Your CRM is basically a superhero

It’s no secret to those that know me that I’m a pretty huge superhero fan. Part of what draws me to superheroes is that they can do so many amazing things. One superhero has the ability to do the work of an entire police force or more. Much the same, having a CRM database eliminates the need to use a whole suite of separate tools that can slow down your entire organization’s operation.

Four CRM Database Superpowers

1. Reducing those rogue databases: You know the ones: A mix of spreadsheets and contact lists that are created and stored by staff on their various computers, flagged emails, post-it notes, or staff memories (it isn’t really stored anywhere, but some staff members just know the history of some supporters). The Development staff have their own lists, while the communications’ staff has another. When the day comes that a staff member leaves, all of that institutional history leaves with them. But with your cloud-based CRM, you have only one shared system where everything is stored. Get those rampant rogue databases under control.
2. Giving a 360 degree view of your constituents: You basically now have super-vision. With an all-in-one system, you can see every way that your supporters are interacting with your organization. Which emails they open, which issues they support, how often they attend events and what type, how much they donate – all in one place. Get a clear view on who your supporters really are, and what aspects of your organization they support the most, without spending a frustrating amount of staff time digging through various spreadsheets and systems trying to figure out that same information with varying degrees of success.
3. Powerful tools and features: Customized tracking of all people and contacts, built-in reports, list upload, file export, built-in bulk email, powerful searches, duplicate record management, and relationship tracking are just some of the awesome features that many CRMs come already equipped with. Use these tools and features to build powerful campaigns for your civic engagement and advocacy efforts, development, and capacity building.
4. Capacity to keep growing: A CRM helps you handle all of your current needs with the superpowers listed above, but also helps you to handle your organization’s growth with less staff time and less budget strain as time goes on. Superheroes constantly “level-up” as they learn new skills or acquire new abilities. You CRM will keep leveling-up as well when your organization acquires new member records and new functionality is added to help you achieve your organization’s mission.

Basically, a CRM gives you everything your organization needs for fundraising, communication and advocacy – all in one place. That seems pretty super to me.