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  • 1.  CRM Conversion - Which product should we choose?

    Posted 10-26-2022 08:31 AM
    Hi, 

    We are actively looking to move from our current product (Colleague Advance through Ellucian) to a new CRM. I'd like to know what product you use, what you like about it and what you don't like about it. 

    We are specifically looking into Virtuous, CRM Advance, and Raiser's Edge, but we are open to other options as well. We need a product that is all encompassing (gift processing, event management, planned giving, contact reports, relationship management, and if it has a scholarship component that would be fantastic). Any information you can provide to help us on our journey would be greatly appreciated! 


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    Suzie Weesner
    Director of Advancement Services
    Indiana Wesleyan University
    Suzie.Weesner@indwes.edu
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  • 2.  RE: CRM Conversion - Which product should we choose?

    Posted 10-26-2022 08:49 AM
      |   view attached
    Although asking others what they use and what they like and don't like is useful background information, you are best served by conducting an internal needs assessment.

    I have seen many CRMs work great for some organizations and be total flops for others.  Often that is due to very different needs and uses.  But, it can also result from bad implementations or sticking to out-dated processes "because we have always done it that way."

    I am attaching a summary of some of the "top" solutions in the market.  It omits some excellent choices, including Ellucian's Advance, UC Innovation's Ascend, Affinaquest, and native Salesforce.  I am confident there are others not included.  I do not know how this publication decides what to include and exclude - although I suspect that since the focus is on "nonprofits," it does not include pricier products designed for higher education.

    John

    John H. Taylor
    Principal
    John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    2604 Sevier St.
    Durham, NC   27705
    919.816.5903 (cell/text)

    Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987




    Attachment(s)

    pdf
    2022 top_10_nonprofit_donor_management.pdf   492 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: CRM Conversion - Which product should we choose?

    Posted 10-27-2022 09:12 AM
    To John's point, I can speak to what CRM Advance may or may not offer you, but I haven't seen new products since we made our CRM decision 5 years ago. New products are in the market, products we looked at have changed, and so many things affect the decision: your number of constituents, complexity of your fundraising organization, structure and size of your Advancement Services team, etc. I'd encourage you to meet with the sales teams for the products you're considering and then ask to talk to customers who use their CRM so you can ask more specific questions based on your initial review.

    Lianna

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    Lianna Bodzin
    Assistant Director of Advancement Services
    Colorado School of Mines
    lbodzin@mines.edu
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: CRM Conversion - Which product should we choose?

    Posted 10-27-2022 02:33 PM
    Additionally, you might benefit from hiring a consultant to assist you through the evaluation process. That was very beneficial for us at NC State.  

    --

    Jeff Baynham (He/Him)
    Associate Vice Chancellor
    Advancement Services
    P: 919.513.2923
    C: 270.792.3373
    jeff.baynham@ncsu.edu

    NC State University
    Campus Box 7474
    249 Joyner Visitor Center
    Raleigh, NC 27695-7474






    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: CRM Conversion - Which product should we choose?

    Posted 10-28-2022 08:59 AM
    Edited by Eric Valdescaro 10-28-2022 10:00 AM
    We just migrated from Banner to CRM Advance in February, so we've been live long enough now to see what we don't have.  If Advance were a car, I'd say it is missing cupholders and extra cubbies to put things.  It's well equipped off the lot, but often times you need those extra places to put additional information that a vendor is just not going to be able to account for.  With CRM Advance, you just get what you get and if you need a place to store something additional, you're left with either leaving it out or trying to engineer a way to combine it within one of the few existing fields which is so less desirable.  Having worked with RE for 15 years, it was such a godsend to have Attributes throughout and the ability to create new tables to code-table-drive the values within.  Now, have some schools abused Attributes but making them catch-alls? Yes.  But if you know what you're doing they can be huge when there's just not another field for what you need to store.  If there are others on CRM Advance that disagree and have found extra fields, please chime in.  I'd love to hear where and how used them!

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    Eric Valdescaro
    Senior Director, Advancement Services
    University of Memphis
    eric.valdescaro@memphis.edu
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: CRM Conversion - Which product should we choose?

    Posted 10-28-2022 09:14 AM
    Eric, We have  been on CRM Advance since May 2021. We have added quite a number of additional fields and built several new entities for new functionality like our veterans data and named spaces. I very much like the flexibility we have. When we converted from Banner we made sure to take the Dynamics bootcamp. That helped us alot! 
    Lauren

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    Lauren Shiver
    Associate Vice President of Advancement Operations
    University of Louisiana Lafayette
    lauren.shiver@louisiana.edu
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    Original Message


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