Charity’s front line powers forward with fundraising data revamp

Holding that front line, with its core mission to help people with addictions turn their lives around, requires tireless fundraising. But now, as the charity celebrates its 25th anniversary, it is powering forward - adopting a new approach to its data, its people and its priorities that has prompted ideas for events and fundraising.

The organisation’s fresh approach centres on rebuilding its customer relationship management (CRM) system. It now has all its data in one place, making scattered and siloed information a thing of the past. The charity has better insights around types of donors, for example, to drive campaigns—and it can plan activities of all sizes based on locations as well as other granular controls

To on-board its staff onto the new system, the Hertfordshire-based charity gave Salesforce licences to a number of workers outside the fundraising team. This approach encouraged staff to prioritise fundraising regardless of their role, helping to inspire greater collaboration across the organisation and generate new ideas for events and fundraising.

In providing counselling and free, community-based therapy to people living with addiction, the charity has to manage critical interactions with donations from individuals, grants from trusts and foundations, and communications with its supporters and volunteers. Previously, the charity’s fundraising and events data from all these different activities was held in separate documents, emails and spreadsheets across different shared drives. Making use of all the data was hugely problematic. It was unable to report on donations, for example, and the Gift Aid claiming process was cumbersome and manual.

The Living Room worked with PwC to revamp its CRM to transform it into a more effective, integrated system. Using Salesforce’s nonprofit ‘The Power of Us Program’, the charity’s existing CRM was replaced and its operations streamlined.