Another CRM tool for Nonprofits

Here is a quick article contributed by Nicolas Ganivet of cividesk, http://www.cividesk.com.

Managing your non-profit organization with CiviCRM

CiviCRM is a web-based, open source, CRM software geared toward meeting the needs of non-profit and other civic-sector organizations. It is used throughout the world by thousands of non-profits, some very large such as Amnesty International, Doctors without Borders or the New-York State Senate, but mostly smaller organizations with minimal staff and financial means. As open source software, CiviCRM is free to download and use without any software licensing costs.

CiviCRM covers the full spectrum of non-profit administration including contact, staff and volunteer management, fundraising, event management, membership management, email marketing, reporting, case management, surveys and petitions, etc. As a web-based software, it provides online forms for donations, event registration and membership sign-up including online payments. CiviCRM can be fully integrated within your existing Drupal, WordPress or Joomla website for a seamless user experience.

Whatever the size and purpose of your organization, you ought to consider CiviCRM in order to gain efficiencies in your day-to-day operations, develop deeper and more meaningful interactions with your constituents, and ultimately increase the impact of your organization.

You can gain more insight into CiviCRM and how it would fit with your organization by attending a 2 hour overview session delivered in Denver on August 21 (registration at http://www.t4tcolorado.org/calendar/event/1755). Ample time will be available during this session for answering your questions and sharing experiences.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Build a better Membership Application

I have blogged about Wild Apricot before, but just a reminder, Wild Apricot is web-based software for small associations and non-profits to help manage membership, website, events and other activities. It is "cloud" software, meaning it runs through a web browser without needing to install anything on your local computer.   It is built for small organizations, under 5000 members.   Wild Apricot has come out with a great article on how to build a better membership application.  These tips are applicable weather you use Wild Apricot or not.   

How to bulid a better membership application

Find out more about what Wild Apricot can do here, 

Wild Apricot

Zoho CRM, Simple, Powerful, and Affordable

Recently I have done several transfers and initial set ups in Zoho CRM.  There are three key reasons for this, it's simple, powerful, and affordable. 

Zoho has simple, straight forward appearance that when contrasted to other CRM systems allows it to be easily navigated, customized, and most importantly adopted.  This combined with simple set up interfaces that allow customization at various levels provides a clear advantage over other CRM systems. 

Powerful tools come standard with Zoho, including mass emailing, web to lead / contact, case management, invoicing, workflow, and pricing tools at most paid levels.  Combine this with a wide range of tools that can be integrated from other Zoho services and integration with Google Apps and you have a enterprise level system. 

Cost is not a problem with Zoho, it is affordable.   Zoho's nearest competitor based on functionality is Salesforce.   For a Salesforce instance with similar functionality with Zoho the price is about $60 per user a month.  With Zoho the cost is about $20 a month, with the ability to add great functionality like Mail and Project management for the incremental price of between $3 - $5 a month.  

If you would like to find out more about Zoho CRM, click here, Zoho CRM or feel free to contact me. 

Gmail now has email ads, Do you know how to turn them off?

If you use Gmail you may have noticed the new Tabbed interface. Along with this you might noticed a new Tab called Promotions.   The Promotions Tab has paid Ad's and promotions that instead of being sent to your Main Inbox, they are sent to a tabbed inbox (Promotions).   For more information on the changes, click the articles below, 

Google uses the new Gmail interface to serve users spammy inbox ads

or straight from Google, 

Meet the new inbox

If you want to get rid of the Promotions Tab, here is how,

1. Click the Settings icon in the top right corner of the Gmail tab.
2. Select "Configure Inbox."
3. Deselect the "Promotions" tab and click Save.

As with many free or low cost services, you end up paying something in the end.  As a reminder, this will eliminate the Ad content, but not emails sent to you. 

Regis Entrepreneurs Club, check them out!