Maximizing Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) software is only possible when users know how to use its various functionalities. They must also understand how the use of the tool fits into their day-to-day business processes. 

The level of understanding is often a result of what is being delivered in your training program and who it’s being directed toward.  

Most people initially think about fundraisers when referring to CRM (trainees) users. However, depending on which CRM system you use, other departments should also be part of the onboarding process. Determining the right people for your training program helps identify not only how to conduct the training, but also when, and what the scope will entail. 

We discuss guidelines for building a successful advancement CRM training program. 

Data Integrity

Establish a clear narrative on data integrity and relevancy. Data used in training should be clearly identified as to where it came from to help trainees avoid second-guessing themselves. Specifically, is the data being used as a snapshot in time?

There also needs to be clear documentation on what data is to be entered to make the training impactful and relevant. If you’re going through training and entering informational data that may not be appropriate to everyday life and activities, you won’t get as much use out of it. 

Additionally, data should be specific to a job description or applicable across all levels. Relevant data improves training engagement. For example, a fundraiser may be interested in data related to their pipeline or reaching year-to-date goals. But they’re probably not going to be interested in the finite transaction history of a gift. This information will fall flat because it’s not a subject they’re interested in.

While it is impossible to customize everything, you should at least account for this when creating a training program.  

Application Configuration 

Application configuration is based on optimal workflow. Institutions are implementing software applications that are more highly configurable, but investing in the business analysis is not put at the forefront of the implementation. 

Investing in the business analysis will give you a better return on investment. Tailor this training to tap into a narrative approach (user story) that focuses on pertinent scenarios. For example, if you’re a fundraiser and attended an event, you must know how to complete an activity report for your manager. The narrative approach offers an example and shares the next step (i.e., creating a future task or a follow-up for one of the prospective donors.) 

User narratives set a training program up for more success because users can see themselves in the stories and the tasks are immediately relevant to their role. 

Self-Service Reporting 

Many individuals want to be self-sufficient and know the system can do great things. But self-service and data literacy go hand in hand. For self-service reporting, there needs to be an emphasis on data literacy. If you have self-service, you’ll need to understand your data, its structure, and what is available. 

For example, a fundraiser that focuses on the pipeline, potential donors, and prospects is more interested in being taught to pull that information rather than requesting it from a reporting team. 

Provide the self-service ability to pull the most common data pertinent to them and have them do it regularly, teaching them how to filter, access, and navigate through the information. 

Quick Win Integrations 

Everyone talks about being unable to do things within the CRM when putting things in their calendar, even though calendar integrations are standard across all CRMs. You set yourself up for failure if you don’t take the quick win integration right at go live. 

Always take advantage of quick win integrations—especially if they directly impact your training program. 

You’re beginning an advancement Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) implementation and you just selected your implementation team. This team likely includes members of your in-house leadership team, software vendor, and possibly a firm that manages the implementation. 

It seems like you’ve got your whole team together, so why would you need a project adviser?

Project advisers can mitigate risk, manage change, and fast-track your advancement CRM implementation. Here’s why. 

What is a project adviser? 

A project adviser for your CRM implementation is a third party who fosters collaboration, improves transparency, and increases efficiency. Their job is to act as a support system, directing you with a strategic change management plan that encourages a shift in organizational culture. 

Project advisers empower users with training best practices, increasing their long-term success and CRM adoption.  

How does a project adviser support our CRM project? 

Benefits of having a project adviser during your CRM implementation include:

• Objective viewpoint 
• Experience 
• Industry knowledge
• Change Agent 

The first, and perhaps the most important aspect of a project adviser is their ability to have an objective viewpoint. Project advisers can observe potential challenges you might encounter or be susceptible to, helping you avoid them altogether and create a strategy to overcome should they arise. 

And because project advisers don’t have ties to the organization long term, they can manage the communication in a way that builds relationships. 

Additionally, a project adviser brings experience from not only having done a CRM implementation before, but having done it at different institutions, situations, and teams. Their varied experience provides a wealth of lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid that can be leveraged by your institution and project leadership team. 

Another benefit of having a project adviser is their ability to guide throughout the change management process. They are skilled at coaching and can mentor your executive project leadership team—also offering guidance on best practices for functional leads, technical leads, and more. 

A project adviser understands each role and responsibilities—in most cases, they’ve likely sat in all those roles—and they have a deep understanding of what it takes to succeed. Partnering with a project adviser enables you to fast-track user roles—developing a deeper understanding of functions and responsibilities.

Lastly, a project adviser supports continuity. If you lose a key leadership role during a CRM project, the project adviser can jump in and maintain the project’s continuity on a short-term basis. 

Can a project adviser help with risk management? 

A robust risk mitigation plan establishes procedures to avoid, minimize, or reduce the impact of risk on your organization. It also guides you on how to tolerate and control risks. 

Sometimes, when a risk is looming during a CRM implementation, the natural human tendency is to diminish the impact of that risk—especially if the risk may make the project fail or increase errors. 

