No More Spreadsheets:

FUNDRAISING CHALLENGE

Spreadsheet Struggles

Before implementing Donorfy, they faced a common hurdle among smaller charities: managing data spread across various spreadsheets, and in the minds of volunteers that were too busy to log information, or had nowhere to really put it.

Bob Hughes, Fundraising Manager, described this struggle -

For a while we were really volunteer-led, which is great, but that meant a lot of things were on spreadsheets, or a volunteer would leave the organisation and information would go with them." 

This scattered approach led to a lack of shared knowledge and consistency in data management, and was affecting their ability to effectively track their amazing fundraising campaigns and donor interactions.

THE SOLUTION

Centralised System for Diverse Data

Switchboard needed a centralised hub, accommodating various types of fundraising data crucial for their operations. From tracking individual and regular givers to managing one-off events and pledges, Donorfy provides the flexibility and organisation needed to navigate their fundraising landscape. Tags are taking away guesswork too, now they’re able to know what’s triggering donations, so they can enhance supporter experience and make informed, strategic decisions.

Better still, they’ve found it does all of this intuitively.

In my last role, everything was in Salesforce. My first task joining Switchboard was to ascertain if Donorfy was still the right CRM; we quickly came to the conclusion that it was. How data is stored makes sense, the campaigns feature is really big for us and tracking different supporters with different needs feels really intuitive.” adds Bob.

Reliable support is a critical part of their solution, too. 

We've had really good experiences with Donorfy support. We've had prompt and very quick responses, which is great." said Bob.

He also emphasised the benefit of the team having fundraising and charity backgrounds themselves - 

We're very grateful that somebody could just get what we were trying to do, without having to explain why certain things might be important to us. Having a fundraiser-to-fundraiser conversation is really valuable."

IMPACT

Integrations, Efficiency and Growth

We’re pleased to say they’re seeing a big Donorfy difference. Despite their small and time-stretched team, Donorfy has become a crucial tool in saving both time and stress. Here’s just some of the ways they’re using it to do more of what matters:

Legacy Pipeline

Previously, potential legacy donations were scattered in individuals' heads or inboxes. With Donorfy, these intentions are now logged, providing clarity on long-term commitments. This clarity not only enables better conversations with those supporters, but also offers reassurance about future funding prospects.

Winter Campaign

The winter months can be a particularly tough time for people in their community, and their Winter Campaign is vital to help them meet the increased need for support - and tackle isolation. 

Using Donorfy, they were able to implement and track the success of this campaign more effectively than ever, giving valuable insights into what worked and what didn’t. Donorfy's functionality allowed them to precisely tag and track donations related to the campaign, offering clarity in their fundraising efforts.

Bob expressed optimism for the campaign's future too, aiming to maximise its impact further with the integration of web forms and enhanced tracking capabilities by the end of 2024.

A Bright Future

We’re not even using Donorfy to its full power yet.” remarks Bob. “We still have platforms we need to integrate to make things even simpler. We’ve had some experience of the benefits so far, and know it’s about to take off for us, which is exciting.”

Bob highlighted the significance of Donorfy's integration capabilities for Switchboard, noting that they play a crucial role in ensuring smooth alignment with their evolving needs and planned growth. While they already integrate with some platforms like PayPal, there’s plenty more on the horizon, like GoCardless and MailChimp.

They plan on using Donorfy for volunteer management in future too. The aim? To streamline their processes even further, and ensure seamless data flow between different systems, enhancing efficiency in their operations.

Reflecting on the broader impact of Donorfy, Bob acknowledges its role beyond being just a fundraising database. It‘s becoming a cornerstone for Switchboard, providing stability, centralisation and organisational knowledge retention. With a stable foundation for data management in place, Switchboard is poised for further growth and impact in supporting the LGBTQIA+ community - and we’re very much behind them.