AUGMENT THE POWER OF YOUR DONOR DATABASE:

IMPROVE YOUR FUNDRAISING OUTCOMES WITH A HUB AND SPOKE TECHNOLOGY

INFRASTRUCTURE

WHITEPAPER

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AUGMENT THE POWER OF YOUR DONOR DATABASE:

IMPROVE YOUR FUNDRAISING OUTCOMES WITH A HUB AND SPOKE TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE

w Data Collection and Storage at Colleges and Universities Spoke Technology Infrastructure

Over the last 30 years, colleges and universities have undergone an evolution in how data is collected, stored, and used on their campuses. Most institutions utilize large Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and may have Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems along with unique databases for individual practice areas. Specifically in the area of fundraising, institutions might store alumni, donor, and dollars raised data in a donor database, or they might choose to use the institution-wide ERP. They may have also retro-fitted a CRM solution to meet their unique fundraising needs. Although a necessity for storing data, these systems are cumbersome to upgrade and not always best-suited for extracting or analyzing the data within.The fundraising organization must analyze key metrics and data to better execute their fundraising goals.

The tools available in a donor database or an ERP do not provide an easy way to manipulate the data. Back office technical support is usually required for the front-line gift officers and executives to use the data in a meaningful way. This paper will discuss the challenges college and university fundraising organizations experience when using large ERP, donor database, and CRM systems. It will also explore alternative strategies for supplying the tool-sets required for successful fundraising.

w Using a Donor Database in Fundraising:

University fundraising professionals can tap into enormous amounts of data. The donor database is the primary repository for this information, but this system and some other department functions, such as gift processing, integrate with the university ERP.

The sheer volume of data available presents both a serious challenge and an opportunity for fundraising departments. They are expected to be increasingly nimble with their ability to consume and synthesize the information available to them, but the complicated nature of these interlocking data systems means that information is difficult to retrieve quickly, or only available to those with specialized knowledge and system rights.

Regardless of the donor database software or ERP they use, back offices

are struggling to enable fundraising with the tools they have. To fully realize the potential

of the data available to them and to work within the powerful interlocking system they are a part of, university fundraisers need a specialized tool to present the information they need in a way they can leverage to raise more money.

This paper will discuss the challenges college and university fundraising organizations experience when using large ERP, donor database, and CRM systems, and explore alternative strategies for supplying the tool-sets required for successful fundraising.

Regardless of the donor database

software or ERP they use,

back offices are struggling

to enable fundraising with

the tools they have.

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As donor databases continue to evolve, some providers are recommending upgrade paths that can take years to implement. The lost time and expense may still not give the front-line gift officers access to the data that they need to make smart, self-sufficient decisions that enable fundraising. If a college or university is considering whether to upgrade, they should consider not only the cost and resources required to successfully upgrade, but also the end user experience delivered by this upgrade.

Many times the new features (especially for the end users) do not outweigh the spend and opportunity costs incurred during an upgrade.

w Does a CRM Create Value-Add For Fundraisers?

Increasing the efficiency of the fundraising office requires getting the information available in the donor database winnowed down to contain actionable information for those who need it. In the business world, corporations have approached this problem by developing and implementing CRMs.

After seeing companies outside the industry unlock the power of their data using CRMs such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics, college and university fundraisers have wondered if these tools could help them process and act upon the enormous amount of information available to them in their donor databases. Institutions have begun to implement these systems to varying degrees of success.

At the heart of it, CRMs are a sales tool to enable interaction with customer and prospect data. These platforms are far-reaching and corporate customers spend months or years customizing them to reflect their needs and priorities. For advancement offices working under time limitations and a budget, the on-boarding process can drag out even longer and require more staff hours as the CRM is retrofitted to their organization’s unique needs. If the CRM is unable to accommodate the idiosyncrasies of fundraising, staff is left to devise a workaround.

More specifically, one of the major challenges with implementing a CRM at a college or university is the CRM’s inability to facilitate fund accounting. The new CRM’s lack of gift processing is a major limitation for college and university customers. Fundraising offices often overcome this problem by retaining old processes in parallel with the new system.

Additionally, CRMs require that all stakeholders share common definitions of terms and processes as well as agree on CRM controls, approvals and access. This centralized approach can be a challenge in a decentralized university environment where different departments and users will have vastly different expectations of use. In many cases, flexible tools that allow individual departments to define processes for themselves offer more value to the end users. CRMs address a specific collection of business problems and enables new access and insight into the data. Depending on the needs of users, existing systems, and current staff capabilities, they can be a valuable addition to the fundraising tool-set. However, even with a robust CRM facilitating many parts of the fundraising process, fundraisers will need to wrap these systems with additional tools to optimize their specialized workflow.

