NEW (Nonprofit)

For nonprofit organizations, success is measured by the impact they have on the world around them.

NEW, a nonprofit consulting firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been making a meaningful impact on mission-driven organizations since its founding in 1993. They provide a wide range of services, including strategic planning, executive coaching, board development, and workshops on diversity, equity, and inclusion. NEW also offers IT, finance, and bookkeeping services and hosts learning communities to foster innovation among nonprofit leaders.

The Challenge

Before adopting Nutshell CRM, NEW faced several challenges in managing its operations effectively. They relied on CiviCRM, which had become cumbersome and lacked user-friendliness. The CRM’s complexity hindered team adoption and made it difficult to track client interactions across departments. NEW needed a more streamlined and visually engaging solution to support their diverse team.

“CiviCRM just wasn’t a visually stimulating platform, and it was complicated for our team, so people stopped using it.”

– Will Jones III, Relationship Manager at NEW

The Solution

Nutshell CRM emerged as the solution to NEW’s CRM challenges. Its user-friendly interface and customizable features immediately appealed to the organization. Nutshell allowed NEW to create tailored pipelines for different teams, enabling transparent tracking of client interactions across the organization.

“When somebody logs in to their Nutshell dashboard and can quickly see everything they need to get done that day, and it’s bright and vibrant, and there are different colors to engage you, it makes a difference.”

– Will Jones III

In addition, Nutshell’s ease of use ensured that team members of all tech-savviness levels could effectively utilize the CRM, fostering better adoption and collaboration.

The Results

Since implementing Nutshell CRM, NEW has experienced significant improvements in their operations. Visibility into customer interactions has allowed them to identify valuable opportunities and tailor their communications more effectively. This has led to more meaningful engagements with clients.

“Having that holistic sense of how folks are engaging with NEW makes our outreach more worthwhile.”

– Will Jones III

Moreover, Nutshell CRM played a vital role in helping NEW navigate the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. By shifting to virtual programming and retooling their approach to client interactions, NEW emerged from the pandemic with increased clarity about the value they provide.

“In a lot of ways, our team has gotten increased clarity on what makes the time we spend with our clients worthwhile.” – Will Jones III

Looking ahead, NEW’s top initiatives include expanding their leadership community focused on advancing racial justice and enhancing financial resilience among nonprofit finance leaders. They aim to transform organizations holistically and partner with foundations to achieve this goal.

Nutshell CRM has been instrumental in enabling NEW to overcome CRM challenges and transform their operations. With enhanced visibility, user-friendly features, and the ability to track client interactions seamlessly, Nutshell CRM has empowered NEW to continue making a meaningful impact in the nonprofit sector.