long way with supporters. When donors are constantly asked to make a gift, it can often feel like a transactional experience.
Donor segmentation gives you the flexibility to communicate with different types of donors based on specific parameters. You can create targeted donor segments based on giving history, engagement, event participation, and more. Customizing your outreach to different segments is an easy way to respect and protect donor interests.
When donors receive communications that are tailored to them as individuals, it sends a powerful message: We see you. We hear you. You matter.
This is the power of responsive fundraising, a donor-centric approach to deepening relationships through data intelligence and modern technology.
Automation
Without automation, it would be impossible for you and your organization to keep up with every single moving part of your day-to-day operations. Leveraging the benefits of automation to handle tedious admin tasks can free team members to focus on mission-forward program tasks and major gift conversations while ensuring all donors receive timely recognition for their generosity.
Gone are the days of monotonous and inconsistent manual processes. The best nonprofit CRMs have powerful automation features to streamline your work like:
- Data hygiene: Automates data entry and regular updates, keeping your database clean and up to date.
- Membership renewal reminders: Sends automated alerts to both your team and donors about membership renewals, ensuring no lapse in support.
- Custom reports: Allows each department to create tailored reports that track and analyze various metrics relevant to their short- and long-term goals.
- Lapsed donor re-engagement: Automatically identifies donors who have stopped giving and initiates outreach to rekindle their support.
- Automated receipts: Generates and sends gift acknowledgments and tax receipts automatically, saving time and ensuring compliance.
Email and Communications
Akin to having a dedicated staff member personally writing for every special occasion, automated emails and communications send consistent, timely, and personalized engagement with each donor without the added effort.
Automate the delivery of personalized emails for donor welcome series, event follow-ups, birthday or donation anniversaries, customized receipts, and nurture sequences without overloading your busy team:
- Donor welcome series: Creating an email welcome series is a simple yet valuable way to introduce new supporters to your nonprofit’s journey, share your mission’s impact, and set the tone for an influential partnership. You want them to feel comfortable and at home with your cause.
- Event follow-ups: After a fun-filled event, you’re overwhelmed with gratitude for those who decided to take time out of their schedules to support your cause. Sending automated event follow-up emails is your opportunity to thank attendees, spotlight fun moments, and keep the energy and engagement high.
- Birthdays & anniversaries: Personalization is the best way to connect with your supporters on a deeper level. Track important dates like birthdays and donation anniversaries to deliver thoughtful messages that make donors feel valued and strengthen their connection with your cause.
- Automated receipts: Just like at the grocery store, where you receive a receipt and a thank-you before you leave, donors should receive immediate confirmation of their gift—ideally within 24 to 48 hours.
- Warm name nurture: Want to keep supporters engaged and inspired to give again? Automated warm name nurture emails—tailored to donors’ past giving, behaviors, and interactions—help keep your cause top of mind.
What Verticals Need to Look for
Different nonprofit verticals have unique operational needs that must be prioritized when exploring CRM features and tools. Let’s explore five: faith, human services, higher education, and healthcare.
Faith
For a faith-based nonprofit, it’s vital to have a donor management system that understands your unique mission and day-to-day needs. Virtuous comes equipped with features to handle these demands—from automation and wealth data tracking to boosting community engagement, outreach, and volunteer coordination.
With its cloud-based access, major gift officers can update donor information on the move. Built-in communication tools, event management, and recurring giving options also help foster deeper relationships with members.
A responsive nonprofit CRM like Virtuous has made all the difference for a faith-based organization like Catholic Extension. Frustrated by the limitations of its previous donor management system, Catholic Extension switched to Virtuous—finding a solution that met all of its needs. With improved donor segmentation for annual giving appeals, the organization can now track revenue, measure campaign performance, and operate more efficiently than ever.
Human Services
Because of the nature and urgency of the work, human services organizations need CRM software designed to save time and increase organizational efficiency. Time-saving features like marketing and email automation help these nonprofits streamline personalized communications, enabling them to focus on strengthening community relationships and addressing the needs of those they serve.
Grant management and compliance reporting are other beneficial features that support funding for human service nonprofits. These tools help track grant applications, deadlines, and reporting requirements, ensuring transparency and accountability with funders.
Higher Education
Automation helps tailor alumni journeys and streamline administrative tasks, freeing up your time to cultivate more meaningful relationships with your alumni network. With query and reporting tools, you can obtain specific donor data to ensure your asks are spot on.
Plus, integrated CRM features like wealth screening, engagement scoring, and predictive analytics help identify high-potential donors, while automated workflows ensure timely follow-ups, event invitations, and stewardship efforts.
Healthcare
Data security and privacy are non-negotiables for healthcare nonprofits that must adhere to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations.
Custom integrations sync Electronic Health Records and Electronic Medical Records systems, bringing donor and patient engagement together, aligning data across departments, and identifying trends that measure impact.
Another valuable feature for healthcare organizations is grateful patient fundraising, where former patients, their families, and supporters can share their stories and encourage others to give. By leveraging peer-to-peer fundraising tools, healthcare nonprofits can empower patients and advocates to raise funds on their behalf, creating a strong network of community-driven support that supports critical programs and services.
Real-Life Success Stories With Virtuous
Fundraising efforts for the Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS) made a dramatic comeback after switching to Virtuous. With heightened global concern over climate change, tying directly into its cause, RFUS knew it needed a comprehensive CRM that allowed it to effortlessly and effectively track current and incoming donor data—something it couldn’t do with its previous donor management software.
The move to Virtuous provided the team with powerful analytics, segmentation, and personalized communication, resulting in improved major gifts fundraising and recurring giving programs.
“Virtuous really is listening to what we need, and I can see those things happening. I’ll be thinking, ‘Why can’t Virtuous do this? I’m going to suggest that,’ and then I’ll get the email of what’s coming next and see that Virtuous is doing it.” — Viviana Briseno, Development Operations Manager
On a similar note, the outdated CRM that Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) used before moving to Virtuous left much to be desired. The interface was awkward to navigate, there were no personalized engagement features, customer service was non-existent, and automation was not an option.
The move to Virtuous was a long time coming.
“In the past, we used to ‘talk at’ our list. We’d push out a communication to everybody, whether or not they were interested in it or if they indicated they were interested in it… We’re doing a better job now of segmenting which individuals actually want to receive those communications.” – Veronica Carrillo, Donor Relations Manager
Automation has been instrumental in creating personalized donor journeys at scale for CPLC. Supporters have expressed gratitude for having someone listen to their feedback and attentively address their inquiries.
Next Steps to Get the Best Nonprofit CRM
Choosing a customizable nonprofit CRM is a strategic investment to maximize ROI with minimal risk. To make the right choice, here are four things to consider:
- Establish goals and must-haves: Gather input from your team and identify urgent limitations of your current donor management system. Consider your strengths and weaknesses and identify tools that have been on your wish list. Factor in features that support continuous growth, security, and scalability.
- Start conversations: Onboarding to a new CRM system will be like having a new team member on board, completing a lot of your administrative tasks. Jump on discovery calls with sales reps, ask questions, request demos, and get feedback from team members and stakeholders.
- Account for training and customer service: A new platform requires patience to endure the learning curve. The CRM you choose should have a dedicated customer support team you can call on to guide you through unchartered territory, technology changes, and staff turnover.
Ready to upgrade to a more responsive nonprofit CRM? Our checklist simplifies the transition, guiding you step by step to ensure a smooth and strategic switch.
