Mary Ward International Australia increases fundraising impact with Spotler CRM
About Mary Ward International Australia
Mary Ward International Australia (MWIA) is a registered charity established by the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM). The organisation works to address the needs of the most disadvantaged people in Australia and across developing countries worldwide.
Inspired by the founder of the Loreto Sisters, MWIA is committed to building a more just world where women share leadership, children thrive and communities live in harmony with each other and the environment. The organisation supports Loreto Sisters and their colleagues as they work alongside women and communities to challenge injustice and reduce poverty and oppression.
Since 2006, MWIA has delivered fundraising campaigns to support charity projects, engaging the Loreto Schools Network as well as families, individual supporters and charitable foundations across Australia.
The challenge
MWIA runs multiple fundraising campaigns and events throughout the year. A core part of its approach is maintaining strong, personal relationships with supporters. Every donor is personally thanked by phone, supporter details are regularly updated and the database is used to guide future engagement.
However, the organisation’s existing database made this increasingly difficult. According to Fundraising and Marketing Coordinator Michelle Gale, the system was holding the team back.
“We were using a complicated and expensive server-based system that was not very user friendly. Extracting data or making proper use of the system required additional training and cost.”
To simplify day-to-day work, MWIA temporarily reverted to managing supporter information in spreadsheets. While this improved short-term efficiency, it was clear that Excel was not a sustainable solution for managing long-term supporter relationships or planning future fundraising activity.
Finding the right CRM
MWIA undertook an extensive review process, trialling more than ten CRM platforms to find the right fit. Despite many systems being positioned as fundraising databases, Michelle recognised that what