This session will address how the implementation of a customer relationship management, or “CRM,” tool has improved management of data about donor relations and opened up new possibilities for assessing the effectiveness of outreach to record creators. DePaul University Archives must rely on a pool of “perpetual donors” to provide fresh infusions of records to the institutional repository. Lessons learned from colleagues in sales and fundraising have informed the way the Archives has overcome challenges in reporting, cultivating new contacts, and “staying on the radar” of past donors who, as employees of a thriving institution, will certainly be asked to give again. Leveraging CRM software that provides contact profiles, overviews of in-person and email interactions over time, and flexible data gathering has contributed immensely to insights about the donor pool and managing its expansion.
About the Author:
Andrea Bainbridge has served as University Archivist in DePaul University’s Special Collections and Archives Department since 2010. She earned a Master of Library and Information Science degree from Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, and previously served as Senior Archivist at the American Medical Association. She is a proud member of the Chicago Area Archivists and Midwest Archives Conference.
