It All Starts With Thank You!
“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” GB Stern
Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Well, it is unfortunate how many nonprofits do not fully thank their donors.
Of course we thank them, you say.
But, are you sure?
I don’t believe for a second that the lapse is intentional. Now that I’m back on the other side of the fence responsible for implementation, I know how easy it is to inadvertently mess up.
The DeKalb Police Alliance like many organizations does not have a contact management database. All work to this point is done off of spreadsheets. So tracking is all but impossible.
This is not an unusual problem Most CRM databases are expensive. With donations down it is hard to justify the cost, especially when licenses and training on the system are not transferable from one staff person to another.
Then a colleague suggested I check out Salesforce.com for the Alliance. I knew I didn’t have the budget and could not justify even a seemingly inexpensive CRM program.
Imagine my surprise and delight to learn that Salesforce.com has a Foundation.
“Salesforce.com set out to change the way companies think about philanthropy ten years ago, and today more than ever it continues to define us as a company.” Suzanne DiBianca, Executive Director Salesforce.com Foundation.
The Salesforce.com Foundation is based on a simple idea: Donate 1% of salesforce.com’s resources to support organizations that are working to make our world a better place.
I strongly suggest you check it out –www.salesforce.com/foundation.
Thank you for all you do for your community. And, thank you for following my blog.
Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to get back to thanking our donors.