CRM manager, a software as a service (SaaS (News - Alert)) implementation and integration firm, is on track to continue to enhance its consulting services practice for helping nonprofit organizations to more efficiently share and manage information with and about their donors, volunteers and clients. 

The company offers a dedicated team of specialists to help nonprofit organizations to plan, implement or optimize their Salesforce CRM deployment. Those organizations that carry a 501c3 designation, or the international equivalent, can apply for a product grant for 10 licenses of donated Salesforce CRM through the Salesforce.com (News - Alert) Foundation.

This grant holds a market value that is a minimum of $15,000 per organization in just the first year. This value includes the discounted and donated consulting hours from CRM manager.

The best of breed approach deployed by CRM manager has led to a number of new partner relationships in 2008. The most notable partnership is that with Google (News - Alert) Enterprise Apps, which includes Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk and Google Docs. This approach is expected to continue to extend the capabilities and value of Salesforce CRM for nonprofits.

This will also allow nonprofits to apply for a Google grant for the Google Enterprise Apps, as well as grants for Google Checkout and Adwords to receive free advertising through Google.

In working with a number of Force.com AppExchange partners, CRM manager is helping these organizations to enhance their nonprofit solutions such as CRMfusion for data cleansing, VerticalResponse and SalesFUSION for email marketing, and currently expanding their relationship with Convio to include the Common Ground fundraising solution.

With its nonprofit practice, CRM manager has been able to deliver solutions to organizations that include the National Philanthropic Trust, the National Association for Olmsted Parks, Select Greater Philadelphia, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and 180 Turning Lives Around.

"Not every nonprofit is created equal, and CRM manager took the time to understand our projects, unique processes, and goals. This understanding, combined with the range of their expertise, convinced us to sign on for an ongoing consulting arrangement well beyond the transition to salesforce.com," explained Kiernan R. Mathews, Director at Harvard Graduate School of Education, in a Monday statement.

"With a small staff and a budget, we worried that our data would forever be stuck in an obsolete format--but with expertise from CRM manager, we found an efficient way to bring our strategy into the 21st century."

"Effectively managing constituents and customer relationships is a concern for most businesses. Nonprofits have similar issues for building and maintaining relationships with their valued members and donors, but often lack the tools and resources to easily manage these relationships," said Andy Atkins, Founder and CEO at CRM manager, in Monday’s statement.

"We recognize the needs of nonprofits and understand their challenges, especially in today's economy. By offering them a way to get started and better leverage Salesforce CRM, we improve their opportunities to more effectively connect with their donors, volunteers and clients."

Suzanne DiBianca, Executive Director of the Salesforce.com Foundation added: "We have a shared vision for supporting nonprofits who have limited resources and a critical need to build and maintain relationships across multiple constituent groups. Our partnership with CRM manager continues to yield success for the Salesforce.com Foundation and the nonprofit organizations we serve."

The nonprofit segment offers one of promise and value for vendors delivering solutions that are designed for this specific space. CRM manager has recognized the value that Salesforce CRM delivers to companies – both for and nonprofit – and is delivering solutions that maximize solutions these companies already use. In doing so, it is effectively driving demand for both CRM manager and Salesforce CRM.