A project adviser is an additional person focused on risk monitoring for the project in an unbiased assessment. In many cases, they can resolve the risk before it impacts the project. 

And because the project adviser’s success is not measured by on-time and on-budget metrics like the project manager, they’re better able to identify and respond to risk with a practical approach. When warranted, they are more likely to have out-of-the-box thinking for mitigation plans because they don’t have the same restraints as your in-house employees. 

Technology-based learning remains a staple, especially with Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) training. But organizations are left wondering how they can adjust to accommodate evolution and keep users engaged. 

The first step is to stop looking at training as a one-time event and start considering it as a process.

A training process includes three phases: planning, implementation, and evaluation. But even with the training process, there are barriers to overcome. Here’s what to consider during planning. 

Technology

Technology-based learning is often exclusively hosted online (e-learning). This differs from computer-based training, where training takes place on the computer. As you’re planning your CRM training program, it’s important to acknowledge the impacts of e-learning, especially with remote team members.

For example, one of our clients uncovered incongruencies during the training planning phase regarding internet connectivity. They quickly realized that for those working remotely, internet connection speed might be a barrier—something non-existent for those working in person. 

But you must also account for the technology savviness of your team. 

• How comfortable are users with technology?
• Do they know how to seek help when faced with technology challenges?
• How would technology challenges impact their ability to operate within the CRM?

Technology can be a powerful tool, but it can also cause difficulty for some. Be sure you’re looking at technology from all angles to ensure members of your team don’t get left behind.

 Isolation

As the world grows more distant, thanks in part to the connectivity of technology, the issue of isolation rises. Research says that when someone feels isolated, they’re less likely to absorb new information and lack motivation to learn.

Isolation can be a significant barrier to CRM training, which is only compounded for team members experiencing technology challenges. 

For example, our client had team members struggling with technology—like logging into a new system outside of their current system—which was worsened by the lack of a peer group to support them.

Eliminate isolation by adding a coaching component or an accountability system that requires co-workers to check in with each other. A coach or accountability partner can offset the challenge of qualifying and quantifying engagement.

Learning Styles

Before designing your CRM training, assess your learners and understand their characteristics, preferences, and goals. You can gather this information through surveys, interviews, focus groups, or observations.

Then, evaluate their current CRM knowledge and skill level, learning objectives and expectations, preferred learning modalities, motivational factors, barriers to learning, and cultural backgrounds and values.

There are four predominant learning styles to consider as you move through planning: visual, auditory, read and write, and kinesthetic.

• Visual: Someone who prefers visual learning is partial to seeing and observing things, including pictures, diagrams, written directions, and more. This is also referred to as the “spatial” learning style. Those who learn through sight understand information better when it’s presented visually. These are your doodling team members, list makers, and those who take notes.
• Auditory: Auditory learners tend to learn better when the subject matter is reinforced by sound. These learners would much rather listen to a lecture than read written notes, and they often use their voices to reinforce new concepts and ideas. These types of learners prefer reading out loud to themselves. They are fearless in speaking up in class and are great at verbally explaining things. Additionally, they may repeat things a teacher tells them.
• Reading and writing: These learners prefer to learn through written words. While there is some overlap with visual learning, these types of learners are drawn to expression through writing, reading articles or books, writing in diaries, looking up words in the dictionary, and searching the internet for information.
• Kinesthetic: Kinesthetic learners, sometimes called tactile learners, learn through experiencing or doing. They like to get involved by acting out events or using their hands to touch and handle to understand concepts. These types of learners might struggle to sit still and often excel at sports or like to dance. They may need to take more frequent breaks when studying.

While most individuals have a general idea of how they learn best, learning styles often come as a surprise, especially when faced with absorbing complex material. By assessing your learners, you can create CRM training tailored to their needs and preferences and increase engagement and retention.

If technology-based learning is done correctly, you can often satisfy most learning styles because there is a visual component, an auditory element, and activities for the individual to apply their knowledge.

 Finally, here are a few pros and cons of e-learning.

• Pros: self-paced, ongoing resource, scalable, and convenient for scheduling.
• Cons: isolation, difficulty qualifying and quantifying engagement, and information retention may be minimal without follow-up.

E-learning is a powerful tool, but it should act as the base layer for your CRM training program. If you truly want your CRM training to evolve, consider adding methods delivered offline to make sure you’re reinforcing learning in as many ways as possible.

Resources 

https://neurosciencenews.com/social-isolation-cognition-brain-20857/

Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) training takes time and requires resources and effort from both the users and the organization. A strategic plan for training is necessary to succeed and get the most return on investment of your CRM platform. 

But sometimes missteps happen during your advancement CRM training that hinders adoption. 

We discuss five missteps to consider. 

Misstep #1—Focusing training solely on product knowledge.

One of the most common missteps is when CRM training focuses exclusively on users learning the product. For example, users may be taught which buttons to click and forms to fill out—doing these tasks creates a “good” feeling about training. But this training approach doesn’t promote connection to your organization’s processes or operational tasks—unintentionally disconnecting the user from the application features. 

