Best CRM for start up fundraising: How to stop drowning in admin

Whatever your story, one thing’s for certain: nobody envisions spending the evening updating spreadsheets when you’re trying to make a difference in the world.

By the end of the day, you've been busy for hours but feel like you've barely moved the needle.

You're not alone - and you're not failing. But you probably are drowning in admin.

As one charity leader told the NVCO, “It’s relentless. Even when the work is good, you don’t have time to enjoy it.”

This is exactly when finding the best CRM for start up fundraising really becomes crucial, and is often when the great CRM vs spreadsheets debate typically starts. Harnessing affordable technology is a common way for small charities to claw back time and fight back against common challenges.

What common challenges?

Let’s see how many you recognise. When charities contact us about a charity CRM, we regularly hear the following all-too-common frustrations:

1. Individuals or small teams are constantly overwhelmed, taking on admin tasks because they can't delegate.
2. Manual processes take a long time, leading to inefficiencies and errors.
3. Individuals and small teams are in a world of stress, constantly worried about dropping balls or missing opportunities.
4. Everyone is exhausted from working harder but not seeing proportional results.
5. Leaders doubt whether they're cut out for the role, or if the charity will even succeed.

In fact, NCVO's recent "Power of Small" report found that mental health challenges were a consistent theme among small charity leaders, with many stepping back from leadership roles due to burnout. The emotional cost of having to "constantly prove their value" while working under pressure is pushing passionate leaders to their breaking point.

It’s time to lighten that load.

Let's start with some honest maths:

If you spend just 2 hours a day on admin tasks that could be streamlined:

1. That's 10 hours per week away from direct service delivery
2. 40 hours per month that could be spent building community relationships
3. 480 hours per year - time that could transform your mission

The best CRM for start up fundraising should address the specific challenges small charities face and help in meaningful ways, including getting you back some of that precious time. When you have a charity CRM on your side – Donorfy being an example - something shifts. Suddenly:

• Donor thank-yous happen automatically (but still feel personal)
• You can find information about any supporter in seconds
• Reports generate easily with accurate, up-to-date data
• Follow-ups are tracked and prompted so nothing falls through cracks
• Your communication becomes professional and consistent

This helps to ease:

Funding pressure: Charity CRM reporting tools help you generate the professional documentation funders expect without losing weeks to data compilation. Fundraising management tools also support you to diversify your income.

Time scarcity: More strategy, less data entry. Automated workflows handle routine tasks, so you can focus on the relationships and direct service that drive real change.

Representation struggles: Professional-looking reports and data visualisation help you present your case in funding and policy conversations in the same way a larger charity would.

General overwhelm: By reducing admin burden, a charity CRM helps create the "space to breathe" that small charity leaders and teams desperately need. The mental load of having to remember every detail is reduced.

What about fundraising specifically?

When it comes to fundraising, the best CRM for start up fundraising can transform how you approach donor relationships and income generation. Here's a couple of examples:

Income processing and tracking: Instead of manually recording donations in spreadsheets, your CRM automatically captures gifts from online platforms and events. They can also automatically processes Gift Aid – honestly! 

Fundraising campaign management: Whether you're running a Christmas appeal, emergency campaign or regular giving program, a charity CRM helps you segment supporters, track response rates and measure success - all crucial for showing funders your fundraising effectiveness. 

Grant and trust management: For many small charities, grants are a lifeline. A charity CRM helps you track application deadlines, manage relationships with trusts and store all the documentation you need for reports and renewals. 

Most charity CRM providers offer a free trial too, so you can explore the benefits in your own time. No pressure, no pennies spent. Here’s the link to Donorfy’s free trial.

Real talk from real charities

"When I think about how much time we used to spend on spreadsheets and manual processes, it’s incredible. Our fundraising role used to be around 75% admin, but now it’s closer to 50%."

- Lydia, National Churches Trust

"We get a lot of income through fundraising pages, and it would easily be a full-time job for someone to manage that. Using Donorfy to automate admin saves countless hours."

- Rachel, Snow Camp

"There’s only one of me! Donorfy saves time, helping make up for me being just one person, with the workload of more!"

- Leo, Care for Wild (UK)

While the best CRM for start up fundraising is a great place to get started, there are a couple of other time-saving tools worth knowing about, too:

Google Ad Grants provide eligible charities with up to $10,000 per month in free Google Ads advertising. Yes, you read that right! This can be transformative for small charities looking to raise awareness and attract donors, without touching limited budgets.

Charity Websites help small teams create a seamless online experience for supporters. I’m talking easy donor journeys, automated payments and complete control of content.

Here's Elizabeth Hutton, the CEO I worked with, explaining how these tools make all the difference:

I remember worrying that getting a charity CRM meant the charity was heading towards becoming more corporate, and we’d lose the “small charity passion” that was so important. In actuality, along with Access charity websites and Google Ad Grants, discovering Donorfy simply gave the charity the tools needed to meet day-to-day demands.

The CRM handled the paperwork, so we could focus on the people.

And people are at the heart of charity work, aren’t they? And that includes you - here reading this because you’re suffocating in admin.

Put on your oxygen mask first. After all, when your small charity thrives, so do the beneficiaries you support.

Ready to stop drowning in admin? Let's discuss the best CRM for start up fundraising  - because your community needs you at your best, not buried in spreadsheets. Get in touch for a chat.