How much does a charity CRM cost?

The considerations that influence the cost of charity CRM software can differ depending on a supplier’s pricing strategy. For this reason, it’s essential that you are aware of what these factors could be, as it allows you to ask key questions when approaching potential suppliers.

Several factors that CRM software suppliers take into account can be the following:

Database size

The size of your charity CRM’s database is a crucial factor for how suppliers determine their pricing models.

The reason for this is because a charity CRM’s database size can impact the amount of time and resources needed to set up and configure the system. For example, a larger database requires more time and effort to import and cleanse data, alongside configuring the system to handle the increased volume. Hosting costs also increase with larger databases as you would expect.

Larger databases can therefore influence implementation costs due to:

• Data migration – Can be a resource intensive task that may require specialist knowledge and additional software.
• Data cleanup – May contain either duplicate, inaccurate or incomplete data, requiring additional time and resources to standardise the data.
• System configuration – Can lead to more time and resources being needed to configure the system to handle the increased volume of data, including setting up custom fields, automations, and reporting.
• Training – More time-consuming and resource-intensive training as it requires more in-depth instruction and support.
• Ongoing costs – May require more resources to maintain and manage, such as additional storage space, data backup, and disaster recovery.

When looking for a new charity CRM, you should consider the size of your current database alongside its expected future growth. Once you have this information, you can get a clear idea of a supplier’s pricing model without the fear of overstepping a threshold and being required to pay an additional fee.

At Access, we can put your mind at ease from the outset as our pricing plans consist of unlimited records/contacts.

Number of users

Quite often, a common pricing factor can be the number of employees who will be using the CRM software. With this in mind, the more members of staff that you require to access the CRM, the pricier your quote is likely to be.

This should be outlined in your pricing plans by your potential CRM provider. Some plans may be tiered as they will be based on the number of users who require log-in authority, while others could offer a flat fee for a certain number of users, charging extra for any additional users.

When meeting a vendor, outline this number from the outset to determine whether this will have an impact on the costs of your CRM payment plan, and if so, which is better value for money.

It’s worth noting that with Access Charity CRM, regardless of the number of users you need, you get unlimited licenses to use our unique ‘Fundraising Hub’, which provides an easily accessible path to donor data by enabling self-service for the wider organisation. This can be made available to anyone in your organisation that is granted permission, without any additional CRM licenses or cost, allowing relevant data to be self-served when needed.

Integrations

This is a key pricing factor as a CRM can potentially integrate with a number of platforms to make your daily processes more aligned.

Integrations can include platforms such as:

• Charity website
• Social media
• Analytics tools
• Business apps
• Email marketing
• Marketing automation
• Accounting and invoicing

In terms of influencing the price of a CRM, the number of integrations you require – and the technicality of them – can be a major contributing factor. For example, enquiring for several technical integrations can be more expensive than a single requirement.

There can be ways to lessen the cost if your provider offers access to their API to build connections to any systems you need, but this will require someone in your organisation who has those technical capabilities.

Unsure about what integrations your organisation requires? Find out about the six benefits of integrating your charity’s website with your CRM

Customisation

In addition to integrations, the level of customisation you require of your CRM is also likely to be reflected in your charity CRM’s cost.

Customisation involves the level of modification to adapt a CRM system to meet the specific requirements of your organisation. This can cover the addition of new features, develop existing ones, or integrate the charity CRM with other systems.

Common customisations can involve:

• Adapting the user interface to reflect company branding
• Integrating the charity CRM with other systems
• Creating custom reports and dashboards
• Configuring workflows and automating processes
• Adding new fields and data points
• User access control

This customisation can allow a charity CRM system to align the unique requirements of your organisation, while making it easier and more effective when managing customer data.

You should calculate your budget, carefully identify priority customisations, and get a clear answer on how this will influence your payment plan.

Level of support and training

As a charity or Not For Profit, you may be looking for your first CRM platform. If so, it’s possible that you will have had limited interaction with a charity CRM and therefore require guidance on how it can be managed. This lack of experience can lead to extensive support and can take the form of:

• Technical support
• Staff training
• Updates and upgrades
• Helpdesk
• Online resources
• Post-implementation support

The level of support available to you can differ depending on the supplier and their charity CRM pricing plan. While some may offer basic assistance such as initial technical support and online resources, others may offer extensive staff training and post-implementation support where you can contact an expert personally.

Time is often money – so the more time a supplier spends on your support can reflect the expense of your charity CRM payment plan. It’s therefore crucial to determine from the outset what support a supplier can offer and how this is factored into your expenses.