Training needs to extend beyond product knowledge. For the most impact, training must deliver the knowledge users need to understand the features but also the context for how they should be using them. Additionally, training should include information for using the product to facilitate a specific job function or role within advancement. 

Misstep #2—Offering initial training only at Go Live.

For many institutions, Go Live training is the only training during a CRM implementation. This is a misstep because it creates missed opportunities to deepen the level of understanding. For instance, users went through the actual implementation stage of the project along with you—they’ve been a part of designing and configuring the application—whether actively or passively. The training you deliver at Go Live is taken from “ground zero” because everyone needs to learn the advancement CRM. 

While this approach is critical, you can’t stop there. This may work for a brand-new person hired after Go Live because they’re coming in fresh and need that introductory information. But simply providing materials, videos, or course outlines leaves a big gap for those users who went through the implementation process. These users should be afforded the opportunity to grow and elevate their level of proficiency—potentially reaching an expert level of understanding. 

Misstep #3—Conducting new feature training only once. 

Consider this: You’ve been using your advancement CRM application for a while, and new features or enhancements are available. You decide to implement these changes and showcase the new features through a lunch and learn. Users are excited about the additions and work to implement them into regular use. 

But teaching this new feature during only one lunch and learn is a misstep because there isn’t a point of reference, and it impedes future training opportunities. For example, if users weren’t a part of the institution when this feature came out or was unable to attend the lunch and learn, they might never know about it. 

You also risk having different groups of users with varying knowledge about the application. Avoid this misstep by incorporating the new feature training into the primary training curriculum. 

Misstep #4—Not offering self-service for CRM training users.

Users may be able to mimic the steps taught, but did they comprehend the material? Research says authentic learning is achieved by creating an individualized way of doing something. The concept of self-exploration and discovery of an application solidifies knowledge. 

Training must incorporate educating users about what resources are available to them.

This enables users to understand how to access resources for troubleshooting but also use the material as a reference tool to enhance self-directed understanding. 

Misstep #5—Adopting self-paced training without other learning methods. 

The change in working environments and staff being remote has shifted CRM training to an exclusive self-paced training model. While convenient, this eliminates the need for traditional instructor-led training—whether in-person or remote.

Self-paced training is efficient, especially if you have staff in varying time zones. But offering this type of training solely does not support diverse learning styles. Don’t go back to exclusive traditional instructor-led training. Do consider adding alternative methods if your advancement department has adopted 100% self-paced training. Adding alternative training methods like question-and-answer sessions or opportunities to connect with a network of designated subject matter experts supports self-paced training and enhances the learning experience. Adding these components creates a comprehensive training program that supports diverse learning styles.

Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) platforms empower high-performing advancement teams. Their extensive benefits include better organizational flow, quality donor data, increased productivity, and more. 

But a CRM is only impactful if it is adopted successfully. Too often, there are barriers to user adoption, especially when learning technology, business processes, and using the CRM system in daily tasks. 

Successfully adopting your CRM and embracing all the change requires vulnerability. Here are three areas you should consider adjusting how you do things to increase success. 

Technology

Everyone says they’re looking forward to learning technology and the CRM change. But with excitement also comes hesitancy to address it. 

Anecdotally, younger generations tend to adopt CRM technology faster and may be less concerned about looking bad than tenured colleagues. This is because, in many cases, a younger population is more willing to share their screen and get involved in learning CRM technology. 

In contrast, tenured staff may be more hesitant to get involved because they’re concerned about peer perception. These veteran employees may think, “If I share my screen and I’ve made a mistake, I’ll look incompetent.” 

But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Counteract this way of thinking by creating an environment that encourages learning, welcomes exploration, and establishes vulnerability as a standard. Allowing staff to feel vulnerable encourages CRM adoption and eases fears of feeling exposed, simultaneously creating an inspiring atmosphere to learn new technology. 

Business Processes

When a new CRM is on the horizon, there is much talk about improving business processes and having more streamlined and efficient workflows. But too often, staff get caught up in existing business processes that prohibit the successful adoption of new ones.

For example, when entering specific information highlighted as necessary in the new CRM, the response may be, “That’s not how we did it in the old system.” But this way of thinking compromises data quality and hinders learning ability. Users must be open to learning new business processes and willing to forget old ones. 

Time

Changing how you view time while learning the new CRM system is beneficial. Individuals are acclimated to their current system and may feel they need less time for training in the new CRM. But again, this couldn’t be further from the truth. 

A new CRM requires a different way of working. Too often, individuals procrastinate learning the new CRM. They assume that because of their proficiency, they can complete the same task in a similar capacity in the new CRM. But they rush to get the task done, increasing your risk of mistakes and compromising data quality. Counteract this way of thinking by allowing more time than predicted—for both training and assignments—in the early stages of adoption. 

Change can be hard. But embracing change and adjusting how you do a few things when implementing an advancement CRM increases efficiency and sets your staff up for long-term success. 

