Tough take off... glad to have it now.
Pros
- Autoresponders and automated emails have been really cool and simple to use, that tool in itself has added a lot of value and has been a powerful way to keep supporters engaged.
- Donor management is one thing that Salsa CRM gets really technical with. There is so much information that you can have on each donor.
- I like the forms and how easy they are to embed on the website, like email sign up forms or donation forms. I can make them look seamless as they sit on the website and gather information and donations.
Cons
- Starting up with the product was taxing, slow and generally not pleasant. Although the learning curve is real and tough to manage by yourself, I'm not really talking about that. It took over a month for Salsa CRM to get the thing activated and working so I could start using it. I was allocating a lot of my time to make sure they had everything they needed, and it was a lengthy process. I was also bugged by how many duplicates they put into the system from the donor information I gave them.
- I think a few things were oversold about the product, the data conversion being one of those. And although I like the forms, they do not meet all the needs we were hoping for when it comes to signing up and retrieving data from volunteers.
Return on Investment
- Email automation has been really positive. It has helped us properly thank donors and has helped us engage other supporters. I'm the only full time employee but this tool makes it seem like there is a small team of people sending out emails.
- Before we just used G-suite to manage our supporters. Salsa CRM is more powerful but we have lost simplicity, so average or casual volunteers/supporters can't just create an email or collect volunteer information as easily.
Alternatives Considered
Mailchimp and Classy
Other Software Used
Google Drive
