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A CRM platform can help nonprofits streamline operations, make data-driven decisions, and deepen relationships with donors, supporters, and those they serve. But how do you know if it’s the right time for your nonprofit to invest in one?

Develop your data strategy for your nonprofit, foundation, or association and it will guide your technology choices. Partner Kyle Haines describes the role of data and the importance of a data strategy to achieving your mission.

Choosing the right data infrastructure is critical for decision-making, reporting, and growing a nonprofit, foundation, or association. Learn more about the differences between these options and how to decide for your organization.

What’s the best ERP for nonprofits and foundations? Selecting the right ERP solution depends on your organization’s specific needs, goals, and structure.

Starting something new can often feel overwhelming, and figuring out where to begin with AI is no different. Where do the realities of Artificial Intelligence stand today for nonprofits, foundations and associations?

Explore the vital role of IT governance in nonprofits as a shared leadership responsibility, particularly in the digital age. Discover how effective policies enable organizations to leverage data and technology innovatively while ensuring protection, especially amidst the rise of AI.

Discover how technology roadmaps empower nonprofit leaders to align tech initiatives with organizational goals, enhance decision-making, and foster collaboration among stakeholders for sustainable growth in the digital age.

Microsoft announced that it will be retiring its Fundraising and Engagement solution. What does this mean for the nonprofit community?

By identifying risks early, and developing mitigation strategies, organizations can prevent potential issues from derailing their CRM projects

To prepare for the use of Generative AI tools like Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, it’s vital that nonprofits understand and actively manage their file sharing and access permissions to a degree that most never have.

A skills matrix can help you recognize where more training is called for, and help identify power users. Use this template download to get started mapping staff skills and training needs.

As the contours of the AI terrain within the nonprofit sector continue to unfold, this curated expedition serves as an invitation to all nonprofit leaders to embark on a transformative journey—one that is brimming with potential and steeped in purpose.

We explore the 9 key factors that executives should consider when selecting between these two powerhouse platforms for their nonprofit organization. From cost-effectiveness to integration capabilities and user-friendliness, we provide a comprehensive analysis of both Microsoft Dynamics and Salesforce to help you make an informed decision for your nonprofit’s future growth.

The art of technology selections does not end with making your decision, it is also crucial to factor change management into the equation. Doing so sets you up for greater adoption rates, fewer bumps along the way, and more effective use of your chosen technologies throughout your organization.

“You need to make sure all of that change management is set up around the technology. Otherwise, there’s no chance that technology is going to be successful. So just double down on looking at all the elements that are around the technology and not focus on the technology itself.”

What it should look like when technology is well-embedded within the organization. 

Whatever your motivation and reasoning, moving to an enterprise CRM solution could be the right move to understand more holistically, and serve, your constituents.

How nonprofit executives and other leaders can make technology-supported change efforts a priority in order for for them to be successful.

Enterprise Resource Planning solutions are finding their footing at growing nonprofits. With planning, ERP can be the centerpiece of a nonprofit’s finance and operations ecosystem.

Successful CRM implementation and usage is a long-term investment. Planning and executing your implementation strategy will set your organization up for success. Use these 6 steps to plan.

A data strategy, for many nonprofits, becomes one of innovation and exploring new ideas.

Strategies to help nonprofits, associations, and foundations select and use a CRM platform as a key underpinning of relationship management, engagement, and service.

Build Consulting Founding Partners David Deal and Kyle Haines are excited to announce that Debbie Cameron has joined the leadership team of Build Consulting as a Partner, effective May 1, 2022.

Learn about differentiators that can help lead to a successful enterprise-wide technology project.

An overnight transformation is turning into a lasting one. Find insights in this article from Kyle Haines.

“Technology should work for the organization, not the organization for the technology.” Or “Business decisions should drive technology decisions.” No matter how it is specifically expressed, this truth has been core to Build’s belief system since our founding in 2015. Too many times in our careers, we had seen nonprofit leaders attempt to implement a […]

When nonprofit organizations are assessing their technology needs, and creating technology roadmaps to address those needs, they often wonder how far ahead their roadmap should look.

The beginning of the year is a natural time to look at your data from a donor’s perspective. What can you learn from data that helps you nurture behavior, including giving, throughout the calendar year?

Learn the difference with a CTO, and how a CIO can serve as a valuable resource to your nonprofit organization.

Three questions to consider as you start to integrate your siloed systems, and other tips from Peter Mirus.

Build Senior Nonprofit CRM Manager Jo Butler shares simple tips on CRM adoption to get everyone at your nonprofit organization using your data.

An update on our study of products – Tableau, Power BI, and Qlik are easy to use and low cost to try, which attractively positions them within the market to nonprofits looking to understand and present data visually.

Making improvements at your nonprofit begins with you! Don’t wait for new technology. Build Consulting shows low and no-cost steps to make operational improvements until you can introduce new technology solutions.

Learn how Build led a recent evaluation and selection process to find a market research and benchmarking system for our client.

Nonprofit technology change management is the art and science of helping people to prepare for changes or disruptions that will happen or are happening. This resource round-up can help you manage change in your organization.