It is tempting to learn your new Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) all at once. But doing a “blitz” training immediately before going live can hinder a successful adoption. 

Cramming information before going live and expecting positive results is not mindful of how the human mind works. This blitz training is anxiety-inducing. The mind is better suited to learning through frequency of information. In fact, the more you practice and rehearse something new, the easier it is for your brain to transmit and recall those experiences. 

This is why it is more effective to learn your new CRM through stages. At Precision Partners, we use a structured path for learning known as the E4 Learning Approach. This methodology is different from the traditional system of training and educating—which is often done right before the go-live date. 

When the E4 Learning Approach is used, your team can build a body of knowledge and information by the time you get to the go-live date. As a result, people are more confident and comfortable with your new CRM. 

The E4 Learning Approach promotes practical training for successful CRM adoption. Here’s what you can expect with this four-step process. 

Exposure

The Exposure stage introduces concepts one at a time through a learning series. It also exposes individuals to the CRM platform at a frequency that works for your organization. For example, a monthly newsletter. 

Training during the Exposure stage starts anywhere from 9–12 months—much different than blitz training right before going live. 

Exposing individuals early and often to your CRM is effective because you are introducing concepts within the system in small, digestible increments. Presenting “bite-size” doses of these concepts to users reduces the chance of overwhelm and gives your team adequate time to process one idea before moving on to the next. Additionally, delivering information in a newsletter on a consistent cadence reinforces concepts and empowers learning. 

Exploration 

After Exposure comes to the Exploration stage. This stage enables users’ early access to the system to consume the CRM independently. This early access allows users to experiment and increase their familiarity within the CRM. 

Like the no-pressure playing during early childhood, users can explore the CRM without expectations of getting anything “right”—users are free to test processes and procedures with no risk. This empowers understanding, boosts confidence, and increases comprehension. 

Enablement 

The third stage is Enablement, which happens in the weeks leading up to going live. This is more formal training and ensures users have the knowledge and skills within the CRM to perform their daily tasks. 

Because users have already been exposed to concepts and explored your CRM without pressure, training during the Enablement stage is more effective. Folks come to this formal training with familiarity and comprehension of terminology and navigation. Users are more likely to retain information presented in Enablement, which increases their recall ability. 

Expertise 

Finally, the Expertise stage. This stage is achieved after going live. Through ongoing intermediate and advanced training courses with help from your CRM support team, system users increase their proficiency within the CRM during the Expertise stage.  

We create a continuous plan to build expertise based on their “real-world” experience. This supports ongoing training and education to achieve mastery. 

With this ever-increasing proficiency established through the E4 Learning Approach, all team members gain the knowledge and understanding of your new CRM to advance your mission and support your fundraising initiatives.

The last few years have brought up unique considerations regarding work environments—especially the ability to work in various locations. The significant shift toward remote or hybrid options has created a unique set of challenges to consider as you plan for your Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) implementation project user training delivery.

As you begin to prepare your user training strategy, you’ll need to assess the pros and cons of remote vs. in-person training.

Here’s what to consider.

Remote Training Delivery

When it comes to remote working environments, there are many positives.

Pros

Flexibility: Remote training is more flexible, especially regarding scheduling. Hopping on a video collaboration tool like Zoom or Teams from your home or office is much easier from a personal scheduling perspective—users don’t have to travel or block off travel time. The same is true for organizational scheduling—there’s no need to allow for trainer travel nor worry about finding a time that fits everyone’s schedule. It’s also easy to support multiple locations and time zones. 

Resourceful: Remote training sessions can be quickly recorded and used as an ongoing resource or reference tool. Those who participated in training can re-watch the video as a refresher. And those who couldn’t participate live can watch and receive a similar value from the training.  

Cons

But of course, like anything, remote user training delivery has a few cons.

Distractions: There is no control over distractions if everyone is in their environment. This means that whatever happens at home—whether it’s the dog barking or family interruptions—there is more of a chance for team members to get distracted. 

Interaction: When you’re not in an in-person environment, there tends to be less opportunity to interact. Many people may sit back and passively take in information during a video training session. Active listening and response are not necessarily triggered as effectively in a remote training environment.

Accessibility: Not everyone has a home office setup that supports learning, or if they do, their technology may not be the most suited for the training. For example, suppose you work on a laptop. In that case, the screen area is minimal, making it more challenging to watch the instructor, practice the product, and gain knowledge effectively. Flipping back and forth between screens increases the likeliness of losing information.

In-Person Training Delivery

Before remote working options, in-person CRM user training was the only option. And this traditional training method still has some benefits. 

Pros

Assistance: There is more opportunity for formal training assistance during the in-person session. Co-workers can lean over to a neighboring colleague to catch up on information they may have missed. Additionally, everyone in the training room becomes a resource—peers may say something in a way that makes more sense.

Dedicated learning: In-person training invites users to step into a learning environment that is designed for focused learning. The training room is most likely equipped with adequate access to technology, including seating conducive to learning. People will arrive with the intent of gaining information.

