Neon CRM - Avis

I won't comment on the other features NEON does that other systems do as well - or almost as well. Instead, I'll focus on the factors that set them apart from the other players on the market.

FORMS! - how can any org look past the ability to survey their constituents via email and then have the responses post to the database? e.g. How did you hear about us? a - k / What most interests you about our work? a.b.c. d. free form response / How would you like us to communicate with you? a - d

Events! NEON is the industry leader in allowing users to enter info via an org's website and into the database. I have one client using NEON that registers athletic event users via their website - all the way down to the waiver release form via a digital signature. All that info results in a paperless process that posts to their website on the back end.

Training - online video training is FREE - you won't get that with eTapestry or DonorPerfect.

The reports function features a URL for a particular report (dynamic too). This is is fantastic! But many board members and volunteers need to be reminded to access the url and it would be great if NEON would schedule the delivery of reports on an ongoing basis rather than the user having to schedule the delivery of the reports. A small thing, but one less thing the user has to think about doing.

The interface is easy to use, very similar to comparable CRM systems in terms of flexibility and customization, but built for fundraising. The customization, in particular, is easy to understand and flexible enough to work for a variety of applications in a variety of nonprofits. I like the automation features as well, such as with donation appreciation and membership renewal reminders.

The single log on functionality and link with Wordpress needs to be further developed, I think. Sometimes the integrations with other systems, like MailChimp, are not as robust as I would like.

The software has a lot of really useful features, like email blasts and the reports are really customizable.

The software isn't terribly intuitive, especially with reporting, and the training videos on YouTube are hours long. I also could not find the answers I needed in the help section when trying to customize reports. I learned more from the user forums than the actual help feature of the software.

From the beginning, their customer service was outstanding. In our research phase to find a new CRM vendor, we contacted at least 1 dozen different companies. We provided the sales people with an extensive list that outlined the data that we collect, as well as our database needs. Some companies looked at the list and upfront said that they couldn't provide what we needed. Others never bothered to contact us at all. Most sad, the fundraising software/donation processing company that we've been with for more than a decade never contacted us to let us know about their new services, they only increased our annual fees and decreased functionality. So NeonCRM emerged as one of our top choices very early on.

Best yet, in talking to their sales person, and now our account manager, as well as their data consultants, they work with us to discuss and figure out solutions. For example, for many years we have used our database as a way to check of tasks in the data collection process. NeonCRM helped us to figure out if we needed a combination of data points or a process document to ensure that all of our users entered consistent information. That kind of collaboration and solution-based thinking has been immensely helpful. More so, given that we have planned for our data migration to happen over 2 years, with specific benchmarks. It feels like NeonCRM will be there with us all the way. One of our Board members is an engineer, and the way that NeonCRM does consultation allowed us to invite our Board member and our web site builder and designer into the meetings. That way we could all learn and develop solutions at the same time.

Best yet, we've been able to work with NeonCRM staff, from sales to data consultants, who actually understood arts nonprofits, so they understand what to do with our earned income. Other companies were best for health or educational nonprofits, or advocacy & policy nonprofits, or some other kind of nonprofit. To have a team that understands the work that we do, the size of our organizations, the ways that our events function, and is willing to work with us to meet our needs (instead of trying to cram us into their system), made all the difference.

There are bits of functionality that other companies have that we would like. Such as the ability to tweet or make facebook posts, and track that information, from within the CRM, something that Nation Builder does really well. We would also like to be able to integrate silent and online auctions into fundraising efforts, but this is not something that can be done just yet. Finally, we would like to have our ecommerce products tied to their makers, something that NeonCRM can't do. However, they provided us with an API integration solution that will work in the meantime.

While researching a new CRM for our organization, we liked that NeonCRM included features like Quickbooks integration, MailChimp integration, custom forms etc.

They really don't do well to inform you how little is available at the entry price. Every integration they showcase and even the ability to create custom forms comes with an additional monthly fee which also increases when your contacts increase beyond your current pricing tier. Our biggest issue is that PayPal discounts are not recorded, so when you push your donation transactions over to Quickbooks, you have to manually edit all of those sales receipts to include the discount from PayPal. Also, any recurring monthly donors in PayPal will have to give their credit card information again in the new Neon process which could run the risk of losing donors. Overall it has not delivered up to our expectations and for a smaller organization, it would be very costly to have all the features. Customer service comes at a fee
and that is not even available until after you purchase the setup call and until you've been a customer for at least six months. Meanwhile, the online support largely results in waiting for hours and then them referring you to a guide you've likely already read. Massively frustrated with this system and it has taken us forever to get it up and running, which has proven to be a waste of time anyway because it can't do what we'd like it to, or at least not without an additional fee.

