Establishing donor management systems with a free CRM for nonprofits to support growth

How M.O.M.S. Program streamlined donor engagement with a lightweight CRM setup

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M.O.M.S. Program supports single mothers in Dakota and Scott Counties through mentorship, education, and wraparound resources. With over three decades of service, their community-driven model has supported hundreds of families on the path to self-sufficiency. But despite their strong foundation, donor engagement was still being managed across a patchwork of Google Sheets, Quickbooks entries, and Constant Contact lists - creating inefficiencies and limiting impact.

With a lean structure - a solo Executive Director and a volunteer board - the organization needed a donor system that was effective without being overwhelming. M.O.M.S. partnered with Dept.1 to implement and configure Zeffy, a lightweight, free fundraising CRM built for nonprofits, while also cleaning up over a decade's worth of donor data. This included migrating contacts from multiple systems, removing duplicates, and tagging donors by type, history, and engagement level.

We also created a simple framework for donor stewardship including email templates aligned with the M.O.M.S. brand, tagging protocols, and follow-up lists to support year-end outreach and events.

The result of it all is a clearer fundraising path, less time spent managing spreadsheets and receipts, and more space for relationship-building. This ED now has visibility into donor history and can more confidently mobilize board members for donor stewardship.

Follow Dept.1 Solutions on the following platforms to stay updated on future projects and outcomes:

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If you'd like to give to M.O.M.S. Program, you can do so through the following link:

https://momsprogram.org/give-now/

M.O.M.S. Program is a tax exempt 501(c)3 non-profit organization that supports single mothers through mentorship, education, and wraparound resources. If you'd like to learn more about M.O.M.S. Program, please visit their website: https://momsprogram.org/