Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Nonprofits: Leverage your Donor Database
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is one of the best-kept secrets in the nonprofit world for Donor Management Software. While often overlooked in Top 10 lists of Donor Software many of the most well-oiled nonprofit machines leverage it to keep their donors engaged and their mission thriving.
As a donor management tool, Microsoft Dynamics 365 can be a solid investment for the nonprofit that is ready to move out of the stone age of Excel and Rolodexes and start to transform donor data into more strategic, meaningful interactions.
Have you ever fantasized about any of the following questions for yourself or your organization?
- What if there was a way to see a donors’ complete giving history in one place?
- What if there was a way to easily see all donors’ pledged or planned giving for forecasting?
- What if there was a way to access real-time totals of my Annual Fund or Capital Campaign for this fiscal year?
- What if there was a way to easily generate a Prospect Pipeline of my major donors and then track where they each are individually in the pipeline?
- What if there was a way to clean up all our old, dirty donor data?
- What if there was a better way than my whiteboard or Outlook calendar to organize my Grant Report tasks and deadlines?
- What if there was a way to easily assess the success of our Mass Marketing Campaigns, both email and direct mail?
- What if there was a way to have Event Management or Volunteer Management in the same system as my donor information?
- What if there was a better way for our donation and/or pledge information to integrate with the Accounting department?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 has solutions to all of the above for organizations of any size. Additionally, PowerObjects can even work with your NPO to customize your database specifically to your organization’s mission, terminology, and business processes.
What does “CRM” even mean?
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management software. Sound somewhat familiar? At the end of the day what does your fundraising really boil down to? Building and maintaining relationships with donors, rather than customers. Microsoft Dynamics 365, while often used in a Sales or Service capacity, can easily be re-framed within a nonprofit context. Instead of sales (where customers are being sold on a product), or service (where providing timely, tailored service helps retain customers), Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Nonprofits uses the best of both worlds. Donors are managed similarly to a sales contact. You have an increased ability to sell them on your mission and follow-up with them regularly to continue to receive their support.
How will I get the buy-in from my Director or the Board for new software?
PowerObjects understands that your business is different from our business clients. You’re often coming up against thinner budget lines with minimal resources and often find yourself facing either very high turnover or extremely low turnover that might make change in the organization hard. Regardless of the particulars, we also know that every year your goal is to serve your mission bigger and better with greater lasting impact.
While software, data migration, and/or customizations can be pricy, a robust and flexible database software like Dynamics 365 is a long-term investment for your organization. Not only having but also using clean, accurate data is key for the longevity of any modern organization, for-profit and non-profit alike. Whether you are dealing with a rapidly growing number of constituents or a shrinking number of donors and donations, Dynamics 365 can help you expand and manage your growth.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 even has the ability to interface with other programs like MailChimp, Mail Merge, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, and many others. You can look forward to having your information in a centralized location and a reduction of redundant work. Dynamics 365 even has mobile and tablet capabilities so you can access donor information on the go at fundraising events or board meetings. With optimized donor insights and streamlined business processes, your staff’s time will be better spent.
We know that in a nonprofit environment your organization has to be even more strategic about your engagements and expenditures. By using Dynamics 365, you can lay the long-term foundation for lasting change by boosting your fundraising potential with data. Need a real-life example of nonprofit success with Microsoft Dynamics? Check out this case study featuring WomenVenture.
Reach out to PowerObjects today to find out how we can help you take the next step in running your nonprofit less like a charity and more like a thriving business!
Happy D’365ing!