Transforming Nonprofits

AI agents are making waves in the tech world, with companies like Microsoft and Salesforce leading the charge. But what exactly are AI agents, and how can your organization leverage them effectively? Join Ryan Ozimek and Rubin Singh in this insightful episode as they explain the fundamentals of AI agents and their potential applications in nonprofit, foundation, and association spaces. From enhancing customer service experiences to streamlining operations, you'll learn how these tools are poised to transform the way organizations function. You'll also gain practical advice on what to consider when exploring AI agents for your organization and how to approach their implementation with confidence. Whether you're a seasoned Chief Information Officer or exploring tech solutions for the first time, this episode provides a clear, jargon-free overview to help you stay ahead of the curve.

This episode brings an expert in change management, Heather Ritchie, to talk about skills. But, skills are more than a set of things you've learned. Skills are what your team, and your organization, need to work together and thrive.  Heather is an expert with a long career of curiosity about teams: how do we work together as humans? What are the ways to manage human change for nonprofit teams to make IT projects more successful? And how can a team of people who care about their nonprofit and its mission strategize the skills they need to acquire or improve to increase their organization's ability to achieve mission?  Can you execute a change management strategy without learning your teams' skills, interests, and where they can grow into the new tech space you are creating? And do you have the trust on your team to do a skills matrix exercise in good faith? Heather discusses ways to create safety for your staff to be candid, honest, and vulnerable and build the team they want. Do you need a skilled facilitator? Do you structure the skills mapping exercise one-on-one or as a group project? In this conversation, Kyle learns Heather's approach to change management and skill mapping.  Heather is a consultant with Build Consulting and has over two decades of experience in the field. She has led change management efforts in nonprofit, academic and corporate sectors, serving in a variety of roles from senior leadership to educator, coach and consultant. Heather brings a passion for connecting social purpose with the strategy, tools and technology to make the world a better place – on budget, on time, and for measurable impact. Our podcast is designed for audiences with varied experiences with technology. In this conversation with Heather Ritchie learn the role of skills in change management and strategies to motivate your teams to develop the skills they - and your nonprofit - need.

This time on Transforming Nonprofits, Kyle catches up with Taj Carson, CEO of Inciter, to geek out on data. What does data mean for information strategy, technology, and the nonprofits of tomorrow? The topic of data is only becoming more and more important, but for so many nonprofits it can be an elusive topic. How are nonprofits making meaningful strides in data? Data has always been important – from monitoring and evaluation to getting an annual report right. With the increasing availability of AI, data is more important than ever. In this conversation, we learn Taj's approach to data for nonprofits, her thoughts on the impact of technology and how she thinks good data helps nonprofits choose technology in the future. Taj Carson is the CEO and Founder of Inciter. Inciter maps data, integrates data systems, and automates data processes. The outcome? Beautifully designed, accurate reports. Effortlessly. Inciter is essentially a Managed Services Provider (MSP) for your data, supporting nonprofits across the many systems they use, regardless of what those systems are. Our Fireside Chats are designed for audiences with varied experiences with technology. In this Fireside Chat with Taj Carson on nonprofit data and strategy, learn data basics, how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the value of your data to your own nonprofit and to your community and the sector, and how to harness your data to make strategic decisions.

This episode features Watt Hamlett and Ryan Ozimek. With Kyle Haines, they all were invited to attend the inaugural Microsoft Global Leaders Summit. Kyle has known Watt and Ryan for a long time, so they seemed like a logical pair to bring their perspective around what was learned at the conference from Microsoft and its vision for Artificial Intelligence. They also got to hear from the nonprofit sector and learn how nonprofits are engaging and using AI in their work. Probably most exciting, Trevor Noah was the guest speaker, and they learned that he is not only an amazing comedian and satirist, but an amazing philanthropist and knows his way around technology. With that, let's get into the conversation. Our Fireside Chats are designed for audiences with varied experiences with technology. In this Fireside Chat, learn more about leading nonprofits by understanding new technologies as they emerge, and how those new tools can fit your use case.

This episode is all about AI and how it is impacting our working and personal lives now, particularly if you work at a nonprofit and you are trying to figure out where to invest in AI tools, and where to wait for the technology to develop further. Kyle Haines and guest Johan Hammerstom discuss fear of missing out, where to be cautious, and where to test-drive AI before taking the plunge. They discuss Microsoft's Copilot at length as an AI application that everyone using Microsoft products will eventually see integrate across the Microsoft Office. Johan is CEO of Community IT Innovators, an MSP providing outsourced IT support exclusively to nonprofits. Community IT and Build Consulting have a long history of partnership and have worked with many of the same clients over the years. Kyle and Johan also go way back. Sometimes those conversations between colleagues and friends of longstanding are the best kind to listen in on, and this discussion explores questions and cautions that these experts have about this “wild west” phase of AI we are living through now as the technology sorts itself into products and services. They also touch on the ways different generations interact with knowledge, and the way our algorithms can make echo chambers out of the media we consume. Our Fireside Chats are designed for audiences with varied experiences with technology. In this Fireside Chat with Johan Hammerstrom on AI, learn more about leading nonprofits by understanding new technologies as they emerge, and how those new tools can fit your use case.

In this episode, Kyle Haines from Build Consulting catches up with Katie McFadden from Common Voyage and Ryan Ozimek from Picnet/Soapbox Engage after the Dreamforce conference from Salesforce, to learn their impressions and what they will be looking for in the next few years from Salesforce for nonprofits. This conversation centers on integrating Salesforce into the way nonprofits work, and integrating Salesforce into the activities that are driving their nonprofit impact. Our Fireside Chats are designed for audiences with varied experiences with technology. In this Fireside Chat with Katie McFadden and Ryan Ozimek on Dreamforce, learn more about what nonprofits can expect from Salesforce, and how Salesforce integrated with your organization can be transformative.

