NeonCRM - Gets the job done for non-profits
July 20, 2018
NeonCRM - Gets the job done for non-profits
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
Standard CRM
Overall Satisfaction with NeonCRM
Neon CRM is primarily our fundraising database. It is a quick and user friendly way to keep track of, classify, analyze, and report on donors, donations, and fundraising campaigns. We also use Neon's online forms for processing donations and collecting other data for our services, e.g. travel information for our international rotation and foreign exchange programs.
Pros
- Web-based and user friendly interface (unlike some other CRM applications)
- Great customer service
- Easy-to-use reports and dashboards
Cons
- I believe that NeonCRM is not as "robust" as some other CRM applications. It has a reporting function but the ability to issue queries is not as flexible as, say, Raiser's Edge.
- I would like to see keyboard shortcuts in Neon. If you are doing lots of data entry, keyboard shortcuts are a must.
- I have occasionally experienced slowness - though this may be a browser issue!
- Neon is not as customizable as I would like - for example, on the "Fundraising Dashboard" I wish I could customize what information the dashboard shows. It would save me a LOT of time.
- 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.
Neon vs. The Raiser's Edge
Raiser's Edge is the gold standard for fundraising-focused CRM applications. However, it is so complicated that there are higher ed courses and certificate programs you can take to learn it all. The printed manual is hundreds of pages long. You can do TONS with it, of course, but on the other hand you could spend months mastering just one of its many functions. It is based on architecture from long ago, so it's not slick or user friendly -despite attempts to modernize with a couple of coats of paint (see RE:NXT). Not to mention it is very pricey indeed.
If that's not what you need or want, you can turn to Neon CRM as an alternative. Neon has both feet firmly planted in user experience and it will get the job done for basic reporting, email integration, donation processing, easy to read dashboards, it's portable to any device (nothing to download, no servers to host locally or otherwise) and pretty easy to learn. That is why I would recommend it for most users.
Raiser's Edge is the gold standard for fundraising-focused CRM applications. However, it is so complicated that there are higher ed courses and certificate programs you can take to learn it all. The printed manual is hundreds of pages long. You can do TONS with it, of course, but on the other hand you could spend months mastering just one of its many functions. It is based on architecture from long ago, so it's not slick or user friendly -despite attempts to modernize with a couple of coats of paint (see RE:NXT). Not to mention it is very pricey indeed.
If that's not what you need or want, you can turn to Neon CRM as an alternative. Neon has both feet firmly planted in user experience and it will get the job done for basic reporting, email integration, donation processing, easy to read dashboards, it's portable to any device (nothing to download, no servers to host locally or otherwise) and pretty easy to learn. That is why I would recommend it for most users.
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