The importance of CRM systems in organising data and improving nonprofit operations. 

If you’re a systems person you will avoid having to re-do work, and not having systems mean you have to re-think instead of just doing. Thinking is hard, and it’s best to save your thinking energy for the hard things that really need it. Systems help us do that. 

By systems we mean processes and the way they happen. Sometimes this is a just a list– and that’s fine. There’s no need to over-complicate these things. 

But often processes happen enough, or are simple or complicated enough, that you want a computer to do the heavy lifting. So some systems and the software we use to carry them out merge. The process “requesting annual leave” has become the same as “enter your request in the HR software”. 

Charities are often seen (perhaps by those with less experience of them) as unprofessional and chaotic. Our experience doesn’t support that. But it’s very often true that the contexts that charities operate in are chaotic. The people you work with may well have complex life situations. Your funding is a mix of short term grants. Volunteers come and go. 

That’s why good CRM systems are so important for charities and non-profits. 

Better Services 

Good CRM systems help you deliver better services. If you don’t have to spend time re-doing the risk assessment from scratch because there’s a system for it – well then you have more time to think about the session you’re running and the people coming.  

Being able to get the information you need at any particular point is crucial to this. If you need to look through case notes for a client before a meeting, you don’t want to find that they are on a piece of paper at your colleague’s home because they didn’t have time to write it up last week. 

Good CRM management systems means that you can rely on notes being written up or at least scanned in. And good systems mean that you can access them just when you need them, quickly and securely.  

So that when you’re there, doing the work, you’re doing so with all the knowledge you need to work effectively. 

Ordered Systems for Complicated Organisations 

Most charities we work with have a whole range of services. Staff work different patterns, there are sessional staff and volunteers, and some work on-site and off. The people you work with may well have chaotic life situations.  

Good systems are essential to be able to manage in this environment. You need to know who’s available, when, for example, so you can plan your sessions.  

Learning and Improving 

In our experience the focus on data in charities is for reporting – to trustees, the public, and to funders. They all want to know the scale and impact of your work (and often a lot more besides). 

While it’s important for charities to be transparent about, and celebrate, the amazing work they do, it’s easy for use of data to stop there.  

But if you have good CRM systems with good data, you have a real resource there – a huge asset. You can learn from it to improve your operations. 

Spending time with your data and asking some key questions can bring out new insights.  

Exploring things like: 

• Why did we see greater impact with this project / cohort / setting? 

• Are there patterns around people that we’re not working with? Why is this? 

• Are sessions held in one venue / particular times more or less likely to be well attended? 

• What outreach work / marketing is most effective? Do different things work better with different people 

And so on. The questions will vary depending on your work. Sometimes it’s worth just playing around with different reports and asking yourself “what does this tell me? Is there anything surprising about this? Are there patterns here I do or don’t already know about?”.  

You may not get full answers from your data, but it may point you in new directions that you can explore with your team, trustees, and service users. 

All of which to reflect on and learn from when planning ahead. 

Maximise Impact, Minimise Admin 

Good CRM systems aren’t necessarily big complicated systems. The bookmark is a fine piece of technology for most situations. Don’t over-engineer your systems: things that work 80% or 90% of the time will be a big win, even if you do still have to do a bit more for the remaining 10 or 20%. 

And sometimes realising you need a system for a task may make you question whether you even need to do that task still. So don’t be afraid to ask whether you really still need to do it. 

Good systems will help you focus on what you do need, and the Total Administrative Burden should decrease. But be aware: it can decrease overall, but not always evenly. It may be slower to enter data into book-keeping software than a big record book but the overall gains are worth it. Adding up totals is quicker, and knowing your financial situation might be priceless. So overall, book-keeping software will be a good thing, even if data entry takes longer. 

Think about all your systems in the same way. A skilled, informed member of your team working effectively for one hour may have much more impact than 2 hours spent rather aimlessly. That skilled, informed worker needs to spend some time getting the information and skills – but that’s time well spent overall. 

Your Systems Should Probably Be Web-Based 

COVID was a real wake up call for many charities. We worked with loads who’d realised that an office-based system – computerised or paper – had some pretty significant limits when the office was out of bounds. 

Since then we’re all more likely to be working in different places. We’re more likely to be on a phone or tablet.  

We’re also more likely to be subject to cyber attacks. Most charities don’t have the IT skills in-house to manage their own servers etc, and much of the support for this has disappeared with austerity. 

So web-based systems support the flexibility of your team and allow you to outsource some of the IT function that is not the core expertise of charities. 

In conclusion, investing in a robust CRM system is no longer a luxury but a necessity for nonprofit organisations striving to achieve their mission effectively. With the right CRM in place, charities can streamline operations, deepen donor relationships, enhance fundraising efforts, learn more and ultimately drive greater impact in their communities. A well-implemented CRM empowers organisations to work smarter, not harder—maximising their resources, improving transparency, and fostering long-term sustainability. As the nonprofit landscape continues to evolve, embracing technology and data-driven decision-making will be key to staying ahead, securing funding and making a lasting difference. 

Photo by chika_milan