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Some of the best conversations are inspired by sitting around the fire and thinking of possibilities and visions – large and small. Guest Karen Graham has a long academic and practitioner career working with technology and nonprofits and asking the question “What is learning?” Listen to her conversation with Kyle to understand more about learning nonprofits.  How you can work to define learning for your organization? How do you ensure your technology projects embrace learning as you implement and evaluate your nonprofit tech? How can your organization utilize learning as a differentiator, and what does that do to create tech successes? In this fireside chat Karen and Kyle discuss software selection and learning platforms, but their conversation is not limited to education platforms alone. Is your organization fully involving your stakeholders in design and decision making? What do your clients, grantees, and staff have to teach you? Where are you missing the expertise in your own network, and how can you build cultures and technology tools that help everyone contribute to what your nonprofit is learning? Our Fireside Chats are designed for audiences with varied experiences with technology. In this Fireside Chat with Karen Graham learn more about learning itself – how we learn, where learning occurs, and why being a learning organization is essential to nonprofits as they embrace technology.

Conversation and advice from Build Consulting's David Deal and Community IT Innovators' CEO Johan Hammerstrom. Learn how to grow leadership potential and manage IT without being pigeonholed into leadership OR tech - our nonprofit community needs leaders who can do both. Between them, Johan and David have decades of experience both in being executive leaders and in interacting with IT leaders at nonprofit clients, from large to small, with a variety of IT needs. In this webinar on leadership in IT at nonprofits, David and Johan took questions and shared practical advice and tips for developing leadership skills around IT management, whether or not you are “the IT person.” Part 1 includes a discussion and advice on how to grow your career as a leader if you start out in IT, including resources from the experts, which we share in the transcript. Part 2 covers how to align your IT strategy and your organizational strategy as a nonprofit leader. Johan and David also touch on how to nurture three essential leadership traits in the second part of this podcast. As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience. Build and Community IT are passionately vendor-agnostic. This conversation delves into the career paths and resources to become a leader in IT and create tech opportunities for your nonprofit.

Conversation and advice from Build Consulting's David Deal and Community IT Innovators' CEO Johan Hammerstrom. Learn how to grow leadership potential and manage IT without being pigeonholed into leadership OR tech - our nonprofit community needs leaders who can do both. Between them, Johan and David have decades of experience both in being executive leaders and in interacting with IT leaders at nonprofit clients, from large to small, with a variety of IT needs. In this webinar on leadership in IT at nonprofits, David and Johan took questions and shared practical advice and tips for developing leadership skills around IT management, whether or not you are “the IT person.” Part 1 includes a discussion and advice on how to grow your career as a leader if you start out in IT, including resources from the experts, which we share in the transcript. Part 2 covers how to align your IT strategy and your organizational strategy as a nonprofit leader. Johan and David also touch on how to nurture three essential leadership traits in the second part of this podcast. As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience. Build and Community IT are passionately vendor-agnostic. This conversation delves into the career paths and resources to become a leader in IT and create tech opportunities for your nonprofit.

Some of the best conversations are inspired by sitting around the fire and thinking of possibilities and visions – large and small. Guest Justin Melnik has a rich experience working with major brands like QVC. He also is a professor at Temple University where he teaches branding and marketing strategy. For any nonprofit that's thinking about doing a brand refresh, has recently completed one, or is thinking about how to invest in branding, read on for a deep discussion on what branding has to do for nonprofits.

A powerful, practical framework for change Investing in new technology systems only to find that your colleagues have not adopted them? Making changes to your systems or processes only to find that people revert to their old ways? Hearing about “change management” but feel unclear on what it is or how to perform it? Nonprofit Technology Change Management Most technology projects have non-technological goals: raise more money, reach more supporters, serve more program participants, or become more efficient. To reach those goals, not only must the technology improve, but the habits and behaviors of system users must change – sometimes significantly. In this video, we share a framework on how to manage the challenges of aligning organizational change with technology projects. Learn how to examine the impacts of a technology change and identify the steps required for an organization to manage the change. Peter Gross and Johan Hammerstrom also answer questions from the audience on specific change management issues such as communication, the role of leadership, and how to address siloed departments with organization-wide technology change. Download the free framework here: https://buildconsulting.com/learning/resource-change-management-template-free/

What are the Six Steps to Becoming a Data Management Ninja? This episode discusses the skills, many of which are non-technical, that any nonprofit staff member can use to improve their role in data management and help their organization tell their stories better. The Six Steps to Becoming a Data Management Ninja Learn the nonprofit landscape Understand the relationships Learn your technology Become a data quality nerd Become a great communicator Become a super sleuth In ways both large and small, every person working at a non-profit shares some data management responsibility whether you're in development, programs, finance, HR, IT, the executive office or any other department, you've got to manage data effectively. Managing data could be entering data and keeping it up to date or running imports, exports or reports but it could also mean just conducting the kind of operations that create the environment for good data management. From building an organization's culture to hiring the right people, designing and managing a program or a campaign or simply properly executing a process that leads to a good outcome. So, like it or not, we are all data managers and we all have skills that we need to develop to go along with that. The better the data we have, the better we can tell the story of our nonprofit's mission and work - to donors, board members, the public at large, volunteers, clients, and employees.

