Thinking of investing in a new fundraising database? Be wary of style over substance and anyone who tells you data integration is easy, advises Ivan Wainewright.
If you are thinking about buying a new database, then it is highly likely that you have been told about the “new” CRM systems such as Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics CRM. And if so, then you may have also been told that they are great because they are “in the cloud”, have better integration than other systems, or are much cheaper.
All of those things might be true, and it could well be that they are the right system for you. However, it sometimes seems to me that organisations buy such systems blindly, believing the hype and without considering other options or what the fundamentals are when implementing them.
Now don’t get me wrong – I like Salesforce and Dynamics, and I think they are both excellent systems. But I also like “traditional” fundraising databases such as Raiser’s Edge, thankQ and others. And I worry that sometimes we are promoting style over substance. After all, there is no point buying any database if it can’t do what you want; say, direct debit management, gift aid, income processing or sophisticated communication preferences... Keep reading on Civil Society
If you are thinking about buying a new database, then it is highly likely that you have been told about the “new” CRM systems such as Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics CRM. And if so, then you may have also been told that they are great because they are “in the cloud”, have better integration than other systems, or are much cheaper.
All of those things might be true, and it could well be that they are the right system for you. However, it sometimes seems to me that organisations buy such systems blindly, believing the hype and without considering other options or what the fundamentals are when implementing them.
Now don’t get me wrong – I like Salesforce and Dynamics, and I think they are both excellent systems. But I also like “traditional” fundraising databases such as Raiser’s Edge, thankQ and others. And I worry that sometimes we are promoting style over substance. After all, there is no point buying any database if it can’t do what you want; say, direct debit management, gift aid, income processing or sophisticated communication preferences... Keep reading on Civil Society