You rely on a variety of database management programs to regulate your nonprofit’s records. You use Raiser’s Edge for financial records such as donation logs and campaign details, and you depend on Salesforce to keep track of who volunteers. Sometimes, though, it’s not enough to keep these systems separate; you want to use nonprofit data integration software to merge them. If you do, here are just a few of the benefits you receive.

Gain a Fuller Picture of Your Constituents & How They Interact With Your Organization

Although some nonprofits rely on just one of these systems, together, they give you the best picture of your constituents. When it comes to the benefits of Raisers Edge vs Salesforce, most nonprofits like to use Raiser’s Edge for keeping track of gifts and running fundraisers. On other hand, they prefer Salesforce for managing different networks, relationships between donors, and volunteer opportunities.

When you integrate these systems, you learn which contacts you have in both areas. For example, some of your donors also volunteer, and you can check your system to see whether they started volunteering before donating or vice versa. It’s also easier to see when your constituents are participating in your nonprofit and whether their patterns of donating and volunteering are seasonal.

Raise More Money by Leveraging Data From Both Systems

Once you’ve performed an RE system integration, you can quickly and efficiently raise more money. Use your RE’s campaign management function to launch your new drive, and use your Salesforce system to accept payments. Once you receive pledges or gift updates in RE, add the new donors to your Salesforce database of campaign participants. While these data exchanges are time-consuming when done manually, when your systems are integrated, they’re automatic.

Additionally, because your RE and Salesforce integration gives you a better understanding of your donors, you’re able to target your fundraising requests more efficiently. For example, if you’ve noted in your RE system that certain members do not like to receive emails, you can use their addresses stored in Salesforce to send them letters requesting funds. If you notice that other members volunteer in the summer and donate in the winter, send them reminders and updates based on the opportunities they’re interested in.

Keep Your Databases Orderly

With so many people editing your RE and Salesforce data, it’s easy for it to get messy. Some people write in capital letters, while others use proper capitalization. Some of your workers use abbreviations for titles and addresses, whereas others write out every word. When you integrate your data, the system automatically standardizes it, resulting in clear, professional data.

Integration also gives you a chance to look through your databases for mistakes. For example, if you have donors’ names spelled differently in each database, it’s time to double-check your records and send clarification emails. The same is true of addresses, emails, and phone numbers that don’t match.

To keep your nonprofit in the best financial shape, learn how to integrate your Raiser’s Edge and Salesforce databases today.