Lyndal Cairns, Author at Heller Consulting

A stretching worker illustrates the challenges of donor expectations in 2025.

CRM

Nonprofit tech stretches to meet donor expectations

Donors increasingly expect the same level of service from their nonprofit beneficiaries that they get from the corporations they regularly engage with. It is driving a technological revolution in the cause sector, with smart nonprofits leveraging tools and platforms that make supporters feel seen, appreciated, and understood. Donor experience in 2025 Constituent expectations have changed

Lyndal Cairns January 3, 2025

A center line is seen to illustrate Heller's CRM roadmap process.

CRM

Inside Heller’s CRM Roadmap Methodology

There are a plethora of ways to move to a new CRM and over the years, we have tried them all. Decades of experience has taught us that a CRM roadmap is critical to the success of our nonprofit clients, and it’s a key part of our service methodology. What is a CRM roadmap for

Lyndal Cairns December 31, 2024

A bison is shown on a plain to evoke Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics GP.

Data & AI

Goodbye, Microsoft Great Plains!

Microsoft has announced it is sunsetting its Great Plains accounting software after decades in the market. With few peers in terms of longevity, we decided to look into why so many nonprofits stuck with Great Plains so long, and what they will do between now and 2029, when support ends for what is now called

Lyndal Cairns December 9, 2024

Raisers Edge NXT query functionality is a gift for data admins.

CRM

New Raiser’s Edge NXT Query Tool is a Gift for Data Admins

Blackbaud’s release of new Raiser’s Edge NXT capabilities has come as an early holiday present for data admins, who have been waiting nearly a decade for an updated query engine. Many team members charged with data management are using what the community calls the “database view,” a back-end UX that hasn’t changed much since the

Lyndal Cairns December 5, 2024

Heller Consulting's Karen Harris Melendez is shown beside an image evoking navigation.

Team Heller

Heller Expands Microsoft Practice with CRM Development Expert

The veteran nonprofit tech bench at Heller Consulting has been augmented with the hire of Karen Harris Melendez as our Microsoft Practice Business Lead. Karen brings to the practice more than 25 years’ experience working with nonprofit organizations in roles including software development, database administration, CRM migrations, custom API implementations, and development operations. She has

Lyndal Cairns December 1, 2024

Kids with dyed hair at a fun run show the range of activities available to peer to peer fundraisers in 2025.

Optimization

Prepare Your Stack for Peer-to-Peer Fundraising in 2025

Peer-to-peer fundraising nets U.S. nonprofits $1.1 billion per year and many are interested in getting a slice of that pie. But how can you make sure your technology and tools are up to the task? Get the skinny. What is Modern Peer-to-Peer Fundraising? In the old world, peer-to-peer fundraising looked like your friends, colleagues, and

Lyndal Cairns November 26, 2024

CRM

Advancement Tips and Tech for Alumni Engagement in 2025

If your advancement org is typical, you’re faced with the challenge of making donor and alumni engagement more effective with technology that you may have used for 10, 15, or even 20+ years. It lacks the features and functionality you need to deepen connections and provide a more modern donor and alumni experience. So, how

Lyndal Cairns November 21, 2024

Salesforce

3 Steps to Move Your Higher Ed Advancement Team Forward with Salesforce

Many higher education advancement teams are ready to implement more sophisticated approaches to donor and alumni engagement. But to do so, they need to move away from their aging software. They need technology that gives them better access to their data, helps them work more efficiently, and generally supports more innovative and modern practices. That’s

Lyndal Cairns November 19, 2024

A man in a yellow cap and shirt with beige overalls, sporting black gloves, diligently adjusts the top of a brick pillar on a fence. Residential rooftops peek under a cloudy sky as he embodies the focus and precision one might expect from development teams gearing up for the giving season in 2024.

Optimization

3 Things to Focus on This Giving Season

Giving season is upon us. It’s an exciting time, with 26% percent of all online revenue coming in December. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed but focusing on a few key areas can help you work more efficiently and improve your end-of-year fundraising results –while avoiding burnout. Here’s what our experts recommend: 1. Focus

Lyndal Cairns October 24, 2024

A call center illustrates the need for Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud's new AI tools.

CRM

How to Scope Your Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud Pilot

At Dreamforce last month, Salesforce revealed a suite of new products that nonprofits and higher ed organizations have been asking about for years. But ever cautious and reticent to be the first movers into a product that is still evolving, nonprofits have been slow to migrate. Our clients and friends are telling us they have

Lyndal Cairns October 22, 2024