Allocations to accounts can be time-consuming. Getting the right process and tools in place to automate allocations in your ERP system can result in more timely and accurate financial information being provided to Development, Program, and Executive staff.

Rushing nonprofit software selections has many perils. Learn to avoid these five common mistakes and get better tech projects success rates, even when the timeline is shortened.

Unsure of the benefit an interim or part-time CIO would have on your organization? Let two Build CIO clients tell you about their experiences

Learn about online communities, the systems that support them, and how to use those systems to your nonprofit organization’s advantage.

Nonprofits can use online communities to create deeper important engagement with donors, members, and volunteers, leading to improved outcomes.

To help you imagine what an online community might mean for your nonprofit organization, here are a few potential scenarios for use.

In general, full-featured online community platforms suitable for nonprofit organizations have the following core features.

A brief summary of some leading software providers of nonprofit online communities, as well as some solution providers within related categories.

There are many potential online community software options out there that might be applicable to your needs. So how do you choose the correct one?

Can you prevent your nonprofit from being the victim of a cybersecurity attack? We provide some reasonable measures for protecting against threats, why more nonprofit organizations don’t prioritize cyber security, and what should be included in a cybersecurity assessment.

Many nonprofits first come to Build Consulting because they want a better technology roadmap for their organization. This article will help you think about what your nonprofit’s technology roadmap should include.

Build Nonprofit CRM Manager Jo Butler shares CRM adoption strategic tips on how to get your CRM used by everyone at your nonprofit organization. Use your CRM platform to better engage with and manage constituents, by incorporating accountability and training at every level of your nonprofit.

“Soft” skills are as necessary for successful leadership as technology know-how! Learn about Build’s experience with these six traits of successful nonprofit tech leaders we have worked with.

If you are looking for ways to leverage your CRM data more effectively, or looking to make a new investment entirely, we share some differentiators between mid-level systems available on the market to help as you consider your options.

Improving donor data management can greatly increase your organization’s fundraising results. So why can it feel so hard to focus on practical steps to keep data clean and valuable? Learn how to prioritize improving donor data at your nonprofit.

Build Nonprofit CRM Manager Jo Butler shares our experience: when nonprofits excel at using Raiser’s Edge NXT or any Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) platform to better engage with and manage constituents, they will increase revenue, foster internal collaboration and decrease the operational costs associated with fundraising.

Partner David Deal shares management tips to make quick projects successful, using the recent example of creating a map for DC community distribution of PPE.

We stand in solidarity with those seeking to bring about change. We do not tolerate racism. We do not believe in complacency.  

Selecting a nonprofit technology software? Use these ten tips to help guide your organization to find the right one.

Staff turnover is a hidden challenge to nonprofit technology initiatives. Learn to begin your project with a commitment to continuity throughout staff turnover, which plays a critical role necessary for success.

Good Tech Fest, an excellent conference on data and technology for organizations within the social sector, took place virtually this year in Chicago, May 19-21. We love Data Analysts for Social Good, the organizers of the event! This year, Build’s own Debbie Cameron presented on Change Management: Practical Solutions, Not Just Buzzwords.

David Deal shares his experience with nonprofit Salesforce products and discusses ways to decide whether custom-built, pre-built, or third party options make the most sense for your organization.

Security plans for your organizations need to include the collaboration platforms used for business—whether in use by employees or contractors, and whether provided/supported by the organization or not. Otherwise, your plans ignore critical and probable points of vulnerability—and these blind spots could prolong the incident response process.

A platform-centric nonprofit uses the technology platform as a key foundation in their technology strategy. This focus on a platform allows the nonprofit to act on information and data in new connected ways. Build has worked on a number of these transformations, and the projects demonstrably deliver value with a clear link between the effort and the outcome. Successful platform-centric nonprofits have a technology roadmap that guides their ongoing investments in platforms and people.

Answering long-term questions for our nonprofit clients: How this legislation, along with GDPR, shifts the landscape of constituent expectations for how nonprofits will behave—based on their experience with businesses that ARE subject to the law. What new technology features will be created in CRM platforms, and other systems managing constituent data, to help organizations more easily be compliant with current and future privacy laws?

David Deal shares insights and observations from the recent Dreamforce gathering and employee discontent with Salesforce.org’s new emphasis on hard sell tactics, including pressuring nonprofits to purchase licenses they don’t need or won’t use. Learn how to avoid these extra costs and keep Salesforce.org working for your organization, or explore alternatives.

Data quality conversations can be hard to get started at nonprofit organizations. Leaders want to generate better mission outcomes by improving data quality—but don’t know what that takes. Database staff have a better sense of the technology and process, but might not have the opportunity to use their voices effectively. Learn how to start the conversation and get executive buy-in.

A hidden challenge of nonprofit technology initiatives can completely scuttle projects. Learn to begin your project with a commitment to good staff time management, which plays a critical role in doing the business requirements, review and selection, and implementation necessary for success.

It can be tempting to think the latest software will solve your challenges purely through the power of technology! But the real work begins with your people. You need stakeholder input to develop your requirements and secure buy-in.