A powerful, practical framework for change Investing in new technology systems only to find that your colleagues have not adopted them? Making changes to your systems or processes only to find that people revert to their old ways? Hearing about “change management” but feel unclear on what it is or how to perform it? Nonprofit Technology Change Management Most technology projects have non-technological goals: raise more money, reach more supporters, serve more program participants, or become more efficient. To reach those goals, not only must the technology improve, but the habits and behaviors of system users must change – sometimes significantly. In this podcast presentation, former founding Partner Peter Gross defines nonprofit change maangement and walks through a brief case study. He then answered audience questions from nonprofit practitioners. This presentation was originally hosted by Data Analysts for Good. Download the Build Consulting Change Management template.

Organizations often have years of donor data that doesn't inform action. Information about donors and prospects contained in CRM for nonprofits—when properly managed and analyzed—can have a dramatic impact! Luckily, there are techniques to transform data into information—improving donor data to drive outcomes. In this episode, we share a story of how one nonprofit organization improved their donor data. This story is organized into three parts: Clearing for Action Decreasing the “noise” in the database Getting to know the constituents Learning about best practices and engagement/giving trends Developing a plan and building consensus Taking Action Reducing friction in the subscription and donation processes Improving handling of potentially fraudulent transactions Pushing the right Call to Action Improving donor data analysis and segmentation Increasing integration and process automation Applying greater discipline in constituent data management Assessing the Outcomes Increased revenue Increased “sustainer” monthly giving; smoothed out cash flow Increased donor and organizational happiness This story includes key lessons that can be leveraged by any nonprofit to increase organizational knowledge of its constituents while turning that information into outcomes. You'll learn a variety of helpful strategies and tactics to create better donor data. You can apply these lessons to improve your own donor data and create your own success story!

Being an expert in user experience doesn't mean that you're an expert designer or programmer. User experience is about how constituents experience your nonprofit organization. Learn five user experience “hacks” that come before technology—and how to create a “user-centric” experience of your organization. In pt 2 of this webinar hosted by Community IT Innovators' Johan Hammerstrom, Kyle Haines, Co-Founding Partner of Build Consulting, answers registrant and attendee questions to dig a little deeper into the concepts and how they can transform your thinking about your tech projects. The Five Hacks Agree that user experience is important Focus on staff experience Evaluate your physical environment Map your constituent journeys Collect and act on feedback

Being an expert in user experience doesn't mean that you're an expert designer or programmer. User experience is about how constituents experience your nonprofit organization. Learn five user experience “hacks” that come before technology—and how to create a “user-centric” experience of your organization. In pt 1 of this webinar hosted by Community IT Innovators' Johan Hammerstrom, Kyle Haines, Co-Founding Partner of Build Consulting, walks us through a novel process for thinking about delivering nonprofit technology projects. In pt 2 Johan and Kyle answer registrant and attendee questions to dig a little deeper into the concepts and how they can transform your thinking about your tech projects. The Five Hacks Agree that user experience is important Focus on staff experience Evaluate your physical environment Map your constituent journeys Collect and act on feedback

In part 2, moderated by former Partner Peter Mirus, three of Build's experts lead a discussion about the challenges facing modern development/fundraising operations. We answer questions from the audience about development operations and technology challenges, and share insights and experience from our combined decades of experience in nonprofit strategy and constituent relationship management (CRM). The Questions I'm starting an individual giving program from the ground up. What should be my major focus points?  What are the potential pitfalls in selecting a new CRM system for my organization?  Our CRM seemed perfect during the sales pitch in but reality, there are a lot of workarounds that are taking up a lot of my time.  What's the role of leadership and supporting good constituent relationship management practices?

In this episode, moderated by former Partner Peter Mirus, three of Build's experts lead a discussion about the challenges facing modern development/fundraising operations. We answer questions from the audience about development operations and technology challenges, and share insights and experience from our combined decades of experience in nonprofit strategy and constituent relationship management (CRM). The Questions We shared our thoughts in answer to the following questions: What have been the major fundraising development, technology trends and evolutions over the past three to four years?  It seems that Salesforce has dominated the market. Do you think, Microsoft or any other company has a chance to be competitive?  What should non-profit fundraising and development look for in the future evolution of CRM technology? What are the kinds of improvements or enhancements that we should expect to see maybe over the next year or two or even longer than that?  Do you think there are more advancements that can be made with data visualization or have those peaks been reached? 

In Pt 2, Kyle and Steve dig further into listener questions and talk about those 1000+ unedited photos from the 2011 Gala you want to migrate and store in your new online SharePoint, and how to manage a migration in general. Do you have questions about file sharing and collaboration at your nonprofit? Do you use Microsoft 365? If you use Teams to share files with colleagues, you use SharePoint. Have you been confused about SharePoint in the past? Sometimes SharePoint training can be overwhelming. SharePoint can also be over-built and overly complicated for the basic user. In this webinar, we answer your most common questions and walk you through the ways SharePoint makes sharing files easier. Kyle Haines, Partner at Build Consulting, and Steve Longenecker, Director of IT Consulting at Community IT, have an expert discussion on SharePoint for Nonprofits. Between them the panelists have a breadth of knowledge on nonprofit use of SharePoint. They cover the advantages and challenges of this tool; migrations, training, and change management; and how to set up file architecture to match your organization's style. SharePoint is a powerful tool for many applications; in this webinar we focus on using it for file sharing. We got so many questions on moving from a “sites” model for SharePoint (if you implemented SharePoint a few years ago) to using folders and accessing files through Teams that we plan another webinar specific to those questions for the future. SharePoint is the tool within the Microsoft Office 365 online suite that provides a platform for storing, sharing and collaborating on documents. If you have Microsoft 365, you have SharePoint. If you are not using it to collaborate with your colleagues, or if you are finding it frustrating or hard to use, this webinar gives some tips and answers to your questions! As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience. Build and Community IT are passionately vendor-agnostic.

