Over half of UK charities are looking to address their IT strategies this year: cloud-based CRM software should be considered when adapting to digital
Latest research from Eduserv reveals that 75% of charities in the UK have no IT strategy in place to support digital transformation and so are putting their ability to raise funds, manage members, deliver new services, improve efficiency and control costs at risk.
The survey also revealed that 71% of digital teams cannot do their job without a good relationship with IT; yet 57% described their relationship with IT as average or poor. This divide between IT and digital suggests that there is a failing of legacy server-based products such as Integra and Raiser’s Edge.
Thankfully, 56% of organisations are planning to address this IT divide in the upcoming year, but with 66% of UK charities lacking digital literacy, how realistic and easy is this transformation going to be?
Many Not-for-Profit (NFP) organisations are aware that the commercial sector is taking advantage of cloud-based solutions to replace in-house packages that are expensive and difficult to maintain, and are keen to migrate from traditional membership databases to CRM systems that can help to manage member, donor and partner relationships more efficiently and productively.
Having completed many successful migrations, our CRM experts have provided three top tips that every NFP and membership organisation should consider when adapting to digital:
 1. Empower your people – increase their productivity so they are free to spend more time serving members or fund raising.
With a mix of legacy applications, your colleagues are wasting time and energy trying to make sense of data that’s scattered over a variety of silos; and the ability of your management team to make informed decisions is severely compromised. A fully integrated cloud-based CRM system combines your data in a single secure solution, making it quicker and easier for everyone to find the information they need.
 2. Find a partner that has experience of integrating its cloud-based CRM system with your website.
In order for you to fully embrace digital, it is vital that your CRM can easily integrate with your website, creating a portal where your members can take advantage of all of the services you offer, update details, renew subscriptions, book events, make a donation and request information directly from your website. The details of every interaction can be stored in your CRM, empowering staff to improve the members’ experience by tailoring the content they receive.
 3. Find the right CRM system for you.
It is vital to find the right combination of CRM, membership and event management features for your needs. Legacy server-based membership systems allow you to manage basic contact details, but they lack the additional features you need to successfully embrace digital. A cloud-based CRM system will not only give you the tools to manage all your data and track all your communications in one place, but also the ability to significantly improve the effectiveness of communications through personalisation and new channels, automate processes such as membership renewal, and improve retention and donation rates.