Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a hot topic in the nonprofit community, but there seems to be some confusion around what CRM is exactly and how it can work for nonprofits. The fundamental concept behind CRM is relatively simple: the consolidation of information from disparate data sources within your organization to provide a single, complete picture of each constituent. This holistic view enables your organization to coordinate activities and enhance communications with the people most important to you.

So, is CRM right for you? Ask yourself a few questions: Is the data you need to make informed strategic decisions scattered over multiple databases? Do you want to deliver more personalized attention to your loyal constituents? Would you like more time away from administrative tasks? If so, you may want to consider how a CRM approach to information management could work at your organization.

As nonprofits, we constantly talk about cultivating constituents, but we often forget to “cultivate” those closest to us — our own staff. Everyone — from the development director to support staff — plays a role in setting development strategies and helping to reach fundraising goals, so any information shared internally (whether through articles, thank-you notes, reports, newsletters, Web pages on fundraising, or general e-mail updates) can only help your staff become more knowledgeable and better-prepared to work toward your mission.