IT DOESN’T MATTER TO GET A GOOD DEAL ON SOMETHING YOU DON’T NEED!
Choosing the Best Technology for Program Operations.
Don’t just go with what’s popular. Keep this in mind: Popular does not mean best.
Sometimes, as more people choose the same software, it becomes popular, not because it’s best, but because it’s most known. There’s a difference. Here’s a few things to consider when you’re trying to determine where to invest your organization’s hard-earned funding in terms of CRM & fundraising databases.
Here’s what you need to focus on…
NEEDS ASSESSMENT. Don’t just go with what’s popular. Organizations switch out all the time because they chose based on price or popularity. Determine what you need based on what you want to accomplish using the system. Once you know what you need, then you can determine whether or not this system is actually going to work for you. Which leads to the next point ->
CLARITY AMONG OPTIONS. SO, 🔑 POINT: Don’t be fooled by the fact that a company’s software has a long list of features. Despite how long the list is, it can actually be missing about 10 things you DO need, and you’ll be paying for the things you don’t need. This is an example of QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. Of course, you can grow into things and expand your strategies for using it. However, does it have what you NEED NOW? Ask yourself, what can this system actually do for us?
DEMO. Please get in the habit of doing demos with these companies! Get on the phone with them and do a demo BEFORE you purchase and literally spend time inputting all of your data into the system. An impressive website or features list is not enough. What are you talking with them about? Well, start by telling them what you do as an organization and what you need in a system. Then, ask questions based on what you saw and did not see on their website. A specific advantage of the demo is to SEE EXACTLY how the feature(s) work. Is it over-the-top and unnecessarily complicated, or simply not very user-friendly?
It all boils down to this…Here’s why it matters…
Certain features in one system I’ve seen take too many steps and too long, whereas in other systems it’s a quick 1-2-3 and DONE! I’ve seen systems where you can’t do anything with the data but export and then go back and pull another report when you want more detail or for one simple difference, whereas others will allow you to sort, filter, and customize to almost no end. The point is, LET THEM SHOW YOU HOW YOUR MOST NEEDED FEATURES WORK.
Choosing the best matters. It’s a time and money waster to have a system for 1, 2, or 5 years, just to have to pick a new one and go through the data migration process all over again. Many leaders opted to keep their inefficient systems because of how much money they spent on it. Yet, keeping it when it’s inefficient at allowing you to be productive, move swiftly, collect accurate data, and/or lacking in important features, is ALSO a money-waster! You’d actually SAVE money by getting rid of it. If you’re paying for it NOW, it needs to give you what you need NOW, not later.
If your organization is struggling to find or learn the best technology to run smooth operations, The Strategy Huddle can help with improving not only the technology you use, but your overall connected process. Visit the The Strategy Huddle website for more information and to schedule a consultation.
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