Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools have become indispensable for both sales teams and nonprofits. In fact, a survey conducted by Freshworks in 2024 revealed that nearly 73% of businesses use CRM software. The stats themselves make it clear that organizations are realizing the value these tools bring to the table. These tools centralize data, streamline operations, and enhance engagement, enabling teams to reach their goals efficiently. For nonprofits, CRMs ensure better donor relationships, while for sales teams, they drive conversions. The right tools boost CRM adoption and enhance utilization by providing actionable insights. Moreover, leveraging KPIs and data-driven strategies can revolutionize how CRMs are used, ensuring growth and success.
What is a CRM tool?
CRM tools are software solutions for managing customer, donor, or stakeholder relationships. According to Statista, the CRM market will expand steadily with an annual growth rate of 10.17% from 2025 to 2029, resulting in a market volume of US$145.60bn by 2029. The departments across the organizations are using these tools to nurture relationships and boost sales. For instance, sales teams use CRM tools to help track leads, automate follow-ups, and close deals faster. Nonprofits use CRMs to manage donors, plan campaigns, and measure impact.
How nonprofit CRMs can help boost sales
Nonprofits can leverage CRM tools to adopt sales-driven strategies that enhance their revenue generation and donor engagement efforts. By aligning donor engagement strategies with sales principles, nonprofits can achieve significant growth and sustainability.
Here are a few ways in which nonprofit CRMs can help boost sales:
1) Enhanced donor engagement
If you want to boost your fundraising efforts, personalization is the key, as 72% of customers report that they only engage with personalized messages. CRMs allow nonprofits to segment donors based on past behavior and tailor their messaging to increase recurring donations.
2) Streamlined fundraising
Automating routine tasks, such as follow-ups and recurring donations, allows teams to focus on strategic initiatives.
3) Improved campaign effectiveness
Advanced reporting tools help nonprofits analyze the success of campaigns, enabling data-driven adjustments to maximize outcomes.
4) Integration with sales tools
Seamless integration with payment gateways and marketing platforms ensures efficient donation processing and outreach.
5) Building long-term relationships
CRMs provide insights into donor history and preferences, helping nonprofits nurture relationships and increase donor lifetime value. Reports indicate that nonprofits using CRMs to track donor history see a significant increase in donor lifetime value. NextAfter's 2024 Fundraising Benchmark Report outlines that the average retention rate for digital-first nonprofits was 53% across all channels in the previous year.
Sales & Nonprofit CRM tools for growth
Both sales teams and nonprofits can benefit from using CRM systems tailored to their needs.
1. Sales CRM Tools for Growth
- Salesforce
Salesforce stands out for its customizable features tailored to businesses aiming to scale. With capabilities like AI-driven analytics and workflow automation, it’s ideal for managing complex sales processes. Real-time dashboards allow teams to track KPIs effectively.
- HubSpot CRM
HubSpot CRM offers simplicity combined with robust features. It provides free tools for contact management, email tracking, and automated marketing, making it ideal for growing businesses. HubSpot’s reporting tools enable precise sales activity tracking.
- Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM designed to simplify pipeline management. Its visual sales pipeline and customizable dashboards make tracking leads and deals intuitive, ensuring no opportunity is missed.
- Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM integrates automation, analytics, and AI-driven insights. It is known for its affordability and scalability, making it an excellent choice for growing sales teams.
By leveraging these tools, sales teams can adjust strategies in real time, ensuring they meet or exceed their KPIs.
Explore more about KPIs for sales managers.
2. Nonprofit CRM tools for engagement and growth
- Donorbox
Donorbox is a powerful nonprofit CRM for fundraising, donor engagement, and reporting. Its intuitive platform helps nonprofits build meaningful relationships with donors and run successful campaigns.
- NeonCRM
NeonCRM specializes in donor management, helping nonprofits streamline operations and grow their support base. Features like event planning and email marketing make it an all-in-one solution.
- Bloomerang
Bloomerang focuses on donor retention by offering insights into donor behavior. Its analytics tools help nonprofits identify trends and tailor their engagement strategies accordingly.
- Kindful
Kindful provides a user-friendly interface for managing donors and fundraising campaigns. Its robust integration capabilities ensure nonprofits can connect their CRM with other essential tools.
Real-time data and KPIs are crucial for nonprofits to measure their impact and growth, ensuring transparency and accountability. Let’s look at how KPIs can help nonprofits boost sales.
Start your free trial today
Get started in minutes. No credit card required.
Leveraging KPIs to drive success
KPIs are essential for tracking progress and identifying areas for improvement. For sales teams, they help monitor metrics like conversion rates and revenue growth. Nonprofits use KPIs to measure donor engagement and campaign effectiveness.
Nonprofits with a strong focus on KPIs report 2x greater donor retention rates, demonstrating how data-driven decision-making can revolutionize operations. Key metrics such as donor retention rates, average donation size, and campaign ROI are crucial for understanding and improving performance.
1) Donor retention rates
The average donor retention rate in the nonprofit sector is between 40-45%, yet organizations that prioritize this KPI see significant improvements. CRMs can help identify factors contributing to donor attrition and implement effective re-engagement strategies, fostering long-term loyalty.
