More and more charities are taking advantage of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to manage and simplify their day-to-day work. But what if you run a very small charity – is there any point going down the CRM route?

Even the smallest charity can benefit from using a CRM. But it's important to pick the right one.

Some systems are better for big, complex organisations while others cater to smaller, local nonprofits. Others, like Charitylog, can work for both.

Charitylog can be scaled up or down depending on the size of the charity and the services it needs to provide. And it has the flexibility to grow with you.

Let's have a quick look at all the benefits of using a CRM...

1. Keep track of everything

Your charity probably holds lots of different types of data and information, from client contacts to care plans, referrers to donations, fundraising info and professionals’ and volunteers’ details. A CRM system lets you keep all this in one place, removing the need for separate systems and spreadsheets.

2. Save time for the important stuff

Many charities rely on part-time staff and volunteers. This can create time pressures, as staff try to juggle their core work with completing admin tasks like data input, logging referrals, reporting and trying to connect up information from emails, visits and phone calls. All these things can be automated with a CRM, freeing up time to concentrate on the tasks they're in the job to do.

3. Take a more personalised approach

If you run a charity you already know that people respond better if they're treated as individuals and feel genuinely valued.

Storing information in one database means you can more easily tailor communications to each person, and keep all those communications and interactions together so different staff involved in supporting the person can see them. No need for people to keep giving the same information to different team members.

4. Create reports easily

Tracking progress, measuring the success of interventions and planning for the future all require accurate data to be captured. Good charity CRM systems come with a range of reporting capabilities that are easy to use, complete with at-a-glance graphs and charts. Information for trustees, funders and other stakeholders can be generated on demand.

5. Keep your data secure

As a charity, you’re likely to hold a lot of personal information. Making sure it’s safe (and complying with data protection laws) will be a high priority. Locally hosted spreadsheets can’t guarantee that peace of mind. But with a trustworthy CRM all the compliance and security boxes will be ticked, and your clients’, volunteers’ and other people’s information will be safe.

Data can be deleted on request too, another GDPR requirement.

Choosing the best CRM system for your needs

Every charity is different. It’s important to choose a CRM that does what you need it to do, while not paying for features you’re never going to use.

But if your charity has the potential to grow, you want to be confident that your CRM will have the capacity and flexibility to grow with it.

When you need support, you should be able to call a local number and get through quickly to a named support specialist in the UK, not wait in a long queue for a call centre in another country.

Charitylog ticks all these boxes, and more.

  • It's used by around 1000 charities of all sizes across the UK, from very small local organisations of just a few people to large, national bodies.

  • It’s been designed specifically for charities and other service providers.

  • It’s supported by a friendly, UK-based team of people who are genuinely dedicated to the third sector. We think it’s important our customers speak to a human being who works for our company, knows charities and knows the system inside out.

  • Charitylog can grow with you. It’s flexible, with different levels of functionality tailored to different budgets and needs, and you can scale up when you need to.

Get in touch now for a chat about what you need. We don’t do ‘tech-speak’ (unless you want to!) - and you can have a free, no-obligation demo.

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