The Challenge: Frustration with a Dated Solution and Risky Processes
The Marmot Recovery Foundation faced significant challenges with their outdated Oracle database, which lacked essential functionalities and made donation processing cumbersome. As donation channels evolved, particularly with the increasing shift to online donations, the Foundation struggled to keep up. This outdated system couldn’t properly manage both cheque and online giving which led to inefficiencies, miscommunications, difficulty effectively engaging with their loyal donor base, and data security risks. The frustration was palpable; the team was spending countless hours on manual processes. Without a new solution to address these issues, the Foundation risked losing touch with their longtime donors, as well as the crucial donations they rely on to support their mission. It was clear they needed a modern solution to streamline their processes and enhance donor relationships.
"It won't surprise anyone that we're seeing donors make a shift to online giving and our old system just wasn't capable of handling that. We were starting to lose touch with donors who wanted to support us. So for us it was a critical priority to fix that problem and make sure we had a system that could integrate the online and traditional donations and provide a clear picture of our whole donor base."
Making a Positive Impact in the Community
Our decision to work with the Marmot Recovery Foundation was driven by a shared passion for conservation and a commitment to making a positive impact in our community. As a Vancouver-based business, the Foundation’s mission was local and close to our hearts. Our team had long been impressed by the organization’s passion and hard work. When Adam Taylor, the Executive Director, reached out to us about helping with their donation management solution, we were excited to contribute where we could.
"We’re so happy we were able to work with Adam and the Foundation on this project. They are doing such great work and their commitment to their mission is so impressive. Creating a program that we can use going forward to support not-for-profits in a sustainable way has been a goal of ours for some time. This was a perfect opportunity get it started."
Understanding the Foundation’s limited budget, a volunteer project team of enthusiastic CRM experts, led by Katie MacDougall, CRM Team Consultant, was formed to implement the solution at no charge. This approach allowed us to offer our services and ongoing support without placing any financial burden on the Foundation.
"The opportunity to lead a volunteer CRM team and contribute to such a dedicated and impactful organization was highly motivating. Knowing that our efforts could make a real difference in our community made working with the Marmot Recovery Foundation especially exciting for me."
Tailoring A Dynamics 365 Solution
The Foundation needed a solution with a strong batch entry system to handle the large volume of cheques they receive and a robust import functionality that could properly integrate their online donations.
The team got started by deploying Dynamics 365 Fundraising and Engagement. This solution automated many manual processes, provided real-time analytics, and facilitated more personalized communication with donors. However, the initial setup of the gift batching process was cumbersome. It required multiple clicks and steps and posed a significant risk of losing work simply by forgetting to hit a save button. Our team drastically reduced the number of clicks and steps by developing a customized module, making it more user-friendly and efficient.
We created a template that allows the Marmot Recovery Foundation to export and print gift receipts in a batch rather than individually, improving their workflow and reducing manual effort. We further enhanced the system’s functionality by developing a solution that allows the Foundation to issue charitable tax receipts for all transactions, regardless of whether they are part of a batch or not.
"We really appreciate Catapult for making sure the D365 system worked exactly the way we wanted it to. Inputting cheque donations was so time-consuming and a weak point of many other donor software programs."
By taking the time to understand the Foundations workflows and customize the solution, we were able to simplify their data entry and reduce the risk of errors. The new system also significantly reduced the time required to generate donor lists for direct mail campaigns, from a whole day to just 20 minutes.
"Whenever you're working with a new partner there's always some hesitation about them understanding our needs, but it's been absolutely fantastic working with Catapult. I’m so grateful that we got that initial referral."
The Results: Transformative Time Savings
The results of the new solution were transformative. The modernized system led to significant time savings, allowing the staff to focus more on their conservation efforts rather than administrative tasks. Having a clearer picture of their donor base enhanced donor communication and resulted in stronger relationships and increased donor engagement. Additionally, their mailing list data is more accurate, which eliminates the risk of incorrect or missing donor info. These up-to-date lists also reflect evolving donor communication preferences, which further improves the Foundation’s relationship with longtime donors.
"There has been a pretty dramatic improvement with the new solution. It’s really helped us identify donors who’ve just switched to online giving and we have a lot more confidence in knowing who we’re reaching out to. We also have a better sense of what our actual ROI is."
Another major benefit is the ability to easily build custom dashboards and reports, which has given the Foundation access to new insights into donation trends. With this information at their fingertips, they can identify changing donation patterns and use it to create more effective engagement strategies.
"Dynamics 365 does a really good job of allowing you to build a custom dashboard, so you can see trends. Unfortunately, our old software didn’t have that. I’m looking forward to seeing what the donation trends are over time, like how this year’s giving compared to last year, or how this month compared to the month before. It’ll be nice to know where we’re standing and to identify if there’s a particular action we should be taking."
Looking to the Future
Our collaboration with the Marmot Recovery Foundation showcases the power of modern CRM in transforming nonprofit operations. By understanding the Foundation’s pain points and providing a tailored solution, we helped them achieve greater efficiency and stronger donor relationships, ultimately supporting their vital conservation mission.
"It has been just fantastic. Katie and the Catapult team have been really supportive. They’re quick to respond and really try to understand what the problem is and how we’re going to be using the system compared to how a standard user might use that system."
Even though they are still in the early stages, the Marmot Recovery Foundation is excited about the future possibilities available to them and already has some ideas building on their solution. As they continue to better understand their donors, improve their engagement efforts, and refine their strategies, the flexibility of their Dynamics 365 solutions will allow it to easily grow and evolve along with them.
"One thing we’re not ready to use yet but is a big one on our list is that Dynamics 365 is also capable of processing and integrating credit card donations. It’s not a huge thing for us now because it’s not a time-consuming issue, but it is something we’re eyeing for the future so we can streamline even more and work entirely within one system."
For our team, going live with a solution like this is just the beginning. We are committed to continuing to work with the Foundation to better understand their workflows and build on their solution to better support their mission going forward.
If you are a not-for-profit organization looking to improve your donation management or donor engagement, reach out to book a discovery call with our team. We’re always ready to help organizations that are making a positive impact in our community. While we can’t offer every project free of charge, we’re committed to making advanced solutions accessible to organizations doing meaningful work at pricing that aligns with their mission. Together, we can achieve sustained success and make a difference.
