Customer story: Diocese of Bristol

When Tara Nelson joined the Diocese of Bristol in 2023, she faced a unique challenge: modernising an organisation older than the postal system. “We didn’t even have a spreadsheet of church addresses,” she explains. “Some churches have been around since before the Norman invasion - spreadsheets didn’t exist then!”

The Diocese supports hundreds of churches, each operating as independent charities. From dementia cafés to youth outreach, food banks to mentorship for ex-convicts, their work is vast, but their data was scattered. Tara was tasked with transforming this landscape using Access Donorfy.

Building a centralised system

Starting with an empty Donorfy instance, Tara began integrating legacy systems, cleaning data, and creating a centralised CRM. “Donorfy made complicated information look simple,” she says. “It gave us a place to put everything and made it accessible to everyone.”

Donorfy’s intuitive interface and icon sets helped demystify the Church’s ancient hierarchy.

“We’ve got benefices, deaneries, archdeaconries - it’s a lot. Features as simple as Donorfy’s constituent icons make it easier to understand, and the data more usable.”

Empowering fundraising and supporter care

With Dotdigital integrated, the Diocese could better segment communications and personalise outreach. “We have far fewer spreadsheets flying around now,” Tara says. “Lists are clean, accurate, and easy to manage.”
Donorfy also enabled better supporter care. “Most people don’t realise just how hard vicars work – they’re CEOs, sometimes of several ancient local charities, working long hours for 6 days a week, managing as many as 8 ancient buildings. Donorfy helps our comms team to be respectful of their time and occupy a position of trust.”

Reporting and communication: From fragmented to focused

Before Donorfy, the Diocese of Bristol struggled to track and share its impact. Data lived in isolated spreadsheets, often buried in individual inboxes or legacy systems. “If something succeeded, it was tied to local context and rarely recorded,” Tara explains. “The Church does so much, for so many people. But, because it’s “just what we do”, no one could see it.”

This is something Donorfy is helping to change.

With everything in one place, the Diocese can now report on its activities with clarity and confidence. From grant success rates to event attendance, insights are no longer anecdotal—they’re actionable.

1. Real-time visibility into supporter interactions and fundraising outcomes
2. Clean, standardised data that’s easy to analyse and share
3. Simple, repeatable reports that help teams make informed decisions

This transformation has also improved internal communication. “Donorfy lets us put the right information in front of the right eyes. It’s not just about data—it’s about trust, clarity and connection.”

Driving measurable impact

Thanks to Donorfy, the Diocese can now track and report on its impact:

• So far in 2025, £687,000 of new, external funding for churches through 37 successful grant applications
• 71 churches supported with fundraising guidance
• Massively simplified case briefing ahead of visits to churches, with Donorfy being used to store past conversations, measure initiative participation, and even 3D scans of church buildings.

Creating a connected community

Donorfy has helped the Diocese move from isolated efforts to a joined-up community. “We’re less of a faraway bureaucracy,” Tara explains. “We’re recognised, trusted, and welcomed.”

Even quirky data, like which churches have bell towers, now lives in Donorfy. “If the King dies, we need to ring all the bells. Now we know exactly who to contact!”

Why the Diocese recommends Donorfy

“All your local insights, all the knowledge you feel you don’t have but your colleagues do, it all fits in Donorfy. It’ll look good there, it’ll be accessible, and it’ll help you do a better job.”

Donorfy is more than a CRM, it’s a catalyst for collaboration, visibility and impact. For the Diocese of Bristol, it’s the digital heartbeat of a centuries-old network.

Want to learn more about Donorfy?

Donorfy is trusted by charities across the UK to simplify supporter care, supercharge fundraising, and build lasting relationships. It’s more than a CRM—it’s a tool that charities genuinely love.

“Donorfy is the tool for charities that people recommend because they kind of love it. It’s the one people speak fondly of.”

 — Tara Nelson, Diocese of Bristol

If you're ready to bring your organisation into the digital age, get in touch today and discover how Donorfy can help you do more, with less.