Neon CRM vs. Blackbaud TeamRaiser

If you are looking for a quick and easy database option, which integrates breezily with email clients like MailChimp and Constant Contact, and has built-in credit/debit card processing capabilities, NeonCRM is a very good option. An affordable alternative to Salesforce or Raiser's Edge, it does lack some of their "bells and whistles" but gets the job done. On the one hand, Neon features a shallow learning curve and solid user interface, and is web based and mobile friendly. On the other hand, Neon might not be totally appropriate for large or national level organizations because some of the reporting seems less "robust" than pricier alternatives...

Incentivized

TeamRaiser is well suited for peer-to-peer fundraising activities, such as large pledge-based events like walks and runs or DIY fundraisers of many different types.

• NeonCRM allows you to build events, take registrations, and customize those events. Customizations include different ticketing options, add-ons, promotions, etc.
• NeonCRM does a good job helping you track donors' activities/engagements.
• It also provides a variety of reporting mechanisms - from dashboard snapshots to graphical reports - that allow you to review programs at a glance or in-depth.

Incentivized

• Offers the ability to really customize a campaign on TeamRaiser.
• Provides milestones/badges that can be earned for participants.
• Provides custom pages that can be easily linked to a campaign.
• Gives the ability to send coaching emails to participants and for participants to send emails through the TeamRaiser system.
• Has a big support community.

Incentivized

• Learning the ropes is largely accomplished by reading manuals and watching videos. I don't learn that way. I'd much prefer to be shown. I guess I'm old school.
• They can be stingy with the customer support. We bought the big package and I still wind up going back to my salesperson to help me cut through any red tape to get what I need.

Incentivized

• Too many options so it can be hard to navigate.
• Requires a deeper HTML understanding to really get the most out of it.
• Would be better if the interface was similar to other original Blackbaud products.

Neon CRM was difficult and frustrating to use without IT experience, and way to costly for the a small to mid-sized nonprofit. We believe that we lost donors due to the inaccurate report system in Neon CRM

Continued use will ensure an ongoing increase in this type of revenue and provides an alternative way of raising funds for our supporters.

The Neon CRM system is confusing (we had to watch video tutorials and html code to understand many of the features, many of which we did not need). Around 2022, Neon started to go downhill. Bells and whistles were added that were of no benefit (to our nonprofit) and the system became even harder to use

It can be overly complex and requires a deeper HTML understanding than most outside of IT have.

As stated before, they push you to read the manual or watch the video when what I want is a human being to walk/talk me through it. Like I said, maybe I am old school but that's how I learn. It's been a challenge.

Incentivized

Great and easy to access to get support to resolve issues immediately.

We had to hire someone to implement our donors into Neon CRM

Having a better understanding of product and objectives prior to implementation would lead to more success.

It works. It's easy to customize for nonprofit and industry-specific categories. It does what it does well, and integrates with platforms that specialize in those areas rather than trying to be everything to all users.

Incentivized

While everydayheroPro and CrowdRise are easy to set up, already mobile friendly, have great interfaces, and are customizable, they lack some base capabilities that come with TeamRaiser, such as the ability to control the donation form, email capability, database syncing, badges/milestones, and custom pages. The everydayheroPro system has great potential, and we use it for our smaller DIY campaigns, but its support knowledge bank and customization is still so limited and can be frustrating to use because of it.

Incentivized

• Positive: Neon allows us to track, analyze, and optimize our fundraising efforts and outcomes. It is critical to our success.
• Positive: Neon works easily with our website, making donations easy for the donor.
• Positive: Neon is affordable in comparison with similar products.
• Negative: Neon is not well known (yet) so each new employees will probably need to learn it from scratch.

Incentivized

• Introduced our constituents to DIY fundraising.
• Provided another revenue stream that provides nearly $100,000 extra a year.
• Gets our constituents involved in the cause in another way.
• We've found a niche by using TeamRaiser in companies.
• Has provided more donor interaction for lower-tier giving groups that might otherwise receive little communication and stewardship from us.
• Seen returning participants raise more money year-after-year.

Incentivized