40 per cent of charities plan to review CRM systems

17 May 2019 News

Some 40 per cent of charities responding to Fundraising Magazine's annual Charity CRM Survey said they will be reviewing their software for customer relationship management in the next year.

Half of those charities will use either a full tender process to select a new supplier or will choose from a shortlist of two to three.

Charities' main consideration for a CRM system was integration.

Ivan Wainwright, an independent CRM consultant said charities view functionality as another big priority.

Questions from charities on CRM functionality

Tom Ellis, managing director at Harlequin said there are standard questions for charities on functionality of their CRM systems for operations and ease of use.

He said: “Additionally, we have seen more questions on reporting and analysis.

“There is also a definite upsurge in questions relating to cross-functional operations.

“Future-proofing and governance are also high in the minds of enquirers.”

Wainwright said: “Those charities who ask more about a supplier’s implementation approach, for example data migration, data integration, project management and change or prioritisation skills, are more successful.

“The larger charities in particular are more aware of the change management and prioritisation aspects of any implementation, and are keen to find out from suppliers how they can help.”

Subscribers to Civil Society Media's Fundraising Magazine can read the full results here.

 

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