Do you have questions about file sharing and collaboration at your nonprofit? Do you use Microsoft 365? If you use Teams to share files with colleagues, you use SharePoint. Have you been confused about SharePoint in the past? Sometimes SharePoint training can be overwhelming. SharePoint can also be over-built and overly complicated for the basic user. In this webinar, we answer your most common questions and walk you through the ways SharePoint makes sharing files easier. Kyle Haines, Partner at Build Consulting, and Steve Longenecker, Director of IT Consulting at Community IT, have an expert discussion on SharePoint for Nonprofits. Between them the panelists have a breadth of knowledge on nonprofit use of SharePoint. They cover the advantages and challenges of this tool; migrations, training, and change management; and how to set up file architecture to match your organization's style. SharePoint is a powerful tool for many applications; in this webinar we focus on using it for file sharing. We got so many questions on moving from a “sites” model for SharePoint (if you implemented SharePoint a few years ago) to using folders and accessing files through Teams that we plan another webinar specific to those questions for the future. SharePoint is the tool within the Microsoft Office 365 online suite that provides a platform for storing, sharing and collaborating on documents. If you have Microsoft 365, you have SharePoint. If you are not using it to collaborate with your colleagues, or if you are finding it frustrating or hard to use, this webinar gives some tips and answers to your questions! As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience. Build and Community IT are passionately vendor-agnostic.

Nonprofit organizations often enter and manage key financial data in places other than their accounting system—and require that the data flow into the general ledger. But getting the data from those systems—for managing fundraising, membership, grants, or services—into the accounting system is rarely as straightforward as we would like it to be. In this episode part 2, three of Build's experts lead a discussion on how nonprofit development and accounting teams can better work together in managing financial data. The Questions We shared our thoughts in answer to the following questions: What are some of the key problems with how nonprofits manage gift records that make life hard for Accounting?  1.a Our donation/membership/grants are first recorded in the Financial Edge in our accounting office, then given to development to record in Raiser's Edge.  Is this process being done backwards?  What should we be thinking about when planning a CRM to ERP integration to help make sure the data flows properly?  We're thinking about changing our CRM and/or ERP system to help solve our financial data flow problems. How should we approach this process? And what systems should we consider?  3.a Have you ever had two nonprofits who needed essentially the same application share the development cost? 3.b What items in the new FASB financial reporting rules have the biggest impact on nonprofit GL structures and GL feeds from the CRM system?

Nonprofit organizations often enter and manage key financial data in places other than their accounting system—and require that the data flow into the general ledger. But getting the data from those systems—for managing fundraising, membership, grants, or services—into the accounting system is rarely as straightforward as we would like it to be. In this episode part 1, three of Build's experts lead a discussion on how nonprofit development and accounting teams can better work together in managing financial data. The Questions We shared our thoughts in answer to the following questions: What are the differing viewpoints or priorities of Development and Accounting when it comes to managing financial data?  How can we resolve misunderstanding between Development and Accounting about how to categorize gift records?  Our chart of accounts is currently very complex and confusing, which makes it very difficult to map gift records to the GL for integration. Is there a solution? 

In Part 2 of this presentation, Build's newest Partner Debbie Cameron presents Change Management: Practical Solutions, Not Just Buzzwords virtually at the 202 Good Tech Fest conference. This accessible explanation of her consulting passion is a timeless exploration of practical steps your organization can implement right now. “Change management” is a discipline with rigorous methodologies but applying it to your organization or technology project is an art. Debbie helps demystify the discipline and walks through practical and innovative tools to help you apply change management principles to your unique situation. Part 2 covers the steps and tools of change management planning in more depth.

Build's newest Partner Debbie Cameron presents Change Management: Practical Solutions, Not Just Buzzwords virtually at the 202 Good Tech Fest conference. This accessible explanation of her consulting passion is a timeless exploration of practical steps your organization can implement right now. “Change management” is a discipline with rigorous methodologies but applying it to your organization or technology project is an art. Debbie helps demystify the discipline and walks through practical and innovative tools to help you apply change management principles to your unique situation.

In part 2 of this webinar, our experts will lead a discussion of why, to be successful with new software at your organization, technology must come last. In this “Ask the Experts” webinar, we answer your questions on ways to create a sound process for software selection, before considering the specific technologies available to meet your organizational needs. The Questions How do we define the requirements for the software we need?  When is an RFP (Request for Proposal) or RFI (Request for Information) appropriate in a software selection? System demos: (1) When should we let the vendors demo? (2) How do we ensure vendors show us what we need to see—not what they want to show us? How can we make sure a vendor is giving us a realistic project estimate? Any change involves a cost to the institution. How do you weigh the benefits vs cost? (E.g., retraining all users.)  The experts: David Deal, Kyle Haines, and Peter Mirus, co-founders of Build Consulting.

