Providing Bible Society of Portugal with a Comprehensive Digital Transformation

The Challenge

The Bible Society of Portugal, dedicated to spreading the Bible and engaging people with its teachings, faced significant challenges in managing its growing contacts database and conducting effective fundraising campaigns. Historically, the organization relied on an outdated Microsoft Access database, multiple spreadsheets, and a primary sales system that couldn’t keep pace with its expanding needs. This issue became particularly evident in 2004 when the handwritten Bible project generated thousands of new contacts, overwhelming the existing systems and hampering their ability to engage effectively.

Adding to these challenges, the Bible Society of Portugal, like many Bible Societies globally, relies heavily on Bible sales as a primary source of income. However, with the rise of digital resources like YouVersion, this revenue stream is decreasing, putting pressure on the organization to diversify its income sources. To secure a more sustainable future and fulfill its mission, the Bible Society urgently needed to accelerate its fundraising efforts. A comprehensive solution was required to provide a 360-degree view of donors, automate fundraising campaigns, and transition from manual, paper-based processes to a more sophisticated digital approach that could support these new initiatives.

The Solution

The Bible Society of Portugal partnered with Raise N’GO to implement:

A Fundraising Solution based on the SalesforceCRM: The Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). This powerful tool enabled the organisation to consolidate all donor and contact information into a single, accessible platform, automate their fundraising processes, and create a seamless integration between their website and Salesforce. The new system also allowed for more effective communication with donors and supporters, with personalised donor journeys and campaigns that reflected the organisation’s mission.

Donation Forms and Payments: They also integrated donation forms with the CRM and a local payment provider

Receipts: A solution for generating receipts management on Salesforce, which allows the team to save time, save resources and automate this area.

Marketing Cloud and Acquia: The team supported a Marketing Cloud and Acquia integration to power communications easily.

The Impact

Fundraising Impacts

360-Degree Donor View: The implementation of Salesforce provided the Bible Society of Portugal with a holistic view of all donor records, streamlining data management and ensuring all information was kept in one place.
Seamless Integration: The donation aspect of the Bible Society’s website was directly connected to Salesforce, allowing for smooth data flow and enabling the team to manage online donor journeys more effectively.
Increased Income: Since implementing Salesforce, the Bible Society has seen a 10% year-on-year increase in income, attributed to the improved efficiency and reach of their fundraising campaigns.
New Campaigns: With Salesforce, the Bible Society launched the “Partnership” campaign, encouraging donors to contribute to the mission of distributing Bibles. This campaign has significantly furthered the Bible Society’s cause.
Time Savings: The organization saved substantial time previously spent on manual tasks, allowing the team to focus more on strategic initiatives.

Data Impacts

Data Expansion: The Bible Society’s contact database grew from 4,000 to over 30,000 contacts managed within Salesforce.
Newsletter Integration: Salesforce was connected to the Bible Society’s newsletter, feeding data directly from the website and facilitating more targeted communication.
YouVersion Bible App Collaboration: The Society leveraged Salesforce to integrate with the YouVersion Bible App, receiving up to 70,000 contacts annually, then engaged through personalized communication.
BibleBooster Integration: The Bible Society of Portugal is expanding their bible engaging outreach through the integration developed by Raise N’GO between the Biblebooster and the CRM Salesforce.

Communication Impacts

Digital Transformation: The organization transitioned from paper-based communication to a fully digital system, sending over 20,000 emails monthly through a Salesforce-integrated marketing tool.
Donor Communication: Salesforce made tracking and communicating with new donors easier, enhancing the effectiveness of the Bible Society’s outreach efforts.

Why Raise N’GO?

The Bible Society of Portugal chose to work with Raise N’Go due to their deep understanding of the nonprofit sector and their ability to tailor Salesforce solutions to specific organizational needs. Tiago and his team at Raise N’GO were instrumental in helping the Bible Society think through its digital landscape and fundraising strategies, ensuring that the technology implemented was aligned with its mission and operational goals. The team at Raise N’GO provided exceptional training, making the transition to Salesforce smooth and empowering the Bible Society’s staff to use the platform effectively.

The Impacts have been huge

To recap some of the highlights

• An increase in contacts from 4,000 to 30,000
• 20,000 Emails going out every month
• 10% Increase in Fundraising Year-on-year
• Increased number of people getting support emails by 70,000 per year

How Has Technology Helped?

Thanks to Salesforce and Raise N’GO, the Bible Society of Portugal has streamlined its operations and expanded its reach, enabling more people to engage with the Bible and support its mission.