2) Average donation size
Tracking this metric offers insights into donor generosity and helps assess the economic conditions affecting giving trends. Analyzing this data enables nonprofits to tailor their appeals for maximum impact.
3) Campaign ROI
It is noticed that nonprofits using advanced analytics experience a higher ROI on campaigns. This metric ensures fundraising efforts remain cost-effective, helping organizations allocate resources wisely and maximize their impact.
By focusing on these KPIs, nonprofits can identify trends, make informed decisions, and strengthen donor relationships.
It is where Plecto’s real-time KPI dashboards can help clarify and motivate teams. Plecto helps sales and nonprofit teams focus on goals by encouraging a competitive spirit through fun contests. These contests drive collaboration, making targets more achievable.
Integrating tools for streamlined operations
Integration is key to maximizing the potential of CRM tools. By connecting CRMs with various platforms, organizations can achieve seamless and efficient operations tailored to their needs.
1) Seamless communication with Slack & Zoom
Integrating your CRM with communication tools like Slack and Zoom can transform how teams collaborate.
· Slack integration: Get real-time updates on lead statuses directly within the CRM, ensuring teams stay aligned and informed.
· Zoom integration: Schedule meetings and manage follow-ups without leaving the CRM, simplifying the entire process.
2) Simplifying donations with PayPal & Stripe
For nonprofits, integrating payment processors like PayPal and Stripe is a game changer.
· Automatic recurring donations: Streamline the donation process with automatic recurring payments.
· Real-time payment confirmations: Keep track of donations instantly.
· Centralized financial reporting: Manage all financial data in one place, making reporting and analysis easier than ever.
3) Boosting outreach through social media integrations
Connecting social media platforms to your CRM provides valuable insights.
· Track campaign performance: Monitor the success of your campaigns and tweak strategies accordingly.
· Enhance donor outreach: Engage more effectively with donors and reach new audiences through social media.
These streamlined operations save time and improve accuracy and efficiency, empowering teams to dedicate more effort to growth, innovation, and meaningful engagement.
Preparing for the future of CRM
As CRM systems continue to evolve, the future of customer and donor relationship management is shaped by AI, automation, and predictive analytics. These emerging trends are helping teams across industries better understand their audience, anticipate needs, and optimize engagement efforts.
1. AI and predictive analytics
AI revolutionizes CRM systems by enabling organizations to predict customer or donor behavior and trends. For nonprofits, this means being able to segment donors more effectively and target high-value donors with personalized campaigns. Similarly, sales teams can use AI-driven insights to anticipate buyer behavior, optimize lead scoring, and fine-tune sales strategies in real-time.
· Donor segmentation and targeting: AI tools can analyze donor behavior and demographics, allowing nonprofits to tailor their outreach to specific segments, such as high-value donors or re-engagement targets.
· Event participation prediction: Nonprofits can leverage AI to predict which donors are likely to attend events or campaigns, helping direct resources to the most engaged supporters.
· Sales trend analysis: Sales teams can forecast trends and adjust their strategies based on predictive data from CRM systems.
To learn more about how to make AI work for your nonprofit and leverage its full potential, check out this guide!
2. Automation for efficiency
Automation is a game-changer for sales teams and nonprofits, reducing manual effort and ensuring that routine processes are executed consistently. Nonprofits can automate tasks like recurring donations and follow-up communications, enhancing donor satisfaction and retention. For sales teams, automated workflows ensure no lead or opportunity slips through the cracks, boosting overall productivity.
Nonprofits can stay updated by attending events like the nonprofit conferences in 2025 to learn about upcoming trends and strategies.
Your Fundraising Success Is Only as Good as Your Tools
The right tools can transform sales and nonprofit teams’ operations, driving growth and impact. Organizations can streamline their processes and achieve their goals by adopting robust CRM systems and leveraging KPIs. Plecto’s real-time dashboards and motivational features make it an essential tool for teams looking to celebrate success and stay motivated.
Explore the potential of CRMs today and take the first step toward a more productive and impactful future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What are CRM metrics?
CRM metrics are measurable data points that assess the effectiveness of customer relationship management, including customer retention, sales growth, response time, and lead conversion rates.
- Why do nonprofit teams need a KPI dashboard?
Nonprofit teams need a KPI dashboard to track critical performance metrics, improve decision-making, monitor goals like donor engagement, and ensure resource allocation aligns with organizational objectives.
- What is a KPI and CRM?
A KPI is a measurable performance indicator for achieving business objectives, while CRM refers to tools and strategies for managing customer relationships and enhancing engagement.
- What are KPI and KRA in sales?
KPIs are quantifiable sales goals, like revenue targets or conversion rates, while KRAs (Key Result Areas) define specific focus areas, like customer acquisition or account retention.
About the author:
Raviraj Hegde is a seasoned growth professional with over 10 years of experience in the B2B SaaS industry. With a strong background in management, SEO, marketing, analytics, and product management, he has a proven track record of scaling startups and driving revenue growth. As Head of Growth at Donorbox, Raviraj has led a team of growth marketers, SEO experts, content marketers, engineers, and product managers, overseeing all aspects of customer acquisition, retention, and monetization. In doing so, Donorbox has seen successful product launches, expanding into new markets, and experiencing significant revenue growth.
