Your Rally Point Episode 18: Putting the Relationship in CRM

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems help nonprofits build relationships with supporters. Your Rally Point podcasts hosts James Martin and Jack Bobin talk about how data is the crucial foundation for connection. Data offers the context of a relationship—donation, event attendance, volunteer record, and more; the required legal compliance—no texting them after they unsubscribed; and the ongoing conversation that builds a relationship. Integrations make connecting data easy. It saves you time and amplifies your ability to connect.

What You’ll Learn

• CRM systems are essential for managing donor relationships.
• You need to understand how donors want to be communicated with.
• Relationships require permission, preference, and persistence.
• You have to be persistent with donors, but not too persistent.
• Data allows for context, compliance, and conversation.
• Nonprofits need a single source of truth—one place to go for donor data.
• Integrations connect data, saving you time and effort.

Resources

• Save Time With Integrations

Quotables

• “It's a process and it's a learning and you adapt and you learn and you try again.”
• “It really comes down to the right purpose, the right people, the right promotion, and then a clear path for participation.”
• “I do not want you ignored. You may choose to obfuscate yourself and make it easy to ignore you, but that's on you. And don't boohoo when you're missing the goal.”
• “Can't have a relationship without communication.”
• “You want to be able to personalize the message. It's ‘Hey Jack’ and or ‘Hi Jack,’ not just ‘Hi friend.’”
• “My team is overworked. They don't have time to upload spreadsheets and manipulate data. Come on, just connect and let it come over, right?”
• “It's moving people forward without a whole lot of head space.”
• “Once it's set up, it works. These integrations today are solid and no more running around wasting time.”
• “The world runs on integrations.”

Skip to What You Want to Hear

• 00:00 - Crabbing Adventures and Independence Day Traditions
• 05:43 - The Importance of Communication in Nonprofits
• 11:27 - Building Relationships Through CRM
• 17:07 - Data Management and Personalization in CRM
• 18:04 - Building Relationships Through Context
• 20:00 - Challenges of Disparate Systems
• 20:51 - Leveraging CRM for Donor Engagement
• 22:41 - Automation and Integration Simplified
• 24:27 - Real-World Examples of Integration
• 27:28 - The Role of Integrations in Everyday Life
• 29:26 - Creating a Unified Communication System
• 31:22 - The Takeaway: Consistency in Communication

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