If you run a nonprofit, keeping track of who gives you money and how much each donor gives is essential. Not only does good fundraising data management ensure that you follow all government regulations for nonprofits, but it also helps you understand your nonprofit’s financial health. If you rely on either Salesforce or Blackbaud as your constituent relationship management platform, here’s why you should use both.

Best Client Relationship Management System for Donor Retention

Keeping track of your donors’ information doesn’t just help you stay financially transparent; it also makes your donors more likely to give regularly. After all, it’s easy to offend long-term donors by sending them marketing materials that ask them for their first donations. The best CRMs help you monitor each donor’s giving history so you never miss a gift.

The top benefits of the Salesforce donor management platform include its analytical tools, task oversight, and communication capabilities. Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge program has many of the same benefits, but its functions are mostly related to marketing. It’s also easily accessible as a mobile app, so if you’re on the go, you can access your RE data on your phone.

Data Management Integration System for Success

Once you have both programs, it’s a good idea to integrate them. This Raiser’s Edge Salesforce integration process allows you to access both programs’ top features. When you prepare for your integration, it’s a quick and efficient process.

Before you start working with integration professionals, talk to your team about what you want to get out of the process. Do you want to increase your financial information’s transparency, or do you want to improve your donor tracking services’ accuracy? Are you hoping to revamp your communication systems or start a new marketing campaign? Identifying your top concerns allows you to craft an integration plan that meets your needs instead of using a generic plan.

Benefits Moving Forward

Once you’ve integrated your Salesforce and RE platforms, it’s easier to keep track of each donor’s payments. For example, if you log gifts from different campaigns into different platforms, you might not realize that the same donor is giving to both campaigns. This oversight could cause problems when you send thank-you notes, organize your donors into tiers based on how much they donate, or distribute donation receipts for tax purposes. 

Integrating your Blackbaud and Salesforce accounts also helps you catch duplicate and incorrect records. Incorrect spellings, updated addresses, and preferred contact methods are all simpler to see when your donor data is in one place. When you understand your donors better, it’s easier for you to target your marketing materials and have more successful campaigns.

Finally, combining both platforms’ data gives you access to better analysis. Both CRMs include analytical tools, but Salesforce’s are more extensive. By combining your information, you’re able to easily generate charts and other important tools for marketing purposes and investment meetings.

Talk to your accounting team today about integrating your Salesforce and Raiser’s Edge information to stay on top of your donor information.