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 nonprofits?

Essentially, it’s a guide that helps your nonprofit make informed technology decisions. It helps you to define your CRM vision, identify which tech approach best fits your nonprofit’s unique needs, and ultimately select the right solution. It also helps to ensure that your CRM implementation is successful and sustainable.

Get ready for CRM success. Access the interactive guide, How to Prepare Your Nonprofit for a CRM Implementation.

How Heller’s CRM Roadmaps Work

Our intention is to turn the organization’s intent into alignment around a key set of long-term goals, and match those to their technology investments.

• Strategic discovery – This involves interviews and discussions with stakeholders across the organization to uncover what’s working and what’s not with the client’s current software and processes. We also typically review sample reports, spreadsheets, and documentation as part of this process.
• Prioritize requirements – Based on the discovery process, we write detailed user stories that demonstrate what is needed in a new system for staff to more effectively work. These stories help to define functional requirements for the new CRM solution and become the foundation for user testing in the future. At this point, we also typically document the organization’s current stack, detail each system’s purpose, who it is used by, and the nature of data inputs and outputs.
• Articulate vision – The discovery process produces a set of long-term goals. We then lead the organization’s leadership through a collaborative workshop to turn that into a prioritized list for its CRM.
• Evaluate and select CRM solution – We consider and recommend CRM systems that make sense for the client’s needs outlined in this process. This is the Heller difference—only we have the depth of nonprofit experience matched with multiplatform knowledge. We know what’s out there and how it works.

During this process, we often demo different CRMs for the client and develop a short list of options that meet requirements, with expert analysis about how they stack up to their specific needs. We show how the organization’s CRM fits within their broader tech ecosystem and can build out a phased implementation and change management schedule.

The final roadmap is a blueprint that the Heller team can partner with the client to execute in a strategic CRM implementation if needed.

Take the next step—get a Heller CRM roadmap.

Before selecting and implementing a new CRM system for your nonprofit, let our team create a comprehensive CRM roadmap that provides assurance that your organization is moving forward in a practical and well-planned way. Contact Team Heller today to learn more and get started.