Putting the Science into Moves Management Best Practices

Successful fundraising is the blending of art and science. As development professionals, we naturally gravitate toward the art of connecting with new or longtime supporters who believe in your mission and want to see your organization thrive. The meetings, dinners, coffees, proposals, and galas? Fun!

But the science of fundraising — the structure, systems, and processes that make it all sustainable — is just as essential.

The Science Behind Effective Moves Management

Making sure all your hard work is strategic, thoughtful, and effective requires more than good intentions. You’ve likely heard of moves management cycles, but what structure ensures they actually work?

And let’s be honest, sprawling spreadsheets stored on shared drives aren’t the answer. “I have an Excel document for that!” can’t be our rallying cry.

The secret to impactful moves management may already exist in your CRM system. While many CRMs can feel either too complex or too limited, they can be powerful tools when used strategically.

At Focus Fundraising, we recently partnered with a regional healthcare organization to bring structure and efficiency to their already strong fundraising efforts. Here’s how we did it.

Case Study: Building a Smarter Moves Management System

Our client had a strong track record with institutional giving and solid individual support from a small donor base. They recognized the opportunity to grow their individual major gifts program, but couldn’t expand their team in the near term.

That’s where Focus stepped in. We helped them become more strategic with their moves management efforts.

It’s worth noting that their CEO was already an engaged partner, but the Development VP wanted to refine collaboration so meetings were less about debating next steps and more about executing forward-looking plans.

The Tools: Maximizing CRM Capabilities

After reviewing their existing systems and moves management process, we took a deep dive into their CRM (Raiser’s Edge NXT) to unlock underused features that could support smarter workflows.

1. Constituent Codes

Result: Donors are now easier to identify by segment, supporting tailored strategies and more accurate reporting.

2. Prospect Management

Result: Each donor can now be prioritized by stage, allowing staff to focus their efforts strategically.

3. Opportunities

Result: Development leadership can now view the entire major gifts pipeline, forecast revenue, and track donor movement with clarity.

4. Actions

Result: The team can now see what’s upcoming with each donor, enabling proactive planning — especially around the CEO’s donor engagement schedule.

Tip: These features aren’t unique to Raiser’s Edge. Most CRMs include similar tools under different names. It’s all about how you use them.

Procedural Rules: Turning Tools into Best Practices

Tools alone won’t transform your strategy; clear procedures make all the difference.

We developed a set of rules that respected their staffing structure, were scalable, and minimized confusion, especially with data entry fields that used free text instead of drop-downs or checkboxes.

Consistent, accurate data is the foundation for strategic donor conversations and effective pipeline management, and yes, it’s the difference between data-driven strategy and spreadsheet chaos.

Key Benefits Realized

At the end of our engagement, the results were clear: we helped the client blend the art and science of fundraising into a system their entire team could use.

By including the full development team — not just senior leadership — from the start, we ensured shared ownership and consistent execution.

The outcomes included:

• Improved Leadership Planning
• Enhanced Pipeline Visibility
• Greater Clarity and Accountability
• Streamlined Operations
• Collaborative Planning
  

Take Your Moves Management to the Next Level

If you’re ready to strengthen the technical and procedural side of your moves management, Focus Fundraising can help.

We specialize in helping nonprofits turn CRM data and fundraising strategy into a cohesive, actionable plan.

Let’s talk about how we can work together to elevate your moves management system.