Neon CRM

We're a small environmental nonprofit with limited staff (4 FTE) and limited budget. We started using Neon about three years ago and it has proved a very capable, affordable solution. We use it to manage our membership files, mailing lists, credit card donations, event registration and our Birdathon (social fundraising like a walkathon). It was a HUGE improvement over our clunky old Access membership database. It also allows us to do all these things with one program, rather than separate programs for fundraising, event registration etc.

I also like that it is a cloud-based program, so if I am away from the office but need to look up a donor's email address or print out the attendance list for an event, I can do it from anywhere.

Of course there are downsides and occasional things that are a little clunky. Because it does so many things, there are instances where it won't manage a function as well as a program that is dedicated to that sole function. For instance, we would probably have more features in a social fundraising program that was ONLY social fundraising. BUT we don't have the budget or staff to manage multiple software programs and vendors plus multiple programs wouldn't be integrated like Neon is.

Our level of customer support from Neon allows us to submit help requests via email and get an email response. This took a little getting used to (there were times at the start where I just wanted to call up and get an immediate answer on the phone!). But the responses are usually very quick -- within an hour or two -- and on target. Once I got used to it, the email support system has worked fine for us.

I would definitely recommend Neon for other small or midsize nonprofits.

I've been mostly happy with the product. My disappointment, thankfully, have been very minor, and I can happily recommend this for anyone needing the advancved options that i did.

I wouldn't recommend Neon to anyone in fundraising. It is not only the volunteer module that we struggle with. In general we have a more limited capacity for pulling reports. The system tracks memberships and donations and soft credits. If you wanted to take a quick snapshot of all monies that have come into your agency between those fields it doesn't have a place that it's all collected, it's broken out in separate categories. In general the system is pretty and appears to have nice capabilities. If Neon was honest from the beginning we could have gone with a cheaper option and found something that works for our agency. Now we are stuck, spending thousands on a data transfer. If you are considering Neon, don't. Read their 'comments' in their support center - eye opening. This is a dishonest company with poor support and a subpar product.

Upgrading from an Excel donor database to Neon has brought our organization to a new level that I didn't anticipate. Beyond safely organizing donor information and easily exporting donor reports (expected), we now have a seamless donation process that allows us to quickly thank donors and keep in contact with them, showing our appreciation and cultivating long-term donor relationships (i.e., beautiful online donations forms, automated acknowledgement/thank you emails for donors, easy-to-use email marketing builder for donors and e-list subscribers).

Our overall experience with Neon CRM has been positive. I am excited to use the software creatively to diversify our revenue, and grow our social impact. Neon CRM was the exact "next step" we needed.