In Use:
CRMs offer nonprofits a centralized view of their organization in terms of analytics, reporting, and donor interactions which allows them to make smart decisions for their organization and work towards achievable goals for the organization. D365 is no different. With their ability to automate their complete donor lifecycle - a nonprofit organization can “enable personalized interactions through a 360-degree view of donor and volunteer engagements.”
Through D365, a nonprofit can manage their donor database, drive financial growth, automate processes, and report on analyzing data using Microsoft tools like Azure and PowerBI.
While many CRMs offer similar features to solve for these problems- D365 takes it a step further. Through their offering, nonprofits can leverage Microsoft created tools and services (known as power apps) and integrations with business applications that are heavily discounted or free to further help a charity streamline and automate processes within the organization.
Finally, Microsoft D365 provides nonprofit organizations all of these features for a discounted price. According to their website, “eligible nonprofits can get Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise free for up to 5 seats and discounted pricing of $23.80 (USD)* per user/month for additional users.” This is 75% off the commercial price. Adding on power apps come with additional costs - but Microsoft is dedicated to helping nonprofits access their software through grants and discounts.
Technology Used:
As stated above - with Microsoft D365, nonprofits have access to utilize Microsoft Power Apps and Business Applications that help nonprofits streamline processes within the company through Microsoft’s App Store. According to Microsoft, Business Applications, “help nonprofits unlock new opportunities to drive digital transformation by breaking down data silos to connect beneficiaries, employees, donors, and volunteers with products, solutions, and operations.”
Among the Business Applications available to nonprofits in the United States are DonorSearch; Now IT Matters; and Wipfli.
Ease of Use:
While small and medium nonprofits can afford Microsoft D365 - a large nonprofit can benefit the most from a powerful CRM. Similar to Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud software, the learning curve for a product like D365 can be time consuming - it’s not a software where a nonprofit volunteer can login and master in an afternoon. There’s also the cost of integration of a nonprofit’s data into the platform that can be expensive and time consuming.
That being said, once a nonprofit gets used to the software - the dashboard is clean and easy to navigate. Microsoft also provides different trainings and assets to get a nonprofit up to speed with the software quickly and efficiently.
Recap:
Microsoft Dynamic 365 is a CRM that enables nonprofits the opportunity to manage their organization with one software. With D365- charities can track donations, manage volunteers and report on metrics.
Microsoft offers nonprofits a 75% discount along with access to Business Applications and other Microsoft software like Azure or Power BI.
Advantages
- Nonprofits can access steep grants and discounts
- Charities can take advantage of other Microsoft apps available to them
- Trainings and customer support available to nonprofits
Disadvantages
- Even though nonprofits can apply for grants and discounts- it can still be expensive as there are additional costs associated with integration and Business Applications
- Complex software that takes time to learn and navigate
My Opinion
Microsoft D365 is a powerful CRM that can help nonprofits automate functions and processes within their organization - leaving them more time to help their community. In my opinion - a D365 would be ideal for a large nonprofit versus a smaller nonprofit with minimal employees.
D365 is a beneficial yet complex tool that can be pricey even with the discounts Microsoft offers. If your organization is not going to utilize all of D365's tools and features- it might not be worth it. As a small to medium charity a better option would be a simpler CRM that will save an smaller charity both time and money.
