Implementing the first CRM for a new fundraising team
Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
Project Details:
In 2020, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management appointed its first Director of Development, Carsten Vogel, to establish a new team to support the school, its education programmes and students through philanthropy.
One of the early requirements was to establish an appropriate CRM to support the work of the new team, which would provide the tools and processes necessary to build an effective and sustainable fundraising programme. After developing the school's requirements, EFC worked with Carsten to review the available systems in the school and the top six fundraising CRMs on the market. Our evaluation led us to identify Beacon CRM as the product that best fitted the school's needs and budget.
EFC has configured Beacon CRM to meet the school's needs, adding custom fields in both English and German. We compiled data from a series of spreadsheets and imported all data to establish a new database of alumni and contacts, fundraising pipeline and processes. We provided a handover and support for new staff when they joined. EFC remains a partner of Frankfurt School, helping it establish a solid base of philanthropic support through a good use of systems.
"Alex and the team at EFC have been a tremendous resource in a difficult process: how do you organise all your fundraising information and how do you go about working with a multitude of historic data in a new (and shiny) fundraising CRM.
Firstly, we needed to navigate internal stakeholder restrictions. However, the analysis of existing systems (including our own) was the necessary foundation for a buy-in. Then, a 'blank slate' approach was not an option, so we had to review and structure existing data. Finally, we needed to adjust the system to our needs, which was surprisingly easy, and establish policies and processes during the system launch. EFC has been an efficient and friendly partner on this journey. Easy. Constructive. Effective."
Carsten Vogel
Director of Development
Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
Client Outcomes:
The school can now manage its valuable relationships in a secure, accessible, systematic way to ensure efficient fundraising. The new approach provides valuable certainty and control as the team grows.