Participation: Learning in-person increases participation. Active listening is immediately triggered, and users are more likely to be engaged in the in-person learning environment.

Cons

Of course, there are a few negative aspects of in-person training delivery for your CRM project.

Flexibility: Flexibility is challenging for both the participant and trainer in this situation. If you’re training onsite at a different location or bringing the trainer to you, you’ll want to maximize the trainers’ time. This means there likely won’t be as many breaks, decreasing the opportunity for users to participate in training. And you don’t have the luxury of offering your users the same information multiple times.

Quality: The quality of classes gets reduced with repetition when learning in-person. 

Accessibility: While the in-person learning experience is structured for training and education, it’s also a singular learning environment with the assumption it works for everyone. For those who require different learning environments or experiences, the in-person environment comes with nuances and doesn’t support unique situations or accommodations.

Understanding the pros and cons of each method for your CRM user training delivery helps you decide what works best for your organization and supplement for drawbacks. If one method doesn’t work in its entirety, consider having a hybrid approach to create a comprehensive CRM training plan.

Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) software benefits your organization in many ways, especially when your staff is trained to use the CRM efficiently. Your approach to training and education should empower your entire team to take advantage of every part of your CRM software. 

When it comes to training and education, there are four common stages: exposure, engagement, ownership, and mastery. By using appropriate training and education techniques during each stage of your CRM project, your team is better equipped for adoption, decreasing feelings of overwhelm and burden. 

Here’s some training and education methods to consider during the exposure stage. 

Exposure through Lunch and Learns

Exposing your team to all the capabilities of the CRM helps generate excitement and increase adoption success. The proper timing to integrate exposure is when you’re well into the design—nearing the end of the design phase. Or, at the very least, when you have something well-formed that you can show users like how the new CRM will work, its configuration, and significant decisions. 

We recommend hosting frequent lunch and learns, which is one of the most effective ways to expose users to your new CRM.

Benefits of Lunch and Learns

A lunch and learn event is an opportunity for co-workers from different teams to meet and share their skills and expertise. It could be a one-off session, where a team lead outlines a feature of your CRM, for example. 

Lunch and learns support those not part of the project team and those who have been living and breathing it but haven’t seen the system—on the project’s fringe. Ultimately, they allow the masses to get involved in the activity and see the CRM for themselves. 

Another benefit of a lunch and learn is that it provides the opportunity for socializing the design itself. There are a lot of decisions that representatives have made for the stakeholder population. Remember, everyone can’t be involved in the design and decision-making about the system, so this provides an opportunity to socialize with the users who will inherit the decisions made by their colleagues. And socializing helps ease users into decisions, raise awareness about functionality, and empower them to settle into using the CRM. 

Users need to start learning the new language early in the CRM implementation process, which is essential to true adoption—lunch and learns are a great way to introduce new terminology. 

If the lunch and learn is interactive, (which we recommend)—identify concepts where people might struggle that you can notate for future training sessions. For example, users might need extra time to understand a concept or support to acquire the knowledge and skills in a particular area that you were able to identify through exposure at the lunch and learn. 

Here are three tips to boost the effectiveness of your lunch and learn.

• Timely: Lunch and learns should be at most 30 minutes. They should require a decent investment of time but be manageable. 
• Interactive: Lunch and learns should be interactive as much as possible. For example, no-pressure quizzing is a technique that is often used and effective.
• Fun: Deliver the information but have some component of fun. Users are already going to be very serious about CRM training, so incorporate fun when designing a lunch and learn.

Organizations tend to focus too much on their Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) technologies and not enough on the personnel manning the technology. In other words, many organizations use CRM tools as if it is the sole ingredient to a successful donor strategy. Unfortunately, without the human touch, this approach isn’t practical.

Application administration is often automatically seen as a technical resource that should reside within the information technology (IT) department. This has shifted in the advancement industry with emerging technologies. 

Users are becoming self-sufficient, and a similar track is happening in the operations realm. Instead of your application administration sitting in a central group of technical folks administrating on your behalf, it’s now getting closer to the user. 

The nimbleness and ease of configuration have warranted that. But with that comes the expectation of a quick turnaround, creating a downstream of resources closer to users in the trenches. 

We recommend following that trend and building a CRM application administration team. 

Here’s how to create one for advancement operations. 

Create an Organizational Chart 

The aspect of application and administration is no longer extended order taking (request, completion, and notification.) Instead, it’s moving toward a consultative approach where application administration becomes a joint effort between the person with the technical aptitude and the user with the flexibility. 

This requires you to look at your organizational chart and identify a reporting structure. 

Consider having an application administration person or team (depending on your CRM project size) be closely linked to the resources providing user support and training. This creates a lot of synergies. Have your administrators do one thing, and your training folks teach something else. 

Encourage Application Knowledge 

Closely examine the skill sets that exist within your overall CRM project team. As you build your application administration team, consider who can go beyond general application knowledge. The application administration team should know how to configure the application and how users use it (including their daily processes.)

Consider standard team building procedures.