Scalability

A scalable CRM is generally more expensive than a non-scalable system as it is designed to accommodate large amounts of data and multiple users. Although this added flexibility may come at a cost, it can save your organisation money over the long term as your scalable CRM will be able to grow with your organisation without the need for implementing a new system.

Scalability is commonly associated with features such as:

• Number of users
• Level of customisation
• Number and complexity of integrations
• Cloud-based software
• Automation
• Security

Most commonly, providers may offer a tiered pricing plan based on key factors such as the number of users and data storage you require. Alternatively, others provide a pay-as-you-go option which can allow your organisation to only pay for what you use. Either way, it’s imperative to be clear about your scalability requirements before you can make an informed decision on a suitable payment plan.

Before you approach prospective CRM providers, you want to be armed with all of the information and questions you need prior to meeting them. The foundation of this will be based on having a clear budget in mind as this allows you to prioritise charity CRM features in line with your organisation, while also encouraging you to negotiate with confidence.

When putting a charity CRM budgeting plan together, it’s paramount that you have a strong understanding of your organisational requirements. The clearer your vision, the better your understanding will be where costs are concerned. For this reason, we recommend that you consider the below factors when calculating your budget.

Prioritise your charity CRM requirements

Prior to conducting your search for a suitable charity CRM, you should have a clear understanding of the areas of your organisation you want it to improve.

A great starting point is to gain feedback from employees in each department who could potentially use this platform. Outline their current processes, how these can be improved, and any concerns they may have about a charity CRM moving forwards.

With the feedback of your staff, you can then look at the priority areas for improvement within your organisation. For example, you may want to implement a system that provides you with donor information so that you can personalise your campaigns to attract more donations and volunteer applications.

Once you know what you want from your CRM, you can highlight these to a potential provider and discuss how these features will affect your charity CRM payment plan.

Cloud vs on-site CRM

Managing the software onsite or outsourcing the management of a charity CRM is another key pricing factor.

If you outsource to a provider, this is known as a cloud CRM, whereby a third party hosts your CRM and can be accessed via an internet connection. A ‘software as a service’ (SaaS) model, this is most commonly paid via either a monthly or annual subscription.

Alternatively, you can opt to manage this system yourself with an on-premise CRM. This will require you to purchase licences and install them on your own internal servers that are within your premises. If this is an approach you are considering, it is important to understand that it will require an in-house IT department to run and manage the system on a day-to-day basis as well as maintain the system security of your servers to ensure no data can be accessed by external sources.

Weigh up the pros and cons of cloud vs on-site CRM

Outline your long-term plans

Lastly, you should align any potential charity CRM you are considering to implement with your long-term growth. If you have plans for your organisation to grow in size, you must include factors into your equation such as:

• Additional members of staff requiring access
• How large you think your database is going to be in the future
• New members of staff requiring training
• New features and functionality to support growth

By outlining these aspects, you can approach a prospective supplier to decide whether their CRM model has scope for customisation and scalability, while finding out whether this will be part of your initial costs or at an additional price over the long term.

Ensure that you are open about your long-term plans with a potential provider as sharing this from the outset can put your mind at ease about what your payment plan will look like over time.

Read our guide to choosing the right CRM for your organisation.

It’s important to make the distinction between ‘affordable’ and ‘cheap’. The latter can mean paying the least amount of money but the performance of the charity CRM may reflect the price. You should look to avoid this approach as it risks implementing a system that won’t meet your requirements. Conversely, an affordable charity CRM should be the platform that meets your requirements most accurately at a price that fits your budget.

You can find an affordable charity CRM by adopting the following steps:

• Evaluate your organisation’s requirements
• Research different CRM providers to better understand their product and pricing plans
• Prepare a series of key questions for each providers experts
• Engage with free trials and demos
• Enquire about non-profit discounts for those suppliers who do not have charity-specific CRMs (if you don’t ask, you don’t get!)

Remember, the better prepared you are during the research and engagement phase, the more likely it is that you will find a suitable charity CRM software provider who meets your requirements.

Compare Access Charity CRM vs Salesforce

Understanding charity CRM cost is crucial prior to making a final decision. By identifying your requirements, you will be able to clearly acknowledge what you want the system to improve and how you can measure your ROIs based on the positive development to key areas of your organisation.

With this information, you now have a clearer idea of what can influence a charity CRM pricing plan.

At Access, we encourage you to approach a number of providers so that you can make an informed decision that benefits you. However, why not start with us? Our experts are more than happy to answer any questions you may have and guide you in the right direction.