It’s a well worn charity cliché: “Every penny raised goes straight to the cause!” We can have the debate about whether or not this is desirable another time; today I want to dig into why it’s so hard to know exactly how many pennies a charity has raised, given we look after them all so carefully. Why do the CRM and Finance systems often show different amounts raised? Why is reconciliation so hard?

Part 3 of the “Tidy, Sweep, Polish” Data Cleaning Trilogy 

You’ve Tidied. You’ve Swept. Your CRM is officially lighter, cleaner, and far less haunted by outdated records and phantom duplicates. But clean data isn’t the finish line—it’s the foundation. In this final post of our trilogy, it’s time to Polish: to refine, enhance, and put that data to work. 

Part 2 of the “Tidy, Sweep, Polish” Data Cleaning Trilogy 

In Part 1 of this blog series, we looked at how to Tidy your CRM: define what “good data” means for your school or university, set clear entry standards, and map out your retention policies. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves. 

It’s summer. The campus is quiet, the calendar a bit kinder, and the inbox (hopefully) not screaming. For advancement professionals in schools and universities, that rare breather can mean only one thing: it’s the perfect time for a CRM spa day. 

CRM improvement projects can unlock real benefits for your organisation, but only if they work as intended. That’s where User Acceptance Testing (UAT) comes in. UAT gives you a chance to try out changes in a safe, controlled environment before they go live for the entire company. It’s the final check that helps make sure what’s been built actually meets your needs.