Case Study:
Standards of Excellence (SOE) wants to make mission trips better for all parties involved. They needed help with marketing, database/CRM management, and strategic portfolio planning. Advisicon provided consulting and training—giving them more insight into how their organization is performing as a whole and bringing to light challenges that need to be addressed to increase impact and efficiency.
Business Situation
Standards of Excellence had a small fraction of the 100k+ organizations that send volunteers on mission trips, and they aimed to find and market their services to the remaining organizations. Fundamentally, they lacked a single database/CRM to organize their membership directory, marketing support for social media postings, or skills in project, program, and portfolio management. The nonprofit wanted to know how to strategically plan & examine their portfolio to determine which projects to work on first (or at all). To top it off, they struggled to logically prioritize their fundraising efforts.
Solution Delivered
The Advisicon marketing team met with SOE’s leadership team to provide feedback on the current state of their website, social media, and branding. Included in our comprehensive report, we provided suggestions to increase their reach and gather more members. We performed a CRM (constituent/customer relationship management) audit to provide a high-level gap analysis report of functionality and let SOE know exactly what their system was missing.
To prepare for the nonprofit’s future, a half-day strategic action planning session was held with the leaders and board of directors. Many projects were listed on a matrix and rated to determine how they align with the organization’s mission and strategy.
Benefits Received
SOE fully understands its marketing position and how to gain a greater audience. They’re well aware of the challenges that multiple Excel spreadsheets pose, and have a list of features to look for in a CRM. Strategic planning is on the top of their radar now and they know which projects/programs/events to tackle first. Specific criteria help them choose which to do next and which to decline.
Advisicon also became their CSP provider. Through Microsoft’s nonprofit program, SOE received ten free Microsoft 365 Business Premium licenses. Before, SOE was paying monthly for each license.
The Nonprofit Today
SOE continues to set the seven standards for excellence in short-term mission trips. Their Executive Director states: “I appreciate your drive and your know-how. And I’m so grateful for your patience and willingness to make adjustments to the conversations and outcomes along the way.”
