Since it was first conceived in the late 1980s, integrated marketing communication (IMC) has become the predominant method of marketing. The concept focuses on integration across all marketing tactics, projecting a unified message to customers regardless of the outlet. In this article, I share with you my thoughts into CRM Software for nonprofits and how it may assist in helping donor development officers and marketing align more effectively in their shared purpose.
Is Lack of CRM Software Impacting Alignment in your Nonprofit?
The methodology of IMC may be replaced with new terminology. IMC is now sometimes referred to SMarketing. SMarketing is the alignment and connection between sales and marketing. Since Sales (Development & Membership Executives) and Marketing work closely together in most nonprofits organizations, it’s often typical for these two groups to sometimes compete with one another. But if you improve SMarketing at your nonprofit, you’ll likely sale more memberships and increase donor contributions.
Whether you are a nonprofit or for profit, marketing and sales alignment (whatever you call it) is more important than ever. Competition for donor mind-share is at an all time high. And, nowadays buyers expect a seamless brand experience across channels. And as more nonprofits invest in delivering fluid member experiences, the delight of receiving the right message at the right time becomes more than a nice-to-have; it becomes an expectation. From working in both nonprofit and for profit, this expectation is no different for all types of organizations.
Now back to the concept of IMC. In many instances I have observed, the ideology of IMC falls to the wayside when it comes to the integration of marketing and revenue (or, for non-profit, donations, booth sales, memberships etc.). Marketing seeks to attract constituent interest and generate brand advocates, at which point the development department takes over and seeks to convert these supporters (leads) into donors with their own messages and strategies.
What if you could align your strategies across your company into an integrated marketing and donation effort? I believe that CRM Software for many nonprofits can do just that. And, I believe that doing so creates a number of significant advantages. Here are a few:
A Unified Message
First, an integrated approach to donations and marketing allows your nonprofit to project a unified message about your products and services to your audience. From the first touch all the way to closing the sale, your audience will know exactly what to expect and why they should donate to your cause.
Added Information
As any development officer knows, the more information you have about a potential donor, the better. Marketing can gather that information through its various analytics tools, and an integrated approach ensures that the information gets passed on and is included in the CRM for easy access. Armed with that added information, development officers can touch on important decision points and influences when asking for donations.
Higher Donor and Member Revenue
Ultimately, a unified message and more information for your sales or donations team will lead to higher revenue and business growth. Research shows that companies who are integrated from the first until the final touch become 67 percent better at closing with their ask, achieve a 24 percent higher revenue growth, and retain 36 percent more customers or donors.
Stated differently, can your nonprofit afford not to align their development and marketing approaches? Chances are you’ll be better off if you do. And, the nonprofits which I see doing this excel.
To learn more about how Customer Relationship Management software can help your nonprofit, contact us. Until next time, keep SmartThoughts in mind.
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