1. Set organization goals and start planning. 
2. Define the roles within your team. 
3. Maximize the skills of your team member. 
4. Embrace diversity.
5. Set expectations from day one. 
6. Allow your team to take risks and experiment. 
7. Celebrate successes and failures.

Focus on Big Picture Perspective

Your CRM application administration team should move from the silo of a set of knowledge toward becoming big-picture perspective oriented. Big picture thinking is the ability to grasp abstract concepts, ideas, and possibilities. This type of thinking emphasizes the system in which they are operating while considering various stakeholders, competitors, and technological disruptions.

A big picture perspective accounts for how obstacles impact the organization and how that can turn into an opportunity. It also helps balance user needs and requests, which can drastically impact your CRM implementation.

For example, if someone requests an application change and that change satisfies some users but makes it more difficult for 50% of other users—big picture perspective examines the pros and cons.

The investment in training strategies and training budgets for Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) implementations have recently been an area that advancement leaders are cutting. This decision is likely based on the notion that everyone can pick up the software since it is considered “intuitive.”

But by doing this, leaders are doing their team a disservice and exponentially affecting productivity. Here’s why.

Users Are Not Asking for Help

Data validation of your CRM requires everyone involved to participate in new technology. But what seems to be happening is these users are not necessarily comfortable adapting to new technology. Even worse, they aren’t inclined to ask (or even know where to go) for help. 

This is because most new software claims to be “intuitive,” especially in advancement. Intuitive software is defined as application programs with a friendly interface that are easy to use. When a software is intuitive, it is assumed any user can quickly adapt to the interface. But intuitive software isolates even those technologically inclined and is a detriment to productivity. 

Here’s some ideas to consider when you don’t have an adequate training program for your CRM implementation. 

• Will users leverage tools in the workplace and get basic information? Yes. 
• Will they become proficient? Maybe. 
• Will they master it? No. 

Creating Unnecessary Overwhelm 

When it comes to CRM implementation, training on the new technology and tools has become lackluster, or it is assumed everyone is teaching themselves. But introducing new technology tools without proper training can trigger a “fight-or-flight” response. 

This is because when someone experiences a stressful situation or event, the amygdala (an area of the brain that contributes to emotional processing) sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus. This area is like a command center, communicating with the rest of the body through the nervous system so the person has the energy to fight or flee.

Stress, especially long-lasting can lead to chronic, low-grade inflammation that contributes to cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions.

And this issue has been intensified by a post-Covid-19 environment and working from home, requiring users to be even more independent. As a result, users struggle to embrace new technology and take the necessary time to use it. 

How to Resolve It

The first step is to identify who might need more training or information. But how do you identify those individuals? And how do you get to those that only interface with a particular set of systems? Or those using new systems but may not be checking in with you? 

Work to create an ecosystem of understanding by identifying the training needs of your employees.

• Set clear expectations for each role
• Monitor employee performance
• Ask for feedback
• Analyze feedback
• Make the most of personal development plans
• Use focus groups to understand employee training and development needs 
• Set up a system of mentoring and coaching

A successful training needs analysis will identify those who need training and what kind of training will be effective. This supports increases productivity and helps users adopt the new technology successfully. 

(This is the final article of a four-part series on creating an advancement CRM training program. We hope you enjoyed it!)

As we wrap up this content series, we hope you’re well on your way to creating an efficient Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) implementation training program. A CRM training program helps your team operate efficiently and continually improve through program adjustments and updates.

Having an adequate training program not only increases your chance of successful adoption, but it is also an important step in helping users remain self-sufficient and collaborative with fellow team members.

In the final stage of your training program, you’ll want to address how users can become experts within the CRM system.

Expert level CRM users are efficient and help you gain a 360-degree view of your constituents—helping your institution create highly customized offers based on their interests, donor history, and more. Additionally, in today’s technology-dominated world, donors demand and expect a whole new level of attention—they expect your advancement team to deliver a great donor experience. A great donor experience is impossible without ongoing and meaningful communication, and an expert CRM user can help you achieve these goals.

Here’s how to create the “becoming an expert” section of your advancement CRM training program.

Become an Expert

There are training topics you can immediately identify as expert level and develop as a part of your initial CRM training curriculum. Most of these topics will evolve over time as people become more familiar with the system.

Listening and getting feedback will be vital to helping you evolve courses over time and discover training gaps. Create simple ways for users to communicate their ideas about their experience within the advancement CRM system. Users should have an easy way to communicate, not only the quality of training they receive, but additional training needs they discover along the way. The training gaps reported can inspire courses and help users expand on their abilities.

As you continue to build the expert level section of your CRM training program, look for the most efficient workflow and methods to help increase productivity by leveraging tools and technology.

Checklist for the “Becoming an Expert” Section of your Advancement CRM Training Program

The end goal of the expert level training should be getting folks to increase productivity and find the information they need to make data-driven decisions. Here’s what to include in the becoming an expert section of your advancement CRM training.

