Laying the Foundation for Fundraising Success: Baylor’s Strategic Technology Transformation

In 2021, Baylor College of Medicine (Baylor) faced significant challenges with its existing technology. The college’s primary fundraising database, a 25-year-old Raiser’s Edge NXT (RE NXT) system, suffered from poor data quality, inconsistent data entry, and a lack of standardized processes. At the same time, Baylor had a small advancement team tasked with ambitious philanthropic goals to serve the renowned institution dedicated to education, research, healthcare, and community engagement.

Recognizing that its current systems and technology couldn’t serve its goals, the team at Baylor decided it was time for a change and set out on the herculean task of replacing its systems, processes, and technology. In particular, the team knew that implementing a new CRM would be a huge undertaking—this task can be overwhelming and disruptive to a team, making it difficult to manage internally especially when combined with day-to-day operational responsibilities. Baylor turned to JCA, not just for its technical expertise, but for its shared commitment to supporting the people behind the mission.

Together, JCA and Baylor worked together from project start through to the complete implementation of a new CRM system. The project took place over four years, and included the following project phases:

• Phase 1: Data Audit & System Assessment – to examine Baylor’s pain points and recommend next steps, and evaluating whether Baylor required a new CRM to support their goals
• Phase 2: System Selection – to select the CRM that would replace RE NXT
• Phase 3: Implementation – to move Baylor onto the new system.

For this case study, we’ll focus on Phases 1 & 2 of the project, and we’ll discuss the Implementation in a subsequent article.

Project Phase 1: Data Audit & System Assessment

This initial phase focused on examining the overall health of Baylor’s historic data as well as determining whether RE NXT was the right tool to support Baylor’s current and future CRM needs. For this phase, JCA conducted a data audit and interviewed Baylor’s team members to determine how they were using RE NXT to achieve their individual business goals.

As a result of its analysis, JCA shared in a final report to Baylor the key pain points that were causing problems for the advancement team and stifling growth. JCA found that in its long history with RE, staff had used the tool as a storage closet of data as opposed to a relationship management tool. Therefore, usage evolved over time without periodic maintenance, clean-up, re-evaluation and restructuring. Baylor also lacked defined and documented data management procedures and protocols for system usage.

Additionally, JCA determined that Baylor’s advancement programs and processes were not aligned to RE NXT and its functionality. The tool lacked robust reporting, digital marketing, and overall system design to support and sustain a fundraising program of the size that Baylor required.

Thus, JCA recommended that Baylor implement a more sophisticated CRM product that better meets the organization’s envisioned goals. With this recommendation, JCA also put forth several short- and long-term recommendations to help Baylor have immediate success with its current system while preparing for success in a future system. These recommendations included improvement to data management, shaping the data toward strategic goals, and preparing data for future conversion.

The assessment process provided invaluable insights into the root causes of Baylor’s frustrations and fostered buy-in from the entire advancement team. Holly Parrish, Principal Consultant at JCA who led the assessment phase, emphasized the importance of this step:

“The assessment process was painful at times, but it resulted in learning and opportunities for growth. We uncovered hidden frustrations—some people had just accepted inefficiencies as ‘the way things are.’ Getting all these pain points on the table allowed us to prioritize strategically.”

“The system assessment was eye-opening,” said Molly McColgan, Director of Gift Operations at Baylor. “It wasn’t just about identifying what wasn’t working; it was about truly understanding why and then collaboratively building a shared vision for the future. This process gave us the confidence to move forward strategically.“

Project Phase 2: System Selection

After the assessment phase was complete, the next step was to act on the biggest of Baylor’s critical priorities: replacing the fundraising database. The first step in replacing a fundraising database is evaluating potential replacement systems.

JCA provided guidance to Baylor on this process by delivering the following project elements:

• Requirements Development – a documentation of staff’s requirements and processes for the new CRM.
• Market Review – a review of the CRM marketplace that results in the suggested vendors for the inclusion process.
• RFP Development – the creation of the RFP for delivery to CRM vendors.
• RFP Submission Evaluation – the initial assessment of CRM proposals to help Baylor select which vendors to invite for demonstration.
• Vendor Evaluation Score Card – a quantitative tool to compare vendor offerings that is logical and clear.
• Demonstration Scripts – scripts that drive vendor demonstrations and show Baylor unambiguous views of how each vendor would handle requirements.
• Demonstration Management – facilitation of vendor demonstrations and post-demo evaluation.
• Due Diligence and Contract Review – assistance with vendor reference checks and assisted with contract negotiations.
• Project Administration – in which JCA employed its detailed project management methodology to align stakeholders and ensure control of project scope, deliverables, risk, and budget.

JCA’s guidance on this project allowed Baylor to pick a system with confidence, knowing that no process had gone unscrutinized, no question unasked, and no detail had fallen through the cracks. Afterall, a CRM is not only a huge financial investment, but a system that team members must interact with day in and day out—it can have a big impact not only on a team’s goals but on its morale!

At the end of the process, JCA didn’t choose a new system for Baylor, but ensured that Baylor had the information it needed to make a good decision—one that would provide the data environment for the team to succeed.

“JCA provided the strategic insight and structured guidance we needed to confidently navigate the CRM selection process,” said Stacey Cook, Vice President, Advancement. “Their deep expertise in advancement systems helped us align internal priorities, evaluate vendor options, and ultimately select a solution that best fits Baylor’s long-term philanthropic goals.”

To Be Continued…..

So, what system did Baylor select at the end of this system selection journey? Stay tuned for Part 2, which will come out in a few weeks!

Take Control of Your Technology

If your organization struggles to align technology with fundraising goals, a systems assessment is a valuable first step. It provides the clarity needed to prioritize needs and build a strategic roadmap for future success. Contact us to learn how our assessment services can guide you.