Failure to engage with constituents results in a loss of connection, dollars, and goodwill. A strong CRM (Constituent Relationship Management) system, encompassing business processes, engagement strategy, and technology, is crucial for connecting with constituents when they are ready to respond to your requests. When you align these elements, constituents feel that you are working with them towards a common goal, prompting deeper commitment and higher response rates. So where do you start? - Start with a vision - Develop your engagement strategy - Break down the silos - Consider marketing automation - Measure, test, and rely on your data

1. 1© 2015 HELLER CONSULTING | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: TAKING ENGAGEMENT SERIOUSLY
Failure to engage with constituents
results in a loss of connection,
dollars, and goodwill. A strong
CRM (Constituent Relationship
Management) system, encompass-
ing business processes, engage-
ment strategy, and technology, is
crucial for connecting with
constituents when they are ready
to respond to your requests. When
you align these elements, constituents feel that you are working with them towards a common goal,
prompting deeper commitment and higher response rates.
So where do you start?
Start with a vision.
There have been significant advances in CRM technology that enable sophisticated engagement strategies,
especially in the commercial world. As constituents interact with nonprofits, they expect to have an experience
similar to the ones they get on sites like Amazon and Netflix– they want to be known and recognized across all
situations. But technology alone isn’t the solution. It has been proven many times the best technology in the
world won’t make a difference if it isn’t put to use properly. Organizations that focus on planning rich personal
engagement and interaction are the ones that realize the true value of a CRM system, and develop lasting and
devoted constituencies with long-term rewarding relationships.
To achieve a CRM system that provides value to both your constituents and your organization it is vital to start
with a vision of the needs, aspirations, and goals your organization wants to achieve before purchasing any
technology. A large-scale technology change that doesn’t include assessing and aligning your strategies and
addressing internal change management is almost always a recipe for failure.
A detailed engagement strategy and CRM roadmap define this plan and vision, and answer many questions
from across the organization. How and where do you want to interact with your constituents? How should
they interact with you? How will your internal teams manage the inevitable departmental overlaps? How will
your departments work with each other to provide the best experience for your constituents as you deliver
your mission? Developing an engagement strategy is the next step.
Executive Summary: Taking Engagement Seriously
Effective constituent engagement requires strong CRM aligning
business practices, an engagement strategy, and the right technology.
The full paper Taking Engagement Seriously is available for download
at TeamHeller.com/engagement-strategy-crm/

2. 2© 2015 HELLER CONSULTING | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: TAKING ENGAGEMENT SERIOUSLY
Develop your engagement strategy.
An engagement strategy defines the way you plan to interact with your constituents. The defined strategy
serves as a reference point for your efforts, helping you determine the techniques and tools required for the
organization. It will also clarify the data points that will be collected and define how they will be used within
the system. This combination of strategy, data, and technology fit together to create a rich“360-degree view”
of a constituent, displaying all the important interactions with a donor or supporter in one place. The steps to
developing an effective engagement strategy for
your CRM are straight forward:
1. Obtain internal agreement that your different
teams should be communicating and shar-
ing better to improve the experience of your
constituent.
2. Analyze current data and past interaction
history for patterns to identify the most fre-
quent pathways for your key audiences. Who
are they, and how do they interact with you?
3. Map out what their ideal journey with your organization looks like. How to they interact with your team
from first introduction to long-tem interactions? Focus on an experience that serves your constituents’
interests versus only the organization’s needs.
Most organizations find that their constituents can take one of many overlapping paths across different
departments. These overlaps and transitions are where frustration and confusion can occur.
PR
Advertising
Word of
Mouth
Search
SEM Optimization
Landing
Page
Social
3rd Party Sites
Direct
Mail
Call
Center
Website
Mobile
IM/Chat
Point of
Service
Promotions
Blog
Newsletter
Web
Service
Experience

3. 3© 2015 HELLER CONSULTING | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: TAKING ENGAGEMENT SERIOUSLY
Break down the silos. For real this time.
Every organization lives with silos. Siloed teams, siloed information, siloed donor experiences, siloed affiliates
from headquarters. The problem is the donor sees ONE organization - not different departments, not different
chapters or affiliates - one organization. A well planned CRM allows you to create an experience that doesn’t
require your constituent to ask which department or team they are working with. They should never know or
care that they have progressed from the Event Support Team to the Development Team. All they want to do is
help your organization. Connect your processes and data so that your constituent can achieve their goal with
the least frustration or distraction.
How Organizations
See Their
Department
Communications
How Constituents See
Organization Communications
Outreach
Community
Fundraising
Program
Mission
A Good
Cause
Donor
Me

4. 4© 2015 HELLER CONSULTING | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: TAKING ENGAGEMENT SERIOUSLY
Consider marketing automation.
Marketing automation allows organizations to deliver precisely targeted campaigns to constituents easily.
Like a well planned welcome series, it enables organizations to deliver the right content at the right time to an
individual supporter. There are many tools available, so it is important to define your strategy first and let those
requirements determine the right tools for the job. When connected to actionable data contained in a robust
CRM system, marketing automation tools with a solid engagement strategy and unforgettable content could
dramatically change the relationship you have with your supporters.
Measure, test and rely on your data.
At all stages of the process, it is important that you have articulated what success looks like to your organiza-
tion. Make sure you understand and have specified what metrics you need to measure the new tactics you are
employing. Remember, not all of your goals will be centered on asking your supporters to donate. There may
be long-term measures beyond immediate conversion that will be important to look at and measure quarter
over quarter or year over year. Your CRM should be set up to provide reports at specific intervals, as well as be
able to provide intermediate snapshots at any point with minimal issue. When you can easily monitor your
data, you can quickly get actionable insights to make better decisions for your departments.
The end result
When a coordinated engagement strategy is effectively executed with the proper set of CRM tools, instead of
building a list of contacts you build individual relationships with your constituents. Your donors choose to give
to you because your organization means much more to them, and they will want to stay with your for a lifetime
of shared experiences and rewards.
We understand how communication, fundraising and mission management software is used
on a daily basis. Let us help your organization make the most of your technology investment.
Find out more about our team and what we can do for you at:
WWW.TEAMHELLER.COM 510-841-4222 x153