Neon is user friendly and connects well with our other software platforms.

It is not completely compatible with our financial software.

I like it's level of detail around donor data, as well as its dashboard.

It's not super user-friendly. It's not mobile friendly. it's report creation is challenging. It's on-demand training is not helpful.

simple, efficiant and intuitive to use. Multiple members of the staff team have access and data is stored in a clear and usable fashion

Its inability to invoice and run certain reports

Easy-to-use, comprehensive, gives us the ability to customize and brand receipt notifications, we are able to track registrations within the software.

I would like more tutorials, rather than Neon One Academy. I also would like to be able to add multiple addresses.

Solid basic constituent and donation management. Reliable - service is rarely down or unacceptably slow. Interface is relatively easy to use for anyone with good software sensibilities (a simpler view would be helpful for less techy BOD members).

Householding support with regards to donations roll-up is very poor. Reporting, while flexible and seemingly comprehensive, often requires export and external manipulation to get what we want. Organization is not responsive to customer requests - with popular suggestions in forum going unaddressed for years.

The user interface is extremely intuitive and easy to learn. It's truly an all in one software that can do so much. It's integration with various other apps is seamless. We have so much data, and Neon can handle it all, and make it easy to understand, access, and analyze. Neon is honestly an essential must-have for any organization.

I think the campaign email marketing part can be somewhat confusing. The components seem too separate, it needs to be more cohesive in one big step-by-step process instead of going back and forth between the tab's sub-categories. It works perfectly, I just think the process to sending emails can be a little more streamlined.

Seamlessly integrates event registration, social fundraising, online donations, volunteer scheduling, grant tracking and donor development all in one CRM.

Specific reports can be difficult to obtain. Trial and error to get the exact information you want. You also cannot create tickets for events-- registrants only receive email confirmations.

It can do a lot in terms of membership: Allow new members to join, current and expired members to renew, membership discounts, etc. It's quite affordable, too, and the customer support seems solid so far.

Running reports can be difficult because there are so many possible data fields that a member can have. I've had considerable difficulty, for example, finding members who signed up--who didn't renew and weren't past members--between certain dates. It's probably just one or two fields in the report that I haven't included, but it's quite frustrating. And though the online help center has a lot of content, I've had to contact support several times because I couldn't find what I was looking for online.

We set up our system in about a week and a half--significantly faster than the recommended timeframe. I have considerable experience with CRMs, and most small organizations would likely have substantial difficulty setting this up themselves. Most organizations will likely want to work closely with Neon to launch their system to its fullest potential.

NeonCRM is very robust in its comprehensive capabilities to manage every aspect of fundraising, reporting, tracking, lead generation and just plain constituent management process. For Veterans Miracle Center Erie, the offerings of NeonCRM's full suite of modules was well-above our necessity at the time we implemented it, and at a cost that would make any non-profit cheer. The optional modules available for growth allows the VMCE to grow at a solid-yet-comfortable rate, with confidence that our CRM can grow with us. Additional features for mass-emailing and event management are just some of the additional options we look forward to. For those seeking to have organizational excellence, this tool will allow you to cross items of the "accomplished tasks" list every day and breathe a sigh of relief.

There are countless videos, articles, and DIY options available should your organization not have the budget for one-on-one guidance from NeonCRM's support.

Filtering data down to a very specific subset of constituents, donations and campaigns for further analysis is key to the non-profit world. NeonCRM is very powerful for drilling down to mine out the gold needed. However, if your organization does NOT purchase the conversion support and general support, a person who is tech-savvy and patient ought to be selected to carefully read the very thorough SOPS and knowledge base articles provided by NeonCRM. It really isn't a complaint - just be prepared accordingly to either spend the additional funds for proper support, or know that you are at the mercy of someone to teach your remaining staff how to build and pull custom reports. Please note that the system does feature a TON of pre-fab reports, so you won't be at a loss even in your newness to NeonCRM.

