9 Tips to Live By for Effective Nonprofit Data Management

There are few things I love more than spreadsheets and data. If this blog was any indication.

And what a good time to feel this way! Technology has opened up a world of possibilities when it comes to data and the sector. Organizations are in a great place to ask the tough questions, and start gathering the necessary pieces to form those answers.

However, that doesn’t make this easy. In fact, data can be a giant question-mark: how do we use it, what do we collect, and how do we keep it all organized?

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An Introvert’s Nonprofit Career Story: 5 Lessons from My Switch to External Facing Work

Work trip turned mini vacation

INFP. The Myers Briggs test didn’t tell me anything I didn’t know. But it gave me a way to fit my skills, professional experience and personal interests into a neat little framework. Nearly 10 years later, I don’t think much has changed.

On this blog, you know me as Dee. In the real world, I’m a business systems manager for a nonprofit organization. It’s a catch-all title, meaning I manage our Salesforce database…but also, any other systems we might adopt. Because #multiplehats.

Getting here —in my career and this blog— hasn’t been a total accident! So I thought I’d share a bit about what that path has looked like for me.

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How to Say No At Work (Without Jeopardizing Your Nonprofit Job)

Writing in Notebook

Boundaries are increasingly important as we grow in our careers. The more we’re able to do, the more people want our time. That’s why one piece of advice seems to stick: saying no at work.

And it makes sense. There’s only so much you can do in one day. Saying no is a matter of necessity, because it’s simply impossible to “yes‘ all the things.

There’s just one problem. Saying no isn’t always an option at our orgs.

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26 Easy Ways to Practice Self-Care While You’re On the Clock

When you work for a nonprofit, self-care is a must.

In a sector ripe with burn-out, it’s no wonder there are zillions of articles practically screaming for us to relax! This line of work gets hard, especially when you’re a well-intentioned professional who just wants to save the world.

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How to Build a Request Process That People Will Actually Follow

What expertise do you bring to your organization? Because most of us with any sort of technical knowledge – event planners, grant writers, system admins – all have one big thing in common.

People always need something from us.

Oh, Mollz.

As our orgs grow, so do the needs of our staff. If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed with requests, or find yourself repeating the same instructions to people over & over… then it may be time to streamline. Let’s turn that task into a process!

Why a process?

A smart process does wonders for our productivity. Guidelines & timelines help keep us accountable, minimize errors, and set expectations at our org. 

The result? We’re enabled to produce our best work in a timely fashion, without having to lose our minds.

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10 Signs Your Nonprofit is NOT Ready for Salesforce

Salesforce is a powerful tool. And if you’re tasked with implementing a new data system for your org, there are very good reasons why this might be the way to go.

But there are valid reasons to stay away, too.

My staff knows how much I love Salesforce. And as much as I wish every org could implement it without issue, that’s just not how it works! Your org needs to be in the right headspace to knock a Salesforce implementation out of the park. Take it from someone who’s experienced some of these issues firsthand: this isn’t the right tool for everyone. And that’s okay.

So, how can tell when Salesforce is just not the right fit? Check to see if any of these indicators are present before you commit your nonprofit to the Salesforce Ohana.

10 Valid Reasons NOT to Implement Salesforce

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10 Signs Your Nonprofit is Ready For Salesforce

Is Salesforce the right tool for my organization?

If you’re implementing a new CRM at your org, then this has likely crossed your mind. Platforms abound for nonprofits ready to track their constituent data, and Salesforce is no exception.

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