How can you encourage the most valuable software demo possible? How does the RFP factor in? What are the best ways for you and your future software vendor to get on the same page? Help your software vendor help you: six tips to guide the demo process and get the information you need to make the best decision.

As the story develops here are some of our initial thoughts on Salesforce.org and Salesforce for nonprofits. Build will be monitoring the effects this deal has on our clients, our nonprofit technology colleagues, and other CRM vendors in the mid-sized nonprofit marketplace.

Frustrated with the limitations or complexity of your nonprofit constituent relationship management system? Do you find that your tools for digital donor engagement don’t connect well to your nonprofit CRM? Do you face challenging obstacles to your nonprofit’s effectiveness and success with CRM data? These Nonprofit CRM trends observed at the 2019 Nonprofit Technology Conference should be encouraging.

Build Consulting firmly believes, and communicates to each of our clients, that four key things must come before selecting software. If the organization hasn’t previously considered each of these things in a structured manner, the changes for selecting the wrong software, or even selecting the right software but still experiencing implementation failure, are exponentially increased.

We frequently see nonprofit organizations pay for more software licenses than they need, particularly in the early implementation phases. This can cost a nonprofit thousands of dollars that would be better invested in other ways. 

Learn the top five things nonprofit executive leadership can do to ensure their major technology/organizational change projects are successful.

It looks like Microsoft is ready to make a significant investment in Dynamics CRM (now Dynamics 365 for Sales) to make it nonprofit-friendly. Read this to learn about the recent developments and why this might be a good thing for the nonprofit sector.

Constituents increasingly expect a rich, personalized experience when engaging with nonprofits. Fortunately, being an expert in “constituent experience” doesn’t mean you must be an expert designer or programmer.

Nonprofit leaders crave nonprofit strategy insight. They want to know: “Where are the good sources for nonprofit strategy?”

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a cloud platform that combines customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Most nonprofits are familiar with the acronym “CRM,” but fewer are familiar with “ERP.” ERP systems have a core finance/accounting component, around which other components (such as HR, procurement, and supply chain management) revolve.

Both the Raiser’s Edge and Omatic Software are changing. What does that mean for the future of products you’ve grown to rely on, such as ImportOmatic?

We often recommend that nonprofits with the Raiser’s Edge consider how Omatic Software products can improve their data management.

One of the largest challenges facing Build’s nonprofit clients is hiring and retaining good database managers. But what can they do about it?

Nonprofit database managers help organizations bring their data closer to providing an accurate and accessible representation of activities and outcomes.

CRM stands for Constituent Relationship Management. It is borrowed from Customer Relationship Management from the for-profit sector.

Conferences the Build way – they can be overwhelming and rewarding at the same time. People think that it’s all about developing the perfect agenda..

We recently highlighted three signature software products available from Microsoft for nonprofits: Dynamics CRM, Dynamics GP, and SharePoint.

Organizations that rely on fundraising should consider other options than Dynamics CRM. However, that does not mean it is irrelevant to the nonprofit space.

Here are four important tips for avoiding some of the largest obstacles nonprofit organizations face with Microsoft SharePoint Online.

Nonprofit executives and other leaders must make technology-supported change efforts a priority in order for for them to be successful.

Slack is a messaging app touting itself as “Team communications for the 21st century.” It’s a product with lots of buzz, but is it right for my nonprofit?

Mike is pivoting how the company approaches integrating and building products via the Blackbaud SKY platform. In the process, Mike is also trying to chart and lead the future of technology for nonprofits.

If you haven’t experienced the challenge of understanding Blackbaud’s software portfolio things can get very complex, very quickly.

Data Analysis Tools for Nonprofits – Tableau and Power BI are uniquely positioned within the market to develop a large group of users

Data Tell the Story of your nonprofit organization: it is much more about culture, process, and discipline than it is about technology tools.

Information Week has released a companion piece to our recent blog post titled “12 Ways to Connect Data Analytics to Business Outcomes.”

Information Week recently published “9 Way to Tap Into Smart Data-Driven Decisions.” about reducing organizational impediments.

Vendors are competing to deliver the message that their shiny object will be the one to change your organization. NTEN helps to set reasonable expectations.

Formula for Nonprofit Technology – One organization at a time, Build helps OO+NT=TO. Old Organization + New Technology = Transformed Organization.

Mission-Oriented Information Strategy is so much more than the systems you select: it is about better governance and better business processes.

Successfully managing Multiple IT Projects for Global Impact is complicated, presenting a daunting challenge for any organization. Build can help.

The Nonprofit CRM landscape has been changing rapidly. Huge announcements from Blackbaud and Salesforce have generated a ton of excitement and, frankly, a lot of questions. We are grizzled veterans of this industry and even we are left with lots of questions. We recently partnered with Community IT to try to answer some of those […]

Databases don’t end poverty, cure diseases, better the environment, or solve societal problems.  Tools, on the other hand, can. A database is something that most of us don’t either know how to use or tap into. On the other hand, a tool helps you build something special.  Databases don’t end poverty, cure diseases, better the environment, or solve societal problems.  Tools, on […]