Over the past few months we have been taking some time to unpack the most common challenges and objections not-for-profits face when considering investing in a Customer Relationship Management System ("CRM"). First, we took some times to look at the basics of a CRM. We then explored what a CRM looks like to different members of a not-for-profit team. We looked at all the missed opportunities your organization piles up without a CRM and finally, tackled the fear of losing data by exploring institutional knowledge.

The ultimate question remains: how does all of this convince my organization to invest in a Customer Relationship Management System?

For that, my advice is this: The best CRM is the one your team actually uses. So, plan out exactly what you need and who will be using it with the following steps:

1. List your organization's specifice needs. Have internal conversations about the needs of each department. Compliment this by completing a technology audit to better understand what tools you already have available to you. Once you have a clear understanding of your organization's needs you will be able to start effective research.
2. Create a list of fears and objections. Having a better understanding of your team's apprehensions helps you understand the type of solution you are looking for. Your ideal technology solution will be a tool everyone on the team is on board with. If they have legitimate fears and objections which are not addressed, you may not have the proper adoption needed for this tool to be worthwhile.
3. Point by point, tackle each fear and objection with some of the streategies in our blog series. We have put together some resources to help you work through each of theses steps, including a technology audit and one-page business case. These will help you organize your thoughts. Templates can be downloaded here.

There are tons of resources to help you decide which CRM to choose including many by Vantage Point and not-for-profit software companies like Keela. Want help with your options? Give us a call!

Happy CRM-ing.

Upwards and Onwards,

The Keela Family

Forget about the funders – convince yourself first you’re worth investing in.

There’s a lot of conversation in our sector about changing the current funding paradigm that is seen as short-term, project-related, and restrictive. Important blog posts like The Ethical Argument for General Operating Funds take a stab at changing the narrative within the funding community. Here at Vantage Point, we took up the conversation through our podcast on the topic The overhead myth: Let's end it once and for all!

I can understand the focus of getting buy-in from funders. We are incensed that most funding approaches don’t reflect the reality that to develop and execute amazing programs, we also have to develop the organizational capacity to support those services.

To understand “capacity”, think of the table legs underneath the table top of programs, as in the capacity framework that we use here at Vantage Point, from the Non-Profit Lifecycles Institute:

What I’ve come to realize in my years of consulting with organizations to strengthen these table legs, however, is that not-for-profit leaders themselves must first believe in the power of capacity. It’s beyond a “funding paradigm” that requires shifting - it’s the more deeply held belief system many not-for-profit leaders hold that another $ received has greater mission impact if it is directed to programs. Founders who can’t say no to another “client” (e.g., a child they feed, a family they uphold, an animal they shelter, a senior they care for), establish a culture that rewards short-term accomplishment rather than encouraging innovation and investment for the long-term. The fact is, solid management, governance, financial resources and administrative systems are essential for mission-critical programming to thrive.

If, instead, we each believed in the power of investing in our organizational table legs, we risk equipping ourselves with the resilience and capability to serve our evolving communities for decades – instead of years – to come. That’s a risk I’d like to take!

How will you prioritize strengthening your organizational table legs?

What would it take for your organization to be ready to spend resources on a project that is focused internally on organizational learning – on capacity?

If your organization is ready to invest in long-term mission impact, join us for Vantage Point’s very first Capacity Lab, a seven-month program designed for your board and staff leadership team to build a capacity enhancement plan for your organization.

The new and updated Societies Act came into effect November 28, 2016 and governs how societies (not-for-profit organizations) are created and run in B.C. The new Act provides clarity, additional flexibility, and some new obligations for societies in areas such as record keeping, director requirements, and membership rules for different types of societies (ordinary societies and member-funded societies).

As part of the transition to the new Act, every not-for-profit society in BC was required to file a Transition Application by November 28, 2018.

We were curious about what could happen to societies who have not yet completed a transition application now that the deadline has passed.

Here is the response we received:

• “…To remain in compliance with the Societies Act all pre-existing societies must file a Transition Application by November 28, 2018 as per Section 240 (1) of the Societies Act Legislation. If a society fails to complete the Transition Application by November 28, 2018 the Registrar may issue a Notice of Commencement of Dissolution as per Section 214 (1)(b) of the Act. The society is considered not in good standing until the outstanding transition application if filed.
• To address your inquiry, at this time the Registrar is not contemplating applying the dissolution proceedings if a society fails to meet the Transition Application deadline of November 28, 2018. We encourage societies to complete the transition application as soon as possible in order to prevent any future issues that may affect their activities such as apply for gaming grants or securing loans and to remain in good standing with BC Registries.
• Please note, if a society is issued a Notice of Commencement of Dissolution for failure to file the Transition Application, the society can request a delay of dissolution at that time for a period of time up to 6 months through our Societies Online Application. The Transition Application must be filed prior to the delay of dissolution expiry date.”

In summary:

• If you haven’t done so already, your organization should absolutely file a transition application as soon as possible. To find out how, click here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/employment-business-and-economic-development/business-management/permits-licences-and-registration/registries-guides/inst_01_soc_-_transition_application_filing_guide.pdf
• If you haven’t done so, it is possible that the Corporate Registry in BC may file a “Notice of Commencement of Dissolution”
  • If a society is issued a Notice of Commencement of Dissolution for failure to file the Transition Application, the society can request a delay of dissolution at that time for a period of time up to 6 months through our Societies Online Application. The Transition Application must be filed prior to the delay of dissolution expiry date.”

Remember, the new Societies Act provides some different options for governing your organization. Filing a transition application is also a great opportunity to review your bylaws and make adjustments to how your organization makes decisions. For some frequently asked questions related to the new Act, download the Societies Act FAQ resource we’ve put together.