Guest Debbie Cameron, Build Consultant's newest Partner, and Build Consulting's Kyle Haines had an informal discussion on what the upcoming few years will probably bring to the nonprofit IT ecosystem, changes to expect and the value of change management in nonprofit IT projects. Their conversation also touches on the importance of planning for 3-5 years out instead of trying to plan for 10 years out when making a software selection, how best-of-breed models allow greater flexibility to pivot but require greater emphasis on keeping clean export-able data, and observes that being the planner and cheerleader for nonprofit tech projects complements being the planner and cheerleader of an active family. Debbie led the development of Build Consulting's change management practice before joining the leadership team. Prior to joining Build Consulting, Debbie led the multi-year constituent relationship management transformation at the World Wildlife Fund that brought together diverse stakeholders ranging from data scientists to relationship managers. Debbie began her career at Anderson Consulting in the Enterprise Technology practice and then worked for Bearingpoint as an Engagement Manager in the State, Local and Education practice. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech. Our Fireside Chats are designed for audiences with varied experiences with technology. In this Fireside Chat learn more about the value of change management in nonprofit IT tech projects and the leadership role Debbie Cameron will take on as she joins the team of Partners at Build Consulting.

In this webinar, our experts will lead a discussion of why, to be successful with new software at your organization, technology must come last. In this “Ask the Experts” webinar, we answer your questions on ways to create a sound process for software selection, before considering the specific technologies available to meet your organizational needs. The Questions We are about to select a new CRM. What are the top two or three things we can do to make the selection successful?  My executive director wants to go with [Shiny Solution X], but I'm not sure it is right for us. How can I pump the brakes on that?  The last time we implemented a CRM it failed miserably. How can we prevent that in the future? Who needs to be involved in the selection process?  We want to select new software for [Challenge X] but I feel like our managers don't know what business processes they want to follow. How important is that to doing a selection?  The experts: David Deal, Kyle Haines, and Peter Mirus, co-founders of Build Consulting.

Part 2: Nonprofit organizations collect a lot of donor data in their CRM systems. But what is the quality of that data? And what insights are nonprofits getting from that data to help increase donations? Listen to Build Consulting's development/fundraising operations and CRM experts, who offer ideas and answer your questions about how to take your donor data management to the next level, originally recorded in 2019.  Our experts have served hundreds of nonprofit organizations, assessing their needs for donor relationship management, selecting and implementing CRM systems, and providing hands-on data management and reporting support. Registrants submitted dozens of questions and we chose nine to answer, reflecting a range of issues important to the participants. Thank you to all our participants for helping shape our discussion to include real-life scenarios. The Questions 5. We are getting ready to do a wealth screening. Is there a vendor that you guys like?  6. We just lost our database administrator, what should we be looking for in hiring a new one?  7. Before our database administrator left, she left a huge list of things that needed to be cleaned up, I have no idea where to start and had no idea that our database was so messy.  8. I'm never able to get the reports that I need from my fundraising team. Is it how our database is structured or am I asking the wrong questions?  9. Sometimes I just want to start from scratch, with a blank database. We can't do that, but where do we start? 

Nonprofit organizations collect a lot of donor data in their CRM systems. But what is the quality of that data? And what insights are nonprofits getting from that data to help increase donations? Listen to Build Consulting's development/fundraising operations and CRM experts, who offer ideas and answer your questions about how to take your donor data management to the next level, originally recorded in 2019.  Our experts have served hundreds of nonprofit organizations, assessing their needs for donor relationship management, selecting and implementing CRM systems, and providing hands-on data management and reporting support. Registrants submitted dozens of questions and we chose nine to answer, reflecting a range of issues important to the participants. Thank you to all our participants for helping shape our discussion to include real-life scenarios. The Questions How do I get my organization to understand how important our CRM database is?  What are some key trends that you see happening in the CRM space this past year and what should we be planning for? The marketing department is pushing us to change CRMs, they don't seem to understand how difficult that would be. What should we be communicating? We actually have two or three different CRMs, one for support services, one for volunteers, and The Raiser's Edge for donors. It's a mess and no one seems to care! 

In Pt 2, Build Consulting expert Peter Mirus presents an interactive webinar on CRM Database manager characteristics to look for when hiring, how to manage this position, and how to improve in this role at your organization. Finding, developing, and retaining good CRM database managers (including for systems like The Raiser's Edge and Salesforce) is a constant business challenge for the nonprofit community. This challenge can create problems for donor data management that adversely impacts the results of fundraising efforts. Learn the qualities possessed by top-quality nonprofit CRM database managers. CRM database managers will learn where they should focus themselves to improve. Executives and managers will learn to hire, develop, and retain good CRM database managers. Learn when and how to outsource the role. Improve fundraising outcomes by hiring and retaining the best CRM database managers, and supporting them at your organization. Build provides outsourced donor database assessment consulting services, as well as ongoing donor database management services for clients with platforms such as The Raiser's Edge and Salesforce. If you need more information contact us.

In Pt 1, Build Consulting expert Peter Mirus presents an interactive webinar on CRM Database manager characteristics to look for when hiring, how to manage this position, and how to improve in this role at your organization. Finding, developing, and retaining good CRM database managers (including for systems like The Raiser's Edge and Salesforce) is a constant business challenge for the nonprofit community. This challenge can create problems for donor data management that adversely impacts the results of fundraising efforts. Learn the qualities possessed by top-quality nonprofit CRM database managers. CRM database managers will learn where they should focus themselves to improve. Executives and managers will learn to hire, develop, and retain good CRM database managers. Learn when and how to outsource the role. Improve fundraising outcomes by hiring and retaining the best CRM database managers, and supporting them at your organization. Build provides outsourced donor database assessment consulting services, as well as ongoing donor database management services for clients with platforms such as The Raiser's Edge and Salesforce. If you need more information contact us.

