Since Day One, we've been inspired by the folk donorflex was created to help, and by the causes that depend upon them. It's part of our DNA. So is the fact that we're not shy about saying we've learned lessons along the way.
VIDEO: 30 YEARS IN NINE MINUTESdonorflex was conceived to manage the all-important task of acknowledging donations in the crucial, very early days of the West Midlands Childrens Hospice Trust, back in 1988. Call it Customer Relationship management, or CRM, if you wish. To us, its always been good old-fashioned supporter care.
Life in a fundraising office has certainly become more complex, so weve always provided the technology to make efficiency the driving force. Its what people need most, day in, day out, when theyre leading busy lives.
And no, were not embarrassed to say that weve learned more than a few lessons from our customers during the past three decades. Lets start with these, and then chat about what it is you need us to deliver to your mission:
Without our users, we wouldnt have notched up more than 30 years as an independent CRM supplier. Its that simple.
donorflex is the ever-evolving consequence of what users have told us they needed over those three decades. The feedback comes from face-to-face chats, regional user roadshows, support calls, and casual conversations at external events. We weigh up the common need, and take it from there.
Its crucial to the part we play in the operations of our clients. In fact, its at the very forefront of what we do, and how we do it. We know exactly what people want, in that respect. Thats understanding, time and attention.
Its not uncommon for us to take 7,000-plus support calls during the course of a year. The last time we did the maths, it took us an average of just 16 minutes to put our clients back on track.
No quotas or support limitations either, youll be pleased to hear. Just a desire to resolve the issue at hand.
Heres what we reckon a great product is and does:
In short, its the colleague that never takes a day off and knows the right answers to the right questions.
Datas your most valuable resource, right?
It goes without saying, then, that what you put in to your CRM database is inextricably connected to what you draw out.
Thats why, for our clients, everything starts with great data policy and coding. And why donorflexs search, enquiry and reporting processes and its real-time dashboards will make your day.
Its like that because we know what you need. And we know because we listen when you tell us.
When you pick up the phone to call us, youll be talking to someone whos been with the donorflex team for an average of 16 years. Yes, 16 years! How many other suppliers can say that?
We know that sharing your values, and being interested and inquisitive, helps us to make a difference to what youre doing. In other words, no staff-churn here to throw a spanner in the works and break that well-established rapport.
Like any organisation, theres the odd day when were a little below par. Most of the time, though, we punch above our weight.
Weve worked hard, as a family run independent supplier, to involve ourselves with the people and organisations who matter in the UK charity sector the Institute of Fundraising, the Fundraising Regulator, the ICO, the Hospice Income Generation Network (formerly the National Association of Hospice Fundraisers), Hospice UK, the Hospice Lotteries Association, and the National Lotteries Council, to name a few.
Engaging with them keeps us on-point, and up-to-date and able to engage with our users in an informed and informative way.
The world we call home, the UK charity sector, is essentially a big village. People move, but you still dont have to step too far this way or that to find someone you know, or someone who knows someone you know.
We attend the conferences that we can almost guarantee bring us closer to our subject and our users.
We prefer word-of-mouth and recommendation to spread the word, rather than waving a big marketing budget around.
Oh, and no cold-calling. After all, you can hard-sell a mobile phone, but not a CRM database.
We were lucky to be a part of those early days at the West Midlands Childrens Hospice Trust or Acorns Childrens Hospice, as it became more famously known when the need to say thank you to its first generation of Second City supporters was so important.
It was the moment when the UK hospice sector began to blossom. The rest, as they say, is history. And careful planning. And diligent development. And being great at listening.
Thats taken hard work. Weve had our fair share of what you might call failures, as most organsiations have. You know, the next great thing that didnt take off. Thats how weve learned and been able to equip our cherished clients with the functionality that matters and makes a difference.
We work with the key drivers of the UK charity sector.