As not for profit organizations, including membership, educational, and mission based groups, , they are reevaluating their investment in iMIS association management solution. If you are currently using iMIS, you may want to consider Microsoft Dynamics CRM as an affordable constituent management solution. Your employees and volunteers will get more done with less frustration.
Fund your mission, not your software
One of the top reasons that current iMIS users are evaluating their association management system is cost. Fiscal responsibility to your members requires vigilant evaluation of the costs to manage your organization.
With Microsoft Dynamics CRM, qualified non-profit organizations receive special pricing. The Non-Profit Solution for Microsoft Dynamics CRM includes out-of-the-box CRM functionality as well as customizations for:
- Donation and pledge management
- Basic membership management
- Basic volunteer tracking
- Campaign management
- Excel dashboard reports
- Payment solution for online donations
There is no association management system on the market today that gives you the functionality of Dynamics CRM for such a reasonable investment.
Make work easy for employees and volunteers
Training employees and volunteers to use out-dated systems takes valuable time away from the work that they could be doing to further your mission. Microsoft Dynamics CRM works directly through Outlook or through the web — there is no learning curve. The interface is easy to navigate with intuitive self-help buttons every step of the way.
Unlike iMIS, it’s easy to configure the system to match your terminology and business processes. Setting up automated workflow keeps balls from dropping no matter how many people are involved in the process.
Collaboration and web integration made easy
Another reason associations are making the switch to Dynamics CRM is the ease of integration with other systems that you use to manage vendor and partner transactions. If you are like most associations, you want to expand the services you offer to your constituents without big investments in customizations.
When you are ready to find out more about how much money and hassle you could save by switching to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, contact Sam Cool at [email protected] or 1-87PLANET11. has helped not for profits, commercial and educational institutions create a better world for the people they serve.
by Planet Technologies,
Andrew, I'd like to address your point of Microsoft not releasing or developing a solution created specifically for NFP's. Since the release of CRM 4.0 Online; Microsoft has updated and maintained a solution framework for their CRM software specifically for NFP's located here as a FREE product package:
Anyone can sign-up for CRM, pay the $9.99 Non-Profit pricing per-user-per month and easily install this addition which turns CRM into an NFP management suite. It handles donations, contacts, members, and pledges and allows organizations to track leads, marketing materials and associated case and service data (for issues and incidents). Clients get this all for the low-low price of $9.99/user/month
I'd like to see iMIS beat that or even come in with a comparable range. As far as consulting services are concerned, yes, users do use consulting organizations to set-up CRM if they have a need or want training or guidance, but its not a lifelong committment and users can quickly and easily customize CRM (which is a feat that I wouldnt recommend for a user of iMIS). If anyone out there would like to see what they would get for the NFP solution offered by Microsoft, please follow the link above and sign-up for a 30-day risk free trial of CRM (no credit card required).
-Paul
Altai Solutions has a complete Not for Profit solution based on Microsoft CRM. From membership management to event management to 20+ other modules, including a complete CMS control system built into CRM. Our clients range from cloud based 2 user systems to several 400 user organizations. One of our clients, a 400 user system recently performed their own upgrade! Our solution software is no more “consultingware” than any of the other legacy Big Boys (iMIS, TMA, Avectra, CGI).
We like ASI, and have nothing negative to say about iMIS, we are just different. Your nuts if you don’t consider both iMIS and Altai MSCRM in a demo! Visit our website: Call me at 717.448.6163 or email [email protected] to schedule your demo.
Kevin - thank you for drawing attention to the key fact that there actually is no Microsoft developed solution created specific for NFP's - just a bunch of essentially custom solutions developed by Microsoft VAR's like Navantis and Planet Technologies.
As to the comment about iMIS market share dropped due to losses to MS CRM - wishful thinking maybe?
In the most recent last 6 opportunities where iMIS has competed directly against MS CRM and/or Navantis, iMIS won 5, with one is still undecided. Once the true 'consultingware' nature of MS CRM based solutions are pointed out to prospects, the right choice is pretty obvious.
As to the comment about price - in all of the aforementioned competitive situations, the MS CRM solution was either similarly priced or more expensive than the iMIS solution - with on-going maintenance/consulting/custom programming costs likely to be substantially higher.
Not true Bob. Navantis has developed a very feature rich solution on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform that competes very well with iMIS. Using your logic one would have to conclude the AccPac is still the leader in mid market accounting software simply because they have legacy market share. Of course, reality is that that installed base is slowly eroding as new feature rich and less costly solutions are introduced to market. I agree with the author and believe you will see the market share numbers for iMIS descrease significantly in the next 12 months.
The only credible data on association market share is the Lehman Associates Survey. This survey finds iMIS is the Global Market Share leader with over 33% share of the association market in the major English speaking countries. In the USA, iMIS market share in the association market is close to 40%. Dynamics CRM does not register in the Lehman Survey with any marketshare. The fact is Dynamics CRM is not up to the level of quality of iMIS insofar as feature function. And any money saved on the software will be paid for five or six times over in services to get Dynamics CRM up to the capability level of iMIS. Software resellers who sell both iMIS and Dynamics CRM would never sell Dynamics CRM to an association. they know better. so buyer's of Planet Technologies, BEWARE!