If the CRM is unable to accommodate the

idiosyncrasies of fundraising, staff is left to

devise a workaround.

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w Allowing Fundraisers the Flexibility Afforded to the Rest of the Office

Fundraising teams are already employing best-of-breed tools to facilitate ancillary activities in their offices. In areas such as communications, event planning, website publishing and crowd-funding, offices have connected their central data hub to specialized tools that help them perform specific tasks. These tools are system agnostic and are chosen because their features work best for the end users. In contrast, fundraising tools are often sold as part of a suite specific to a donor database type.

Adopting a hub and spoke approach frees fundraisers from automatically choosing their database’s tools and allows them to embrace the same flexibility with their tool-sets that the rest of the office enjoys.

w A Detailed Look at Spokes Used to Enable Office Activities

Each of the spokes below performs specialized tasks that go above and beyond the donor database or ERP systems’ capabilities. They are examples of spokes that connect in some way to the centralized hub, but enable specific activities. A variety of programs and software can meet these needs, providing flexibility to acquire a product that meets end users’ needs.

Events Management: Events Management tools, such as the commonly used Eventbrite, facilitate specific activities related to events including social media outreach, sending invitations, designing seating arrangements, and checking people into an event on the go. Events reporting provides tools for assessing marketing channels and approaches. Crowdfunding: Crowdfunding platforms help institutions engage with donors online. Part crowdsourcing, part peer-to-peer fundraising and part social networking, these highly specialized tools deliver functionality and accessibility into a still niche area of fundraising.

Marketing Automation: Marketing automation engines such as Constant Contact, MailChimp or Marketo enable sophisticated email marketing. They are connected to a donor database, but enable the user to design emails, set complicated campaigns, and track performance.

Website Publishing: Like other spokes, web publishing tools give end users an easy-to-use way to create and maintain websites and blogs. Content management systems such as Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress take complicated coding processes out of web development and facilitate an easier front-end experience.

w Adding a Tool-Set Specifically for Fundraising The Reeher Platform is designed specifically to serve advancement professionals. This shared management system provides a mix of web and mobile solutions to help colleges and universities find more high-value donors, instantly access the tools and information they need to measure their performance, and continuously learn from peer schools within the Reeher Community.

The Platform uses predictive models to identify likely donors, enabling institutions to accurately focus their efforts on prospects who demonstrate both wealth and affinity. Software tools designed specifically for front-line fundraisers ensure gift officers have what they need at their fingertips in an easily accessible user interface.

The Reeher Platform is designed specifically to serve advancement

professionals.

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AUGMENT THE POWER OF YOUR DONOR DATABASE

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The Reeher Platform is system-agnostic and works in concert with your existing ERP, donor database, and CRM. The tool-set bridges the gap between the enormous amount of data available to you in your existing systems and your ability to use it to enhance your fundraising operations.

w Wrapping Your Existing Systems for Increased Functionality Because the Reeher Platform is designed to work harmoniously with existing college and university data systems, it can be implemented in 8-10 weeks. On average, Reeher Community institutions put in 52 staff-hours working towards implementation. This cloud-based solution provides an easy way to report on proposals, appeals analysis and more. Gift officers are also given an intuitive web and mobile tool to manage their portfolio and unlock donor information.

Because the system is designed specifically to enable fundraising without compromising any of your existing systems, user adoption is high. Gift officers like the data immediately available to them and back offices like the enhanced reporting functionality designed specifically for their needs.

w Joining a Community

Reeher’s fundraising enablement solution also comes with an assigned customer success team who facilitates on-boarding and then remains long-term to consult on both platform usage and fundraising strategy. Each platform user becomes part of the Reeher Community of college and university fundraisers. New data, studies, and industry analyses are available to you as part of this group. ¡

w Conclusion

Increased functionality and visibility into existing data requires specialized tools. Organizations can maximize the power of their data systems by ensuring that they are augmented with interactive, smart systems that can improve their workflow and transform the way they do work. This hub and spoke model helps optimize the way teams work within large, powerful systems. With the proper tools in place, fundraisers can unlock the potential of their data, raise more money and spend less doing it. Reproduction Prohibited Without Written Consent-Opinions herein reflect judgement at the time of the analysis and are subject to change. The contents of this report shall not be re-used without the written consent of Reeher, LLC. Additional reproductions and distribution are strictly prohibited. For additional reproduction rights and usage information, contact info@reeher.com. All rights reserved.