Hey Reader,

I've received some great feedback from last week's issue and I hope to continue that momentum today!

Let me know what's resonating and what you would like to see in these emails.

Let's get into it...

The Tool-First Trap

The question I get asked more than any other — at every event, every discovery call, every session I run — is this: 'Which CRM should we use?'

And I understand why. The CRM is the thing you can see. It has a price tag. It feels like the decision.

But in almost every case — and I mean almost every case — the CRM is not the problem. The problem is upstream of the CRM.

Here's the question you should actually be asking: 'What data do we need to capture, and do we have a consistent process for capturing it?' Answer that first. Then pick a tool that supports it.

I've worked with organizations using Salesforce who couldn't tell you how many active donors they had. I've worked with organizations running a spreadsheet that had cleaner, more reliable donor data because of their attention to process.

he tool is not the answer. The process is the answer.
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The Four Things That Actually Determine Your CRM Readiness

Data quality: What does your current data look like? Are records complete, consistent, and deduplicated?

Workflow consistency: Does your team enter data the same way every time, or does each person have their own system?

Reporting needs: What decisions does leadership need the data to support? Can your current system answer those questions?

Organizational appetite for change: Does your team have the capacity and willingness to adopt something new right now?

hese four things tell you more about which CRM you need — and whether you're ready to implement one — than any vendor demo ever will./

One Move For This Week

Run a simple test: ask three members of your staff the same question about your current data. 'How many active donors do we have right now?' 'What are the outcomes or demographics of participants in a specific program?' A couple of examples, please make this specific to what data reporting gaps you have right now.

If you get different answers, you have a process and data quality problem that no new software will solve.

Take It A Step Further & Test It

The CRM Readiness Scorecard measures this for you.

Fifteen questions across five dimensions — data integrity, staff adoption, reporting clarity, workflow alignment, and process documentation.

Takes about four minutes. Based on your score, we send you a short guide specific to where you are — not generic advice, but a focused next step for your readiness level.

See where your results land you! The form is hyperlinked above.

Blessings,
​Joe A. Mata III

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​P.S. We are doing a ticket giveaway to Collaborative by GoFundMePro! Check out our Instagram or TikTok to enter. We'd love to give you or a colleague a chance to attend and learn from fundraising experts. We will be choosing a winner in the next couple of weeks.