University of Birmingham
Blackbaud CRM support
Project overview
Flow Strategies partnered with the University of Birmingham’s Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) to provide expert support in optimising their Blackbaud CRM. With increasing volumes of student data requiring integration, DARO needed assistance to ensure the seamless migration of this information while also improving system configuration and operational workflows. Over a three-month period, we worked closely with the team to enhance data management, improve accessibility, and streamline CRM processes.
How we approached it
Assess
The project began with a review of DARO’s existing CRM setup, focusing on student data integration, system functionality, and data accessibility for different teams.
We collaborated with both the DARO team and the university’s student data management teams to assess the missing student and alumni data from university-wide systems and identify how this information could be properly integrated into Blackbaud CRM.
This phase also explored challenges around how different sub-teams accessed and utilised the data, ensuring that any improvements made would support DARO’s long-term engagement and fundraising goals.
Plan
With a clear understanding of the gaps in data visibility and system functionality, we developed a structured approach to improve database configuration, allowing for better segmentation and usability of records. This involved designing a data import process to integrate missing student and alumni information while reconfiguring key elements of the CRM to make more data accessible to different teams within DARO.
We also worked with individual sub-teams to identify ways in which the CRM could better serve their needs, planning bespoke configurations that would allow them to manipulate and segment data in a way that supported more informed decision-making.
Implement
We worked directly with DARO to execute the plan, facilitating the import of missing student and alumni data from university systems into Blackbaud CRM. This process involved ensuring that the database structure was optimised for better visibility and usability while maintaining data integrity.
Alongside the data integration, we collaborated with different sub-teams to build out CRM functionality that enabled them to interact with data more effectively – creating spaces where they could filter, segment, and analyse records in a way that aligned with their strategic goals. Additionally, we provided responsive day-to-day support, troubleshooting system issues and refining processes as required.
Succeed
By the end of the engagement, DARO had enhanced data accessibility, enabling different teams to make better use of alumni information.
The improvements to database configuration allowed for more efficient segmentation and manipulation of data, ensuring that teams could extract meaningful insights and use them to guide engagement and fundraising efforts.
Our work provided a strong foundation for the university to continue refining their CRM use.
Feedback
“We found Paula at the perfect time. We were experiencing a short-term resource and staffing issue due to unexpected illnesses, but we had a long list of Blackbaud CRM builds, imports, and enhancements that needed to be completed for our stakeholder teams. Paula was the miracle we needed! I initially outlined 5 key projects to her that needed to be done, some of which necessitated liaising with other University teams and/or external agencies and vendors. Paula independently managed all 5 projects simultaneously, successfully completing each one whilst ensuring we had comprehensive notes on any processes she had identified or developed. During this, she was also able to pick up ad hoc requests for support from across the team. The whole team found Paula to be hugely knowledgeable, very easy to communicate with, extremely efficient, and highly responsive to need. I would have no hesitation in recommending Flow Strategies to any team for interim support, or for more comprehensive strategic consultancy.”
– Nicola Williams, Associate Director of Development Services at Development and Alumni Relations Office, University of Birmingham