When the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) set out to modernize its CRM and marketing technology, the organization faced a crossroads every nonprofit looking to modernize their tech stack faces: pursue the path that felt easiest in the short term, or commit to the solution that best supports its future state. The latter required more rigor, change, and patience—and it ultimately became CRI’s Hard Yes.
From the beginning, CRI framed this initiative as more than a technology replacement. Internal discovery guided by Heller Consulting made it clear that existing systems—particularly its legacy CRM and marketing automation tool—were constraining CRI’s ability to segment audiences, personalize communications, and build a cohesive view of constituent engagement in a way that supported its mission. CRI wanted to go forward as a data driven, relationship centric organization.
Defining the future state before selecting a tool
Rather than starting with vendors, CRI began with a clear articulation of its future state. Through structured discovery and feature prioritization, the organization identified what success needed to look like three to five years out—not just at go live. That future state included robust segmentation that elevated and prioritized fulfilling the mission, serving all internal stakeholders, and providing accurate reporting, analysis, and measurable results.
Some tools appeared easier to adopt because they resembled CRI’s current workflows or required less upfront change. However, discovery surfaced a recurring theme: “easy” often meant preserving limitations. CRI was determined to prevent adopting technology that their KPIs and objectives would quickly outgrow. Simplicity without scalability risked a future state that would create technical debt—particularly where integrations, data governance, and consent management were concerned.
Evaluating with discipline, not convenience
CRI’s evaluation process was rigorous. Requirements were documented, prioritized, and scored against multiple platforms using a structured vendor workbook and demo scripts. This process surfaced clear trade‑offs. Some solutions met many functional needs but struggled with usability or effective future proofed integrations. Others were attractive from a marketing perspective but introduced complexity in data flow, governance, or long‑term maintenance.
Importantly, CRI did not dismiss concerns or gaps. For example, even after identifying HubSpot Marketing Hub as the leading candidate, CRI carefully reviewed requirement gaps and validated whether they were acceptable considering the platform’s strengths in usability, automation, and CRM integration. This ensured the recommendation was not a “soft yes,” but a conscious commitment with eyes open.
Choosing integration and sustainability over short-term ease
One of the clearest expressions of CRI’s Hard Yes was its emphasis on native, bidirectional integration with Salesforce. Discovery repeatedly highlighted the risks of loosely coupled systems—broken syncs, duplicated records, inconsistent suppression logic, and untrusted reporting. CRI chose a solution that could centralize data governance and support advanced segmentation and personalization without relying on fragile middleware or manual reconciliation.
This decision required more upfront change management, including new processes, training, and phased implementation planning. But it directly supported CRI’s long‑term goals: scaling communications across teams, reducing dependency on single “expert” users, and enabling leadership to trust engagement data across fundraising, programs, and marketing.
Committing to change, not just technology
CRI’s Hard Yes went beyond tool selection. The organization recognized that technology alone would not deliver impact without thoughtful change management. Leadership committed to sponsorship, cross‑team engagement, and ongoing governance—especially around segmentation, consent, and campaign planning. This ensured that the future‑state vision was not diluted during implementation.
By aligning its CRM and marketing platform decisions to its mission, growth trajectory, and data strategy, CRI resisted the temptation to choose what merely felt comfortable. Instead, it invested in a foundation that supports deeper relationships with donors, researchers, and partners—while remaining flexible enough to evolve with future needs.
A true Hard Yes
In the end, CRI’s decision reflects organizational clarity and maturity. The institute chose a solution that demanded more intention today in service of greater impact tomorrow. That choice—grounded in discovery, validated by requirements, and reinforced through change management—is what makes CRI’s path forward serving their patients, scientists, and community stable, scalable and sure.
Ready to find your Hard Yes? Get in touch with Team Heller.
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Project Manager
Shawneda is a dedicated project manager who excels in overseeing projects, ensuring deadlines are met, and maintaining transparent communication with all stakeholders involved.
With a history of working with renowned organizations such as Comcast and Mayo Clinic, Shawneda has consistently focused on aiding others through the effective use of technology and communication.
She firmly believes that clear and efficient communication is the cornerstone of successful project management, which can harness technology for the greater good.
An avid reader and gamer, Shawneda can be found curled up in a nook at home or at the roller skating rink.
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