I was furtling around looking for some info on a Facebook group I belong to, and I happened across a post I made from 2021.
I’d been contacted about providing a quote. The request followed a familiar pattern:
“Hello, I’ve been told you can help. I have some data work that needs doing. Can you respond with a cost please? It only has to be ball park.”
I’m not joking when I say this type of email has wandered into my inbox more times than I can count.
Sometimes they add… detail.
“I’d like a quote please for setting up a new CRM. We’re a small charity and don’t have much money. It only needs to be ball park.”
The easiest way to explain why this doesn’t work is to break it down.
• What do you want to use your CRM for: traditional fundraising mix, supporter care, support helpline, impact measurement, bursary management, event sales, to name but a few?
• Who needs access and who needs to use it?
• What do you already have: nothing, Excel, another fundraising CRM, another non-fundraising CRM?
• How much data do you have?
• What integrations or functionality do you need?
• What issues do you currently experience?
Think about difficult processes, time hoovers, things that don’t quite work and things you’re not able to do.
• And I know it’s distasteful, but what sort of budget – and more importantly – resource do you have available to support this work?
When I ask to set up a call to discuss what’s needed, I might not ask these questions directly, but I will get this information – and more – from you. This paints a picture of how much or how little you need, the size and scope of the project, all the things you haven’t thought of yet, or didn’t think were important.
And then – and only then – can I start to think about how much it will cost.
And just to reassure you – not knowing what information matters isn’t unusual. You’re close to the problem. You know what hurts but not always what’s causing it. That first conversation isn’t me making things complicated. It’s me trying to understand the question before I answer it.
I’ve got some space over the coming months to help teams scope data, CRM and process projects – whether that’s a quick sense check or helping shape something bigger.
And if you know a team that’s sitting on a project they can’t quite define yet – I’d really appreciate an introduction.
#CharityData #CRM #Fundraising #DataManagement #BusinessProcesses #CharitySector #Nonprofits
