Why Nonprofits Choose Data Collection Platforms + How They Use Forms to Automate Data Collection

Data collecting is becoming increasingly important for charity organizations. Nonprofits do a fantastic job, but donors want to know that their money is being used wisely, and foundations want to know that their assets are being used as intended. This type of responsibility is well-meaning. The difficulty is that it is easier and cheaper to achieve with the proper instruments. It creates new problems. But first, let’s look at how organizations are currently using data.

Why Nonprofits Choose Data Collection Platforms

Nonprofits find data collection platforms like 123FormBuilder for Salesforce more accessible to use and manage than good-old paper forms. They often use them to accomplish a specific goal, like making member registration easier. But with time, they could discover that a good-quality data-collecting platform is capable of handling far more, for example:

• streamlining forms data in a single accessible place
• surveying fundraisers for feedback before and after events
• saving organizational time by providing donors with straightforward forms that streamline the data collection process for you 
• helping new employees keep data clean and operational, per the Salesforce best practices. 

You can integrate online nonprofit forms into different processes specific to your organization, from hiring, training, and streamlining the workforce, to capturing donor leads and creating key access points between data and systems. They can become an integral part of your day-to-day processes.

How Nonprofits Use Forms to Automate Data Collection

Nonprofit organizations have different use cases based on their specific work sectors. What Salesforce does for them is facilitate program, donor and grant management, fundraising, and marketing. It becomes easier to track, measure, and modify relevant data.

When used correctly, data can provide nonprofits with a new perspective that helps them to strategize more creatively and efficiently. Data technologies are utilized for more than just data analysis; they are also vital in determining how to execute study results correctly. Nonprofits can strengthen and expand their impacts by harnessing and exploiting data-related technology.

Together, Salesforce and your data collection solution of choice (we recommend 123FormBuilder, of course) boost engagement, facilitate data collection and management, attract new donors, retain existing ones and improve user experience, among others.

Something nonprofits must acknowledge, because of their nature, is security. NPOs must tackle web form platform security because they have just as much to lose from security breaches, if not more, than everyone else. Therefore, they must choose a comfortable and secure online solution. 123FormBuilder for Salesforce is precisely that! It provides a stable and intuitive platform with existing templates and editable online forms. 

Paid workers from nonprofits account for more than 10% of all private jobs, according to a John Hopkins Employment report from 2019. It’s not a surprise that NPOs have limited resources and need more funds to fill important positions. 

This is where online forms come in. They become a straightforward solution that saves time and streamlines the hiring and onboarding process. You can read more about it from StratiForm’s case discussed in the NPO Forms in Salesforce e-book.

According to Statista, there are over 6 billion smartphone subscriptions worldwide. And that number continues to increase every day. Why is it important? Because it’s much easier to sign up or donate to a charity from the comfort of your smartphone or tablet, for example. And studies show a similar trend. Blackbaud Institute estimates that in 2021 28% of online donations to charities were made using mobile devices. 

NPOs must adapt to new technologies and user trends and develop adequate solutions. In this case, provide mobile-friendly data-collection solutions. 123FormBuilder for Salesforce can help with that, as it includes mobile-friendly templates.

But more than collecting data is required. A report from Nonprofit Hub says that only 5% of NPOs use data in their decision-making process.

While collecting data is great, 49 percent (of the surveyed nonprofits) said they either don’t know or weren’t sure about all of the ways their organization was collecting data.

According to the previously-mentioned research, 55% of NPOs claim that their people need to gain experience to use more data in their decision-making. 42% of NPOs stated they simply lack the resources to undertake analysis. 

The proper form builder integrations can simplify data collection and analysis processes, allowing existing personnel to care for other, more important matters. You can learn more from the Ultimate Guide to NPO Forms in Salesforce, where you’ll find practical examples of how 123FormBuilder for Salesforce can streamline activities in all aspects of your organization. 

There is much room for change and improvement, especially in mediums as busy as NPOs. The trick is to find the best software and tools for the job. Automated data collection solutions like 123FormBuilder for Salesforce solve many problems concerning old paper forms. It’s all a matter of implementing them into your NPO workflow.