• Shortcuts: Create in-depth instruction of intermediate and advanced level features to increase efficiency and offer timesaving methods.
• Self-service tasks: Offer training that help users create their own notifications and build their own query or report.
• Advanced searches: Show users how to conduct advanced searches and data mining.
• Specialized tasks: Build training courses based on user feedback or on specialized tasks that may occur on an infrequent basis.

(This is the third article of a four-part series on creating an advancement CRM training program. Stay tuned for more great content!)

If you’ve been following along on our four-part content series, you’re well on your way to creating an effective training program for your Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) implementation.

To recap on the first two articles, we first talked about the importance of setting parameters for the getting started section. Then, we talked about how to create the learning the basics section for your CRM training program. We also explained the importance of a CRM training program and how it serves as the foundation for your team to operate efficiently and continually improve through program adjustments and updates.

Now that you have prepared both the getting started and learning the basics sections, it’s time to move on to proficiency. Building proficiencies in your CRM core competencies is an extra step. But there are standard shifts in the industry, and if you don’t make the shift in your training, it can have adverse effects.

Here’s how to create the “building proficiency” section of your advancement CRM training program.

Create Proficiencies

As you create the proficiency section of your CRM training program, follow the learning path that is best suited for job responsibilities—evaluating the level of mastery. Help users build proficiency in working within the advancement CRM software to fulfill their job responsibilities.

Users should not be on an island. Construct a working knowledge of advancement CRM functional areas for departments that frequently interface. This prevents users from working in a silo and develops a working knowledge of how colleagues use the system.

To achieve this, create instructions for how to prepare reports. But be careful how you approach report training. Preparing reports can easily turn into “how to get data out of the system” which can lead to building shadow databases—not the method you want to use. People tend to build shadow databases in legacy systems because they export and use the data elsewhere, then the system doesn’t know what they’re doing.

Avoid this tendency by framing a question. In your building proficiency CRM training program section, include ways for users to access the reports they need—including next steps to take within the system to gain the information.

Include a section that prompts questions. For example, only after they identify what problem they’re trying to solve, they can decide on the appropriate report.

Include prompts to help them answer this question.

What reports or actions do I need to take in the CRM system based on the answer I expect to receive?

When it comes to working within the CRM database, something is wrong if users can’t continue to work within the system. They shouldn’t have to leave to gain information or assess reports that are directly related to your CRM data. Include instructions for how they should let someone know if they aren’t able to continue working within your CRM program.

Checklist for the “Building Proficiency” Section of your Advancement CRM Training Program

The building proficiency section of your advancement CRM training program should help users build upon their basic level of knowledge, most specifically, using it to create reports and analyze data. Here’s what to include in this section of your advancement CRM training program.

• In-depth instruction: Create training that helps users effectively use the features within the CRM or perform a specific set of tasks in the advancement CRM software. For example, how to maintain constituent records or manage prospect strategies and plans.
• Real-life scenarios: Include real-life scenarios that staff members may encounter frequently in their daily tasks. This helps users become more self-sufficient and advanced within the CRM system.
• Data consumption: Offer an overview on how users can use dashboards and reports to answer a question. Demonstrate the next steps they should take within the system based on their answer.
• Data management and Security: Review your policies and guidelines on when and how exporting data should be completed.
• Business rules: State what information is tracked within your CRM database in a certain way and illustrate why.

(This is the second article of a four-part series on creating an advancement CRM training program. Stay tuned for more great content!)

In case you missed our first article, let’s recap. Implementing an advancement Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) training program is vital for successful long-term adoption. But it also helps to bring everyone on your team up to speed—developing their skills and helping them work effectively. Your CRM training program serves as the foundation for your team to operate efficiently and continually improve through program adjustments and updates.

It is easy to create siloed CRM training courses that teach users what they need to know in the system. This method of training perpetuates a siloed culture and hinders your ability to achieve the 360-degree view of the constituent that everyone desires.

Instead, create a comprehensive advancement CRM training program that not only teaches users how to operate within the system, but also where to turn should they need additional training and support.

Here’s how to create the “learning the basics” section of your advancement CRM training program.

The Basics

If you don’t know what people are doing within the CRM system, that’s a lost opportunity. Your team may wonder why there isn’t collaboration. Sometimes this is because a lack of knowledge, or a narrow-minded thought process that says, “I know what I do, I know how to do it,” without any idea of what team members are doing.

Deter this way of thinking by designing the advancement CRM training curriculum from the big picture concepts for all users. This allows everyone within the CRM system to understand how their interaction in the advancement CRM software will affect their colleagues.

All users should know and take responsibility for having the same kind of knowledge regarding your advancement CRM. People should be able to speak intelligently about what their system supports and how it is used by the entire division, especially from the aspect of who’s going to be directly in it or who is receiving information.

Within the “learning the basics” section, review the high-level business processes that are supported by your advancement CRM. Include guidelines for collaboration and outline who will using the program. As you create this part of your CRM training program, emphasize the domino effect, reiterating to users that what they do in the system affects their colleagues. They should be mindful of these questions.

