Make Digital Transformation a Reality for your Charity

There is no question that bringing your organisation up to speed in our tech-dominated lives can make a real difference to how charities operate on a day-to-day basis.

There is only so much you can do on an Excel spreadsheet, and with competition for funding getting tougher by the day, charities need to show accurate data of who they have helped and how.

One of the biggest challenges facing small charities is the cost involved in moving all their operations online, making sure that the system works for them, and allowing them the flexibility to make changes as they grow.

Many of the affordable CRM tools available don’t allow for this level of customisation or flexibility, and Charities then face the challenge of having to adjust their activities to fit in with what is on offer.

Have you thought about Salesforce?

Salesforce allows for this level of customisation and flexibility. Still, its reputation as one of the biggest CRMs in the world can cause smaller organisations to think it may be unsuitable or unobtainable.

The first stumbling block is the cost of the software. Salesforce helps us out there with its corporate philanthropy model, which involves donating 1% of its time, 1% of its product, and 1% of its profit to the community.

Charities can take advantage of 10 Free Licences for perpetuity, which for many organisations is more than enough to get up and running.

These are not bottom-of-the-range licences; they are full licences with access to an extensive range of Salesforce functionality that can make a noticeable difference in a charity’s success.

What next?

Once a charity has licences, there is still the question of what to do with them.

The Salesforce system itself is a daunting prospect with jargon that seems more appropriate to a corporate Sales team than a small charity, and that is where our Company comes in.

Since 2017, our Company has helped 57 charities realise their digital transformation aims through our Small Charity Discount Package. We understand that charities don’t have unlimited amounts of money to pour into a digital makeover, so we introduced our package, which gives organisations the chance to take that step forward into the Salesforce environment, customise the system to work for them and plan for future growth and development.

How does it work?

We do this with the help of Salesforce Supermums.

Aimed specifically at mums who were looking for a career change or a route back into the workplace after an extended period of leave, the Salesforce Supermums training course prepares them to achieve their Salesforce Administrators certification.

Salesforce offers many opportunities suitable for mums looking for more flexible work around their children and is often a stepping stone into a new career. As part of the course, trainee Supermums deliver 48 hours’ worth of free support to charities with the support of a qualified Salesforce Consultant.

The benefits here are twofold: Firstly, the Supermum is able to take the knowledge she has gained and put it into practice in a real-life situation. This gives many mums the confidence to take the next step from doing a course to moving into the working environment.

Secondly, the charity benefits from the free time spent on the construction of their project. The 6 free days make up 50% of the total project time, and this is what enables us to develop customised, flexible systems for charities, which can significantly improve their day-to-day operations.

To date, our Company has supported £234,000 worth of free time to charities across England, making a significant difference to the charities that have benefited and the trainees who have delivered the work. We find that once charities have started working with Salesforce, it is easier to justify and fund any ongoing development work.

The Small Charities Discount Package will cover the initial set-up and customisation of two or three high-level requirements, and we are happy to advise and support them on any future work they are looking to achieve.

“As a tiny non-profit with very limited time and resources to commit to our Salesforce implementation, our Company’s Supermums programme was perfect for us. Our Supermum, Erica, had already received comprehensive Salesforce training, so she already knew a great deal about the system and how to adapt it for our needs, and had the back up of more experienced staff at our Company when needed. Erica was conscientious about completing the build and tenacious when it came to problem solving and trained me to take over as Admin once the project was finished. I would highly recommend this programme to non-profits looking to implement Salesforce on a budget.”

Robert Amae, Associate Director at Culture Shift