In Part 2, Build Consulting expert Peter Mirus presents an interactive webinar offering insights from his years of experience as an executive and consultant, and answering participant questions on driving successful technology projects. What you'll learn: What does it mean for a project to be a “success?” What are the key elements your organization needs to have in place? What are the secrets of success that fail to get enough attention? How can you help your nonprofit be in the 50% of tech projects that succeed? There is a 15-minute Q&A at the end of the webinar addressing specific business cases. Build Consulting's CIO service provides part-time or interim CIOs to lead strategic technology planning and project implementation. Our CIOs have extensive experience blending nonprofit and technology strategy. They work with your leadership and other team members to make sure technology serves the needs of the organization. Build CIOs are also attentive to how new technology brings organizational change, and help guide that change process. The presenter: Peter Mirus co-founded Build Consulting in 2015, following over 15 years of nonprofit consulting experience in the areas of technology, branding, marketing, and development. Peter's work for Build clients has a broad focus spanning many operational areas, including fundraising, program monitoring and evaluation, accounting, and impact reporting/analysis.

In Part 1, Build Consulting expert Peter Mirus presents an interactive webinar offering insights from his years of experience as an executive and consultant, and answering participant questions on driving successful technology projects. What you'll learn: What does it mean for a project to be a “success?” What are the key elements your organization needs to have in place? What are the secrets of success that fail to get enough attention? How can you help your nonprofit be in the 50% of tech projects that succeed? There is a 15-minute Q&A at the end of the webinar addressing specific business cases. Build Consulting's CIO service provides part-time or interim CIOs to lead strategic technology planning and project implementation. Our CIOs have extensive experience blending nonprofit and technology strategy. They work with your leadership and other team members to make sure technology serves the needs of the organization. Build CIOs are also attentive to how new technology brings organizational change, and help guide that change process. The presenter: Peter Mirus co-founded Build Consulting in 2015, following over 15 years of nonprofit consulting experience in the areas of technology, branding, marketing, and development. Peter's work for Build clients has a broad focus spanning many operational areas, including fundraising, program monitoring and evaluation, accounting, and impact reporting/analysis.

Part 2: More than ever, the data associated with constituents and how they engage with your organization are strategic assets worthy of investments. This webinar covered how to define CRM for your organization, the current state of CRM technology options, common challenges in organizational adoption of CRM, and how to get your organization aligned and excited for the work ahead.   Listen to this discussion with Kyle Haines, co-Founder of Build Consulting, and Watt Hamlett, Watt Hamlett Consulting As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience. Build is passionately vendor-agnostic.

Part 1: More than ever, the data associated with constituents and how they engage with your organization are strategic assets worthy of investments. This webinar covered how to define CRM for your organization, the current state of CRM technology options, common challenges in organizational adoption of CRM, and how to get your organization aligned and excited for the work ahead.   Listen to this discussion with Kyle Haines, co-Founder of Build Consulting, and Watt Hamlett, Watt Hamlett Consulting As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience. Build is passionately vendor-agnostic.

Part 2: Are you leaving your information strategy up to chance? To move your nonprofit organization to the next level, you need to create and promote an information strategy that defines how information supports your mission. A good information strategy is defined in 5 important steps: Leadership must be engaged in data governance—if leadership doesn't support the proper use of the right systems, your information can't reliably support your nonprofit mission. Your organization's operations must be prepared to implement and use your information systems—if you aren't ready, then you can't successfully implement an information strategy. The processes used by your nonprofit must be clearly defined and mutually understood by all stakeholders—if you aren't speaking the same language, your information will continue to fall into the cracks. Data must be structured and managed in a high-quality and easily accessible manner—if you build it, maintain it. The right technology must be selected to support your nonprofit's needs—but no technology can overcome problems in the previous four steps. Presenter Peter Mirus co-founded Build Consulting in 2015, following over 15 years of nonprofit consulting experience in the areas of technology, branding, marketing, and development. Peter's work for Build clients has a broad focus spanning many operational areas, including fundraising, program monitoring and evaluation, accounting, and impact reporting/analysis.

Part 1: Are you leaving your information strategy up to chance? To move your nonprofit organization to the next level, you need to create and promote an information strategy that defines how information supports your mission. A good information strategy is defined in 5 important steps: Leadership must be engaged in data governance—if leadership doesn't support the proper use of the right systems, your information can't reliably support your nonprofit mission. Your organization's operations must be prepared to implement and use your information systems—if you aren't ready, then you can't successfully implement an information strategy. The processes used by your nonprofit must be clearly defined and mutually understood by all stakeholders—if you aren't speaking the same language, your information will continue to fall into the cracks. Data must be structured and managed in a high-quality and easily accessible manner—if you build it, maintain it. The right technology must be selected to support your nonprofit's needs—but no technology can overcome problems in the previous four steps. Presenter Peter Mirus co-founded Build Consulting in 2015, following over 15 years of nonprofit consulting experience in the areas of technology, branding, marketing, and development. Peter's work for Build clients has a broad focus spanning many operational areas, including fundraising, program monitoring and evaluation, accounting, and impact reporting/analysis.

Part 2 covers your questions on how to know if your organization really needs a new CRM, and what CRMs to consider. The competition in the nonprofit CRM market has become increasingly fierce over the past couple of years. The number of viable competitors has increased, and their systems present a wide range of different features for you to consider.  This situation has raised many questions from our clients, including:  What are the types of CRMs on the market fornonprofits?  What are the key differentiators between major CRM products?  What are the vendors and CRM systems my organization should know about?  Are there true competitors available that should be considered against industry stalwarts like Blackbaud and Salesforce? What about Microsoft?  How do I know if my organization could benefit from a new CRM—or when we should pump the brakes on moving to a new one?  Build Consulting nonprofit CRM experts David Deal and Kyle Haines answer these questions, as well as questions submitted by registrants, in this October 2019 webinar that is part of our popular “Ask the Experts” series. Learn more about the nonprofit CRM market and how increased competition and new platforms will impact your organization!

