Angel Capital Association »
The Angel Capital Association is an alliance of more than 200 regional groups of angel investors. The ACA provides research, networking and support to angel organizations and their individual members. Based in Kansas City, the ACA is sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Problem
The Angel Capital Association wanted a faster, more efficient way to manage data about members and programs.
The existing method consisted of several different systems, some paper-based and others electronic, which were separate from each other and time-consuming to execute. They needed a single system that could collect and track member data, handle event registrations and manage a detailed application process. As a nonprofit with limited staff and a heavy reliance on volunteers, ACA wanted a system that would allow volunteers to work from their homes or offices. Finally, they needed scalability, so that as the organization grows, they can easily update and improve the system.Solutions
- Salesforce Integration: Duo integrated Salesforce, a web-based customer relationship management (CRM) application, with ACA’s existing website. Visitors to the site can now register and pay for events, subscribe to the newsletter or complete the application form – all online. Members of ACA are able login to receive messages, access the membership database and review documents. Salesforce was customized to capture all member and event data; and reports were developed to provide multiple views for analysis.
Results
- One-Stop Data Management: With the integration of Salesforce, ACA has a single, consolidated platform to manage information about member groups, individual members, events and applications.
- Faster Decision-Making: By moving the entire application process online, ACA is able to respond much more quickly to prospective members. Under the prior system, paper applications had to be printed and mailed or faxed to committee members for review. Now, committee members receive an email notice of a new application and read and review it online, saving time and expense. ACA has also reduced the labor involved in processing applications because data from the form is imported directly into Salesforce – no longer requiring data entry by hand.
- Cost-Savings: ACA was able to save significant costs by using Salesforce, which is free for nonprofits for up to 10 users. Because Salesforce is fully customizable, ACA was able to save development costs by using built-in features, instead of paying for additional forms, which would have added significant additional expense.
- Scalability: Because Salesforce is an industry-standard CRM product, ACA is assured of flexibility. The product is fully supported, widely used and can be upgraded with dozens of partner-products to extend its functionality, should ACA need to add or upgrade.