• Who will have access to the system?
• Who will not have access to the system but will receive data from the advancement CRM?

Additionally, communicate the common language that will be used going forward in advancement at your institution. This is even more important if you’re not using the same language and terminology from the old system—make users aware of these changes to avoid confusion or muddled data.

And finally, teach people how to search for information within the advancement CRM. Most of the time, the reason why users are in your CRM system is to navigate constituent records. Help users build proficiency in searching for information by teaching them not only to click through the advancement CRM software, but also how to navigate a constituent’s record.

Checklist for the “Learning the Basics” Section of your Advancement CRM Training Program

The “learning the basics” section of your advancement CRM training program should explain the base-level knowledge every user should know. Here’s what to include in this section of your advancement CRM training program.

• Core modules: Give an overview of core modules, including functional areas in the advancement CRM software along with defining commonly used terms.
• Set Expectations: Clarify what type of information is available in the database and what type of information is not.
• Data Sources: Give an overview of who will receive information from the advancement CRM and how it will be used.
• Informational Flow: Offer an overview of what information will flow into the advancement CRM. For example, all students with conferred degrees are loaded from the student information system in June. Or data from the patient information system is loaded daily.
• Security: Discuss the approach to security and guiding principles, including adherence to organizational policies and industry best practices.

(This is the first article of a four-part series on creating an advancement training program. Stay tuned for more great content!)

It’s one thing to implement an advancement Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) program, but it’s an entirely different concept to live and breathe it in everyday life—that’s the hard part.

Adequate CRM training helps to bring everyone on your team up to speed—developing their skills and helping them work effectively. But because of your CRM’s complexity, you will need to develop a training program and curriculum to address knowledge gaps about the new software and new processes. Applying an advancement training program is important to ensure staff can successfully climb the steep learning curve introduced by your advancement CRM implementation.

This training program will serve as the foundation for your team to operate efficiently and continually improve through program adjustments and updates. As new team members are hired, this will become a part of their onboarding experience. Existing team members can also participate in refresher training so their skills will continue to evolve.

Organizations of all sizes are realizing strong return on investment (ROI) from technology. But more resources don’t necessarily translate into bigger returns. Research from Tech Impact Idealware suggests that what matters more is the combination of practices and culture that help organizations select the right tools and unlock their value.

In fact, the average ROI for CRM is $8.71 for every dollar spent. But when properly implemented, the ROI of a CRM software system can exceed 245 percent.

Support System

At the culmination of the advancement CRM implementation, your excitement might quickly turn to anxiety—this shift is common in the early stages of your advancement CRM training program. This is because reality starts to set in, and you may be thinking, “we’re really doing this.” Which may then turn into worry about how to set the foundation and infrastructure to do so.

Before you jump into your advancement CRM training, create a plan and support system that will be available to users. Use the first part of your training course to review this infrastructure—this helps to reduce the anxiety and set the stage for a better training experience.

This also helps to assure your users that training won’t be a solo endeavor. It shows them that your CRM training program is a partnering process where they can learn what advancement CRM resources are available, how (and when) to use them, and a place to turn to when they get stuck.

Here’s how to create the “getting started” section of your advancement CRM training program.

Getting Started

The objective of the initial CRM training courses in the “getting started” phase should focus on pinpointing what you have—identifying your advancement CRM resources, what’s being rolled out, and what’s available regarding training (not just the software but support.)

This stage of your training program needs to illustrate how users can get training. Knowing where to “get” training should be embedded in the course, not just a one-off email. The how to get training aspect must be formalized and emphasized throughout the course.

You’ll also want to establish learning paths—these make it easier for end users to track their progress and understand how content relates. Users can see where they’re going and how things unfold verses seeing one course at a time. Additionally, learning paths help users see what is involved and why it builds proficiency for their job and responsibilities.

Within this CRM training program phase, you’ll also need to include instructions for logging into your system and any special steps to access the system remotely. This is where you can introduce the rules of engagement—including any policies, confidentiality, and data agreements. Include the dos and don’ts of how to use your advancement CRM. And finally, establish guidelines for promoting quality data.

Checklist for the “Getting Started” Section of your CRM Training Program

Getting started doesn’t have to be an angst-filled endeavor. Use this checklist to start off on the right path.

• Develop learning paths: Create a schedule of courses to build proficiency for specific job functions or responsibilities.
• Identify how to get help: Include how to report an issue, self-service options (including videos, how-to guides), and identify a designated person should they need support from a live person.
• Distinguish how to get started: Create guides for how to login to the advancement CRM database. Include information on steps that need to be taken to access the system remotely, i.e., from home or on the road.
• Outline the rules: Include a review of usage policies, including signing a confidentiality and data usage agreement. Review how to secure and protect data. This includes password policies, limiting the export or download of donor lists, and saving information locally on your laptop.
• Promote data quality: All staff are responsible for data quality, and they should be diligent about entering information into the advancement CRM database correctly. Include information about how users can notify the data management team when incorrect information is identified. Label subject matter experts by department or include how to contact a centralized helpdesk.