The competition in the nonprofit CRM market has become increasingly fierce over the past couple of years. The number of viable competitors has increased, and their systems present a wide range of different features for you to consider.  This situation has raised many questions from our clients, including:  What are the types of CRMs on the market for nonprofits?  What are the key differentiators between major CRM products?  What are the vendors and CRM systems my organization should know about?  Are there true competitors available that should be considered against industry stalwarts like Blackbaud and Salesforce? What about Microsoft?  How do I know if my organization could benefit from a new CRM—or when we should pump the brakes on moving to a new one?  Build Consulting nonprofit CRM experts David Deal and Kyle Haines answer these questions, as well as questions submitted by registrants, in this October 2019 webinar that is part of our popular “Ask the Experts” series. Learn more about the nonprofit CRM market and how increased competition and new platforms will impact your organization!

Many nonprofit staff members feel frustrated with data quality problems within their organizations. Are you challenged with data accuracy, incomplete information, lack of integration between systems? We often feel powerless to address these data quality challenges, in part because simply having the conversation is difficult. What is “data quality?” What makes good data good? How can we better understand how the condition of our data can help or hurt us? What can we do about it? In this webinar, Build Consulting expert Peter Mirus explores the crucial aspects of data quality at your nonprofit, to help answer the question “What is data quality?” These aspects are: completeness, validity and accuracy, consistency, timeliness, and integrity. Peter uses examples from the nonprofit and public sectors to show how good data quality can have big fundraising and program impacts. He explores the role of good data at your organization, provides tips on how to get everyone at your organization on the same page, and gives ideas on how to prioritize data for quality improvement. This webinar was presented in November, 2019. Don't miss this chance to learn more on how your organization can create and leverage better data to improve your fundraising and program results!

Part 1. Many nonprofit staff members feel frustrated with data quality problems within their organizations. Are you challenged with data accuracy, incomplete information, lack of integration between systems? We often feel powerless to address these data quality challenges, in part because simply having the conversation is difficult. What is “data quality?” What makes good data good? How can we better understand how the condition of our data can help or hurt us? What can we do about it? In this webinar, Build Consulting expert Peter Mirus explores the crucial aspects of data quality at your nonprofit, to help answer the question “What is data quality?” These aspects are: completeness, validity and accuracy, consistency, timeliness, and integrity. Peter uses examples from the nonprofit and public sectors to show how good data quality can have big fundraising and program impacts. He explores the role of good data at your organization, provides tips on how to get everyone at your organization on the same page, and gives ideas on how to prioritize data for quality improvement. Don't miss this chance to learn more on how your organization can create and leverage better data to improve your fundraising and program results!

Part 2. All nonprofit organizations stand to benefit from an improved technology environment. But does your organization's technology roadmap provide you with the directions you need to succeed with those new and improved technologies? You may have gaps in leadership, operations, business process, and data management capacity that have prevented your organization from effectively selecting and implementing technologies to serve your entire organization and its mission. Without addressing these gaps, your nonprofit is at a higher risk of technology system implementation failure. Learn how to address these gaps. Technology implementation can require significant change efforts, for all staff. Don't let your technology fail by not addressing systemic changes necessary for success! In this webinar, Build Consulting expert Peter Mirus explains how to build a technology roadmap that will guide your organization to a successful future.  Peter draws on years of experience consulting with nonprofits on technology projects to give you practical steps to implement quickly. This webinar was presented Tuesday, February 25th, 2020. Learn how your organization can create a technology roadmap that is right for you.

Part 1. All nonprofit organizations stand to benefit from an improved technology environment. But does your organization's technology roadmap provide you with the directions you need to succeed with those new and improved technologies? You may have gaps in leadership, operations, business process, and data management capacity that have prevented your organization from effectively selecting and implementing technologies to serve your entire organization and its mission. Without addressing these gaps, your nonprofit is at a higher risk of technology system implementation failure. Learn how to address these gaps. Technology implementation can require significant change efforts, for all staff. Don't let your technology fail by not addressing systemic changes necessary for success! In this webinar, Build Consulting expert Peter Mirus explains how to build a technology roadmap that will guide your organization to a successful future.  Peter draws on years of experience consulting with nonprofits on technology projects to give you practical steps to implement quickly. This webinar was presented Tuesday, February 25th, 2020. Learn how your organization can create a technology roadmap that is right for you.

Part 2: Change management is the art and science of helping people to prepare for changes or disruptions that are or will be occurring. The discipline of change management can seem daunting and complex, particularly when you are already in the midst of change and/or are short on time. But there is a simple way to look at change management that can help you create meaningful impacts for your organization today. Build Consulting's Peter Mirus (Partner) leads a discussion about how to apply best practices in change management to both planned and unplanned changes in our world, in our business practices, and in our technology projects. He introduces an easy framework for change management, relating it to real-world examples. Peter also takes questions from attendees regarding how to apply this framework to their current business and technology project challenges. If your nonprofit is struggling with change management decisions and methods, Build can help. Peter draws on years of experience consulting with nonprofits on technology projects to give you practical steps to implement quickly. Presenter: Peter Mirus co-founded Build Consulting in 2015, following over 15 years of nonprofit consulting experience in the areas of technology, branding, marketing, and development. Peter's work for Build clients has a broad focus spanning many operational areas, including fundraising, program monitoring and evaluation, accounting, and impact reporting/analysis.