I've looked into several different donor relations databases, and Neon was hands down the best we've seen. The customer service was definitely above and beyond, and truly set them apart from their competition! The database is very user-friendly and customizable. I can't wait to full start using it!

I don't particularly care for the fact that you have to pay an additional cost for the extra training. I feel like this should be included. If companies don't have time to watch all of the youtube videos, or aren't great at being self-taught, then they will not be able to get the most out of the system, and will be more likely to cancel the services. If the customer doesn't understand the database and how to use it, then it will ultimately be a waste of money for the client (which means NEON will lose their business). Small non-profits like mine, who are looking to increase fundraising and donations, just can't afford that extra cost.

Full package offers all the options we need to organize and run our non-profit arts and education center. We need events for our performances and classes, donations are the core of our existence, the membership model is adaptable to our pass holders and we can track custom data about our patrons. The reporting feature is robust and works with Excel and Word. Neon integrates with our website and merchant account seamlessly.

It's hard to come up with many cons but the built in calendar needs upgrading to a more modern look. Some of the account fields are not available on all reports and past events need to be archived individually rather than in a bulk procedure.

Keeping track of donations and reporting are the most important things, and the things I'm most involved in. The donations track ok, I guess.

There are a lot of bugs in Neon. One of the most frustrating is that sometimes my searches do not return an account until I type out the whole account name. This morning I went to search for a person named Scott, and the particular donor I needed did not pull until I typed in his last name. Additionally, the user interface is not consistent across the board. Some elements seem fresh and user friendly, others feel dated and clunky.

It is very helpful and specific to non-profit management

A company is only as good as its customer service. I have been so extremely disappointed in having access to help and getting questions answered when we need them. Makes me question Neon CRM and ruins my ability to enjoy it. I really was hoping that Neon would be different. They will be available to up my price for the number of users, but are not available to help me when I am in need.

It gives a small non-profit an affordable option for keeping track of donations and donors.

Customer service isn't very good and since the system has a lot of functionality, it can be hard to navigate.

I love it's easy to use interface, how linked everything is, the ability to track prospective gifts and how it seamlessly interfaces with our website. Also, that online donations automatically get batched to the user's account.

there are a few quirks on limitations with reporting and social fundraising but they are totally things you can work with to get creative.

Simply put, NeonCRM does what it advertises: holds constituent data. It's nice to have a cloud based platform with unlimited users, and their knowledgebase is very robust.

If you're looking to customize your platform to the smallest details, this is not the platform for you. It's unfortunate that you aren't able to customize all of the front-facing pages. And if you do, you need to be knowledgeable in HTML/CSS.

The sales staff was extremely knowledgeable, responsive, and helpful. Once we made the decision and started working with the support staff I found them equally accessible, knowledgeable, responsive and helpful. It is very easy to find helpful and instructive written materials and video training modules to solve most problems. The program is fairly intuitive and responsive.

Exporting our data from eTapestry and importing it into Neon was a disaster. If I'd had any idea how difficult it was, I'd have paid someone almost any price to do it for me. Most of the problem is the way gifts export from eTapestry, but Neon did not have the ability to adjust for that. It took four months to clean up the data and begin enjoying the functionality of Neon.

I'm "Old School" and living in the formal Deep South, so I have to make some adjustments to keep communications formal as Neon is developed for the less formal use of the younger set. But it can be done.

There is not anything about this software you can't get anywhere else and with a better user interface and a better price.

Support is non-existent. You can't get a hold of anyone. The support often fixes things wrong such as refunding customers for the Neon Pay errors and charing me for their error. The support thinks very highly of their software and never admits that it made an error.

Initially Neon seemed like it would do all the email and donation tracking that we needed. It has a lot of features for campaigns, donor management and tracking.

The software is incredibly complicated and lacks financial management. Emails and letters are incredibly difficult to edit and print properly. Forms are equally as complicated. This company does not offer good one on one support. Expect to spend hours searching through support suggestions or the Neon Academy. While you can track donations you will need an entirely different software to track any other financial parameter (expenses, budget etc). The software is expensive and will cost an extra 3 months of unused service if you cancel ("90 days to stop billing cycles" - means you get billed for another 90 days after you send the cancellation form).