A strategy that incorporates internal business processes and

A CustomerRelationship Management system (CRM) is used as a key strategy by business, andan ever-increasing number of small to medium sized businesses are implementinga CRM in order to improve their competitive position. CRMs are used to help abusiness collect, analyse and manage customer information through the use of ITtools and data analytics to respond to customer needs and by establishingrelationships that are beneficial to both the customer and the business. Businesses that have adopted a CRM as part of their strategies can expect togrow at a greater pace than similar businesses who have not adopted a CRM (Mohamad, et al., 2014). The implementation of a CRM has the ability to providethe following benefits to BMT to improve its competitive position:   Improved access to customer information; Greater knowledge of customers’ interests and demographics; Increased efficiency and automation of business processes; Improved customer feedback processes; Increased growth and revenue through enhancing business intelligence; membership programs, partnerships and sponsorships; Integration and improvement of marketing programs and feedback from these programs; Security and fraud compliance; Reduced maintenance and licensing costs; and Better collaboration and coordination between sites. A CRM is a corebusiness strategy that incorporates internal business processes and procedureswith external networks so a business can profitability communicate withrelevant customers.

A CRM involves all aspects of identifying customers, building relationshipswith these customers and shaping the customer perception of the business andits products (Mohamad, et al., 2014). By implementing aCRM, BMT can enhance its relationships with customers. BMT will have access tocustomer email addresses that can be used for campaign notifications of fundraising activities or other events held by BMT or its partners. A CRM providesa place for people to make donations as well. It can utilise data analytics tosupport strategic decision making and planning which is essential to ensuringthat management and the Board make the best decisions for BMT.

SocialMedia Presence Social media siteslike Facebook and Twitter have given businesses in the not for profit sectornew avenues to engage with the community and other stakeholders, especially concerningfundraising activities. These sites have also offered opportunities for not forprofits to increase their donor base and volunteer cohort (Saxton & Wang, 2014). Because mostadults visit social media sites on a daily basis, many businesses in thissector understand the importance of having a social media presence and arealready actively using it to raise funds and reach out to their patrons, donorsand volunteers. According to (Warner, et al., 2014). 98% of not forprofits have a Facebook page, and 57% have a Twitter account, with mostaccounts having thousands of followers.

Not for profits have also embracedother social media sites such as LinkedIn and YouTube to engage with largeraudiences and enhance fundraising efforts. Online giving has become asignificant way to acquire new donors, and these new donors often give largerdonations than traditional donors (Saxton & Wang, 2014). Users of socialmedia sites are increasing every year and with over a billion users on Facebookalone, having a social media presence is a good strategic move for a business.

Using social media is not something only for younger people, as use amongstpeople over 50 nearly doubled between 2009 and 2010 (Saxton & Wang, 2014). (Saxton & Wang, 2014) also states that the’fans’ an organisation has developed through social media channels gives riseto the ‘ social media effect’ which sees an organisation’s fans connecting withan ever increasing circle of online friends in their social networks. This hasthe effect of increased awareness of an organisation’s mission and the amountof donations it receives.

BMT can gain fromhaving a social media presence to connect with not only the current patronage, but also with the wider community. Social media will give BMT a platform toconnect with other people and organisations. Current patrons can share BMT’ssocial pages with their friends and family, which could benefit BMT in the wayof increased patronage, community involvement in fundraising activities, donationsand volunteer interest. All of these advantages help in giving BMT acompetitive edge in the marketplace. EffectiveChange Management Change isinevitable for business in the digital age, and is an unavoidable consequenceof implementing information systems (Ziemba & Oblak, 2015). To help businesses, its employees, customers and other stakeholders deal with the change that comeswith the implementing information systems, an effective change managementstrategy should be put in place to ensure a smooth transition to the newsystem. According to (Ziemba & Oblak, 2015) change management iswhere a business uses the tools, techniques and processes to manage the peopleside of change to achieve a desired outcome. Change management is acontributing factor to the success of many projects, and is a vital factor forsuccess for IT projects.

In IT projects, there is the configuration side of theproject and the other side deals with how the system is used by the peoplewithin an organisation. Such projects are not only technically challenging butalso heavily reliant on people resources and when these two are integrated, performance is improved (Bredmar, et al., 2014).  (Ziemba & Oblak, 2015) have summarisedvarious critical success factors for change management, which are outlined inTable 1. Table 1: Criticalsuccess factors for change management in IS projects