After seeking out God’s will, praying, preparing, and delivering your message in faith, you anticipate fruitful outcomes such as conversions, names, donations, or new partners. However, the question arises: What do you do with the information received?
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
The best way to manage donor information is by using software for Customer Relationship Management (CRM). This shareable database enables you to create proprietary reports allowing your management team to track fundamental analytics for business and ministry purposes of those who come in contact with or give to your ministry.
You may have come across the saying “garbage in, garbage out,” which implies that the quality of input determines the quality of output. However, it doesn’t have to be the case, my fellow believers! For decades, many ministry friends who have endorsed Withum Media Group (previously known as Withum and Co.) have recognized the importance of a well-structured database at the core of their ministry’s well-being—especially during the early stages of their growth. In addition, the database has proven to be a valuable resource that has enabled numerous ministries to enhance their overall impact.
It’s necessary to understand that every encounter that individuals have with your church or ministry shapes their perception of you. Your offerings, services, slogans, advertisements, content, broadcasts, and presence on social and digital platforms all contribute to people’s impressions of you. Your responsibility is to nurture, safeguard, and uphold a powerful brand to yield a devoted following and help sustain growth for your God-given assignments.
We Can Help!
In the early days of the Church, as described in Acts chapter 6, the 12 apostles gathered the disciples in Jerusalem and instructed them to “choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.” From the outset, God emphasized the principle of stewardship and the integrity of the funds for advancing the gospel.
I hope you already have a remarkable database, with appropriate coding as the data is entered, allowing you to access the necessary information to make critical decisions to generate and maximize the funds entrusted to you.
If not, we can assist you in establishing a personalized database designed for your ministry’s unique requirements. What do I mean by this?
Everyone who comes in contact with your ministry holds a distinct significance, depending on the nature of their engagement.
- A new name, for instance, is treated differently from a new donor.
- A single-gift donor potentially has a different lifespan with your ministry compared to a recurring donor or “multiple donor.”
- A “partner” holds a different standing than a “regular donor.”
Similarly, an “event attendee” should be distinguished from an “event donor,” and a “product buyer” should be categorized differently from a “donor.” It’s essential to differentiate between a “regular donor” and a “missions donor.” Moreover, whether a donor contributes online, via call center, direct mail, or through text-to-give, each method of giving should be appropriately coded. When you categorize each contact correctly, your team can generate management reports for wise ministry decisions.
These terms are important to remember recency, frequency, and average gift because they are focal points of your CRM, enabling you to obtain crucial insights into your ministry’s performance. While ideas are crucial, executing them effectively is even more critical. It’s easy to fall prey to the “Dunning-Kruger effect,” meaning you don’t know what you don’t know.
Our team at the Withum Media Group has aided numerous large ministries and churches, and we are poised with the experience and expertise to help you succeed!
