02/18/2020
By Mohona Dutta | Reading time 6 mins
It’s not an unknown fact that technology can take an organization to a different tangent altogether making it more efficient, productive and definitely generate a good return on investment.
Nonprofits although don’t have the same ‘profit yielding’ agenda, but they too need to keep up with the pace of digital transformation so that their mission can be a success. Unfortunately, most nonprofits are vying for the same mine of resources.
As such it becomes a little tough for organizations who are still using old technology and are rummaging through several spreadsheets for information.
We know that they have to deal with multiple stakeholders, processes and donation programs and a need for a solution that is smart, simple to navigate, secure and most importantly customizable to their unique processes become extremely vital. As such Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a saving grace for them.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a smart choice for not-for-profit organizations as it is scalable, flexible and easy to navigate. Let’s take a look at the ten most important reasons as to why Dynamics 365 is a better choice for nonprofits:
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1. Single unit for operations
Nonprofits have to deal with multiple departments, volunteers, donors, sponsors sometimes at the same time and there are instances wherein they find themselves in an unusual position where they have to handle siloes of information.
Dynamics 365 CRM has the flexibility to bring all departments under one roof using a single database. It has the inbuilt functionality that helps to map and track the relationships among people from different departments, donors, members, volunteers thereby bringing in a unified integrated system for better operations.
2. Customize Dynamics 365 as per the process
One biggest drawback of the donor or member management solution is that as a nonprofit, you have to adjust your business as per the features provided in the software. With Dynamics 365 CRM, however, you can custom-make the systems, amend it the way it suits your mission needs.
The use of pre-built accelerators makes customizing faster and easier because everything doesn’t have to be built from scratch.
3. A holistic view of the organization
All non-profit organizations consist of several entities such as constituents (individuals, organizations, government agencies), volunteers and beneficiaries. And they have a tendency to overlap in various programs and may use different methods to interact amongst themselves.
Dynamics 365 CRM provides a comprehensive view of all the interactions that any person within any entity is having with others, at any given point of time, creating a 360-degree span of the organization on a single dashboard.
You can also restrict the viewing capacity of such interactions depending on the ‘need to know’ basis.
4. Easy integrations with D365
Dynamics 365 can claim to integrate hundreds of tools with itself. It could be a Microsoft application Office, Dynamics GP, SharePoint, or third-party applications such as QuickBooks, Eventbrite, MailChimp or HubSpot, the applications can be easily merged with it effortlessly.
Even Google applications like Gmail or Google Calendar can also be integrated easily guaranteeing a seamless flow of information among the applications that can increase work productivity.
5. Marketing tool for better campaigns
There are several add-ons that work right inside Microsoft Dynamics 365 which brings in robust email marketing capabilities. These add-ons help to send emails, tracking responses, click-thru rates, heat maps and an assortment of other information, very conveniently.
Several market surveys and events through these add-ons can be managed conveniently.
6. Effectively manage grants
The grants management system in a lot of nonprofits is unfortunately highly unorganized and poorly managed. When applying for a grant for your non-profit organization, Dynamics 365 lets employees to easily manage and track the process right from the time its applied till the time it gets processed, released and deployed at your organization.
The tool allows you to automate reminders or renewals, and make them visible for others as well. Dynamics 365 Grant Manager accelerator is an all-encompassing module that restructures the grants process from start through approval and awards to stay on time and within your budget.
7. Acknowledging gifts with Dynamics 365
Did you know that Dynamics 365 can enable custom gift acknowledgments to your constituents? With it, you will be able to set a specific email template to automatically fill in their receipt information and send acknowledgment instantly.
Donation receipts can be immediately sent after a donation is made. You can eliminate the task of drafting several emails after every gift or donation.
8. Tracking donors’ progress
The Moves Management describes a constituent development starting from setting up their basic information to solicitation to ultimately forging a relationship to donations and gift acknowledgment.
Dynamics 365’s Business Process Flow gives a proper structure and characterization to your exclusive Moves Management process. The Business Process Flow directs you through and prompts you to collect the crucial data points required at every stage.
9. Saving and reduction of costs
One of the biggest pain points of nonprofits is cost. With an inadequate budget in hand and limited resources, the cost is one of the main primacies of a non-profit organization. Being cost-effective and finding a reasonable solution is definitely a primary concern.
Dynamics 365 CRM is one of the most affordable solutions in the market for non-profit organizations. The Dynamics 365 Nonprofit Accelerator is a suite of sample apps, templates, and connectors explicitly designed to solve the most pressing scenarios that nonprofits encounter face while working towards their cause.
The accelerator features out of the box functionalities making it easier and quicker for them to handle their daily tasks, build better relationships and reap the desired benefits.
10. Rigorous security and compliance standards
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant product that handles the data privacy concerns. Microsoft data centers are encrypted and use rigorous standards set by the Microsoft Security Assurance team to protect customer data and ensures regular data backups to guard you against any disastrous loss.
People who run nonprofits are often goal orientated, self-motivated individuals that have identified an issue or gap within our social standards of the communities. These individuals have the knowledge and understanding of what needs to be done and how.
This is where Microsoft Dynamics comes into the picture, being a platform that offers the best solutions that can be tailored to suit the needs of the organization to make its mission a success. At AhaApps, we strive to make technology work in your favor so that you can make the world a better place.
Connect with us to know more.
Author’s bio:
Mohona is a Content Writer for the Marketing team in AhaApps since 2019. When she is not busy attending to her creative, technical side, she likes to binge on sitcoms on Netflix. She loves writing poems and reading short stories when she wants to break away from the humdrum of life.
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