It's easy to sometimes forget the core reason for creating a CRM system: your company needs a mechanism for keeping track of constituent data. This data is vital because it will contain information about past or prospective donors, volunteers or other constituents. Your nonprofit will depend on this data to carry out its mission and raise sufficient funds. The database is only as good as the data housed within.
A CRM system containing bad data, incomplete records, old stuff, or inaccuracies can actually be more of a liability than not having a CRM system at all.
If your CRM system contains 15,000 records, but half of the records contain incorrect address information, the quality of the data could cost thousands of dollars when you send a mailer. It could cost you hundreds of working hours following up on contacts that don't exist. And - the kiss of death for any database deployment - it could convince your users that the CRM system is not worth using.
This book outlines some common-sense strategies that you can use when designing your CRM database. These strategies will produce a system that is conducive to maximizing the full potential of your software. You'll also see some sample data quality checklists and sample style guidelines, which you can use as a foundation for creating similar documents for your environment.
Overview
It's easy to sometimes forget the core reason for creating a CRM system: your company needs a mechanism for keeping track of constituent data. This data is vital because it will contain ...