Integrating Raiser’s Edge and Salesforce – 4 Things To Keep In Mind
Raisers Edge and Salesforce are both powerful software suites for nonprofits. Many organizations started out using Raiser’s Edge and have come to rely on Salesforce for other donor outreach or volunteer management functions. Integrating these systems can empower an organization to keep more complete and current fundraising records. Here are four things to keep in mind as you consider ways to bridge these complex and powerful systems with utilities from blackbaud integration partners such as a Salesforce Raisers Edge integration.
Make Sure the Data You Are Importing From Blackbaud Is Accurate
Before starting to import donor and supporter records from Blackbaud software to Salesforce for Nonprofits, it is worthwhile to track and check this data for accuracy, completeness and consistency. Transferring inaccurate information from Raiser’s Edge NXE or any other Blackbaud software to Salesforce will reduce the effectiveness of this CRM platform.
Errors in a single import can lead to problems down the line that may be more difficult to pinpoint and correct and may affect the success of fundraising efforts. Detail-specific initiatives such as supporter phone calls, digital campaigns and volunteer organization are the most common reasons nonprofits combine the power of Salesforce with Raiser’s Edge. This CRM platform requires accurate contact information such as donor or supporter names, phone numbers and email addresses in order to enhance fundraising efforts.
Accurate information makes it possible to accurately score, segment, locate and utilize records for analytical or practical fundraising purposes. It may be necessary to use bidirectional or direct systems integration in order to maintain the most current and highest quality data for an organization to use in ongoing operations. Major nonprofit software platforms and integrations should be carefully set up to maximize the accuracy and availability of important information.
How to Properly Use Bulk Imports
While it may be helpful to review certain information manually, bulk importation is the easiest way to move information and check records for accuracy and completeness. Some third-party data integration utilities are designed especially to support bulk data imports between Raiser’s Edge and Salesforce. These import utilities should be used to track and check data completeness rather than just move inaccurate records from one service to another.
One of the major benefits of bulk importing data is that this task can be scheduled and should require minimal user input when properly set up. It may be necessary to regularly import and export data across platforms to maintain the most current donor database, including accurate information such as dates and amounts of recent donations online or through any other medium.
Any time that nonprofit staff or volunteers are tasked with manual data entry, this requires a considerable investment of effort and time and the risk of human error escalates. Improving the accuracy of data and importing in bulk are tasks that can be automated to maximize operational efficiency and informational accuracy. Once the systems an organization uses are successfully integrated, it may still be necessary to determine which data is most important to share across systems to achieve the fundraising goals and mission outcomes of any organization.
