Constituent relationship management: CRMs for elected officials
Read time: 2.5 minutes
While Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are most often used by businesses to keep track of customers and nonprofits to keep track of donors, this powerful tool can—and should—be used by elected officials for constituent relationship management.
Why it matters:
Whether you have hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of constituents, keeping track of those you represent and their myriad requests can easily become overwhelming, leading to dropped balls, irritated constituents, and even lost re-election bids.
Benefits of CRMs:
- Efficient Management of Constituent Data:
- A CRM allows you to to organize and store detailed records of your constituents, including contact information, past interactions, their specific issues or concerns, and even the names of their partners, kids, pets. You can use this centralized and searchable database to quickly retrieve information when needed.
- Enhanced Communication and Improved Responsiveness
- CRMs facilitate better communication by enabling personalized and timely responses to constituents’ inquiries and requests. Automated reminders and follow-up tools ensure that no constituent is left unanswered.
- Data-Driven Decision Making:
- CRMs help you identify trends, common issues, and areas of concern within your constituency, allowing for more informed decision-making and policy development.
- Streamlined Workflows and Better Case Management:
- Automation features in CRMs can streamline repetitive tasks, such as sending acknowledgment emails or scheduling follow-up calls, freeing up time for you to focus on more strategic activities. And for more complex issues that require multiple steps to resolve, a CRM can track each step of the process, ensuring that no aspect of a constituent’s request is overlooked.
- Support for Campaigns and Outreach:
- During election campaigns or community outreach efforts, CRMs can segment constituents based on various criteria (e.g., location, interest, past support) to target communications more effectively and mobilize support efficiently.
By leveraging a CRM, elected officials can improve their overall efficiency, responsiveness, and relationship management, ultimately leading to better service to their constituents and a more positive public perception.
Choosing a CRM:
Unfortunately, there are no CRM options geared specifically toward elected officials, as most, like HubSpot, which does have a decent free CRM option, are geared toward businesses in general and sales teams in particular. There are some CRMs, like NGP Van and eCanvasser, that are geared toward political candidates and campaigns, as well as ones like NationBuilder and Every Action that are geared toward organizations engaged in issue advocacy.
The free* CRM I use
For my own CRM, I went with CiviCRM, a free, open source CRM geared toward nonprofits and associations. CiviCRM integrates with WordPress (which I use), as well as Drupal, Joomla, and Backdrop. CiviCRM is a decent choice if you have some tech comfort and already pay for web hosting for your campaign website. It’s not the prettiest or flashiest CRM out there, but it does what you need it to do, is customizable, and you can’t beat the price. Even if you have to pay someone to install it (like I did) and pay for hosting, this is still the most cost-effective option over the cost of your term in office.
A related option to consider
CiviCRM Spark is a hosted version of CiviCRM that removes some of the technical headaches like installation and maintenance. The CiviCRM starter package, which includes up to 5,000 contacts, is $15/month.
Deciding what’s best for you
When choosing a CRM, you should consider factors such as ease of use, customization options, integration capabilities, cost, and the specific needs of your office. Taking advantage of free trials and demonstrations can also help in making an informed decision.