Change management is the art and science of helping people to prepare for changes or disruptions that are or will be occurring. The discipline of change management can seem daunting and complex, particularly when you are already in the midst of change and/or are short on time. But there is a simple way to look at change management that can help you create meaningful impacts for your organization today. Build Consulting's Peter Mirus (Partner) leads a discussion about how to apply best practices in change management to both planned and unplanned changes in our world, in our business practices, and in our technology projects. He introduces an easy framework for change management, relating it to real-world examples. Peter also takes questions from attendees regarding how to apply this framework to their current business and technology project challenges. If your nonprofit is struggling with change management decisions and methods, Build can help. Peter draws on years of experience consulting with nonprofits on technology projects to give you practical steps to implement quickly. Presenter: Peter Mirus co-founded Build Consulting in 2015, following over 15 years of nonprofit consulting experience in the areas of technology, branding, marketing, and development. Peter's work for Build clients has a broad focus spanning many operational areas, including fundraising, program monitoring and evaluation, accounting, and impact reporting/analysis.

Part 2 of this webinar: Peter Mirus and David Deal at Build were pleased to partner with Community IT Innovators to present a webinar on technology leadership best practices. Technology leaders at nonprofit organizations come in all sorts and job descriptions, according to the resources and the needs of the organizations they serve. Some organizations have a CIO, others an IT Director, and sometimes a Finance, Operations, Administrative, or Programs executive or manager takes on the technology leadership role. But what do nonprofits need from their tech leaders? Build Consulting believes there are a few indispensable qualities or capabilities that all tech leaders should have, regardless of what they otherwise do. If your nonprofit is struggling with leadership methods and decision making in these fast-changing times, Build can help. Peter and David draw on years of experience consulting with nonprofits on technology projects to give you practical steps to implement quickly. There was a 15 minute Q&A following the webinar, answering real-life questions and scenarios posed by attendees. As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience.

Part 1 of this webinar: Peter Mirus and David Deal at Build were pleased to partner with Community IT Innovators to present a webinar on technology leadership best practices. Technology leaders at nonprofit organizations come in all sorts and job descriptions, according to the resources and the needs of the organizations they serve. Some organizations have a CIO, others an IT Director, and sometimes a Finance, Operations, Administrative, or Programs executive or manager takes on the technology leadership role. But what do nonprofits need from their tech leaders? Build Consulting believes there are a few indispensable qualities or capabilities that all tech leaders should have, regardless of what they otherwise do. If your nonprofit is struggling with leadership methods and decision making in these fast-changing times, Build can help. Peter and David draw on years of experience consulting with nonprofits on technology projects to give you practical steps to implement quickly. There was a 15 minute Q&A following the webinar, answering real-life questions and scenarios posed by attendees. As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience.

Guest expert Stefanie Cruz, from DigiGeeks Collective and Build Consulting's Kyle Haines had an informal discussion on how nonprofits can pivot from using social media simply for marketing and communications to something much more integrated into the relationships organizations value most. Stef is the founder of DigiGeeks Collective, a community of communication and digital strategists who collaborate on compelling projects with social cause organizations and movements. In addition to being a co-founder of Build, Kyle also serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Lymphoma Research Foundation where social media is playing an increasing role in delivering high-quality patient and professional content. Our Fireside Chats are designed for audiences with varied experiences with technology. In this Fireside Chat learn more about how social media deepens relationships with an expert and innovator in communications and outreach.

Guest expert Stefanie Cruz, from DigiGeeks Collective and Build Consulting's Kyle Haines had an informal discussion on how nonprofits can pivot from using social media simply for marketing and communications to something much more integrated into the relationships organizations value most. Stef is the founder of DigiGeeks Collective, a community of communication and digital strategists who collaborate on compelling projects with social cause organizations and movements. In addition to being a co-founder of Build, Kyle also serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Lymphoma Research Foundation where social media is playing an increasing role in delivering high-quality patient and professional content. Our Fireside Chats are designed for audiences with varied experiences with technology. In this Fireside Chat learn more about how social media deepens relationships with an expert and innovator in communications and outreach.

In Part 2 of this episode Peter Mirus, co-founder of Build Consulting, discusses ways to succeed with your software implementation, shares leadership strategies, and answers questions from the webinar audience. What you'll learn: What does it mean for the implementation of a new software or platform project to be a “success?” What are the key elements your organization needs to have in place to guide an implementation to success? What are the secrets of successful nonprofit tech implementations that fail to get enough attention? How can you help your nonprofit be in the 50% of tech projects that succeed? There are many reasons why software implementation can be less than successful. Maybe you need to alter the composition of your project leadership team, perhaps your training objectives or requirements aren't clear, perhaps you haven't organized your time management well, or maybe you just need a strong change management template to help you keep up on multiple and multi-faceted team tasks. In this webinar on how to succeed with your software implementation, Peter Mirus shares tips gleaned from over two decades working with nonprofit leaders to improve tech selection and adoption. Learn how to set your nonprofit up for success. As with all our webinars, this presentation is appropriate for an audience of varied IT experience. Build is scrupulously vendor-agnostic, so this conversation will feature a realistic look at the impact thoughtful leadership can have on your project implementation outcomes. Presenter: Peter Mirus co-founded Build Consulting in 2015, following over 15 years of nonprofit consulting experience in the areas of technology, branding, marketing, and development. Peter's work for Build clients has a broad focus spanning many operational areas, including fundraising, program monitoring and evaluation, accounting, and impact reporting/analysis.