I already have Raiser’s Edge, so why should I move to Salesforce?
Raiser’s Edge (RE) may be serving some of your organization’s data needs now, but there are a few vital reasons why migrating your data over to Salesforce can provide benefits for your organization.
One of the biggest improvements of migrating to Salesforce is that it gives you a platform that is designed based on nonprofit industry best practices while curing some of Raiser’s Edge’s biggest headaches.
Highly Customizable Data
Salesforce allows your data to be highly customizable to meet your organization’s needs. Your organization can better track multiple donors’ affiliations, such as their board membership status, rather than as hard-to-find attributes in RE. In addition, unlike Raiser’s Edge attributes, Salesforce affiliations are automatically reciprocal, meaning you can see the board member from the organization’s record they serve.
Access Roles for All Staff
Salesforce allows all staff users to have an access role. Staff users’ roles in the platform are customized specifically to the work they need to do. In a Raiser’s Edge system, only a few admins are allowed to bring data in and out of the system.
Easier Reporting
Salesforce allows for greater ease of reporting. Because it is a cloud-based data system (CRM), you always have access to live reports to help make data-driven decisions, even from your mobile phone. For example, your gift officer is meeting with a major donor at a local coffee shop. Instead of taking notes and having to reenter them when they get back to the office, they can add the notes directly into the platform from their phone at the meeting. In addition, these reports are customizable, so details and data can easily be put together in one place.
Those are all good reasons. Can I do it myself?
While it may seem like a cost-saving effort to migrate over to Salesforce yourself, it may cause unforeseen issues that could be prevented if you worked with a partner like Redpath.
Redpath’s team members have helped many nonprofits like yours through a Raiser’s Edge to Salesforce migration to the point where we have a proven process with excellent results. Our process is very change management-focused, meaning we are not only using our strategy to get the technical details right, but also getting your team prepared for the change.
Not only do we know Salesforce and Salesforce’s Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) like the back of our hands, we have our own tried and true process, called the Middleware Migration Process. This process helps implement Salesforce while also migrating your existing data over as seamlessly as possible. Our Middleware Migration Process reduces some of the risks associated with migrating data from Raiser’s Edge to Salesforce such as:
- Reduced burden on your staff
- Keep migration timelines on track
- Keep data cleaner and in better shape to migrate over
- Eliminate the need for additional Raiser’s Edge technical vendors, like an RE Database Administrator
Okay, I’m curious. How do I start a Raiser’s Edge migration?
Ultimately, the decision is up to you on how you’d like to move forward. But we’ve pulled together a list of things for your to check out to help you on your journey.
First, check out some of our free resources to learn more about the migration process before you begin:
Then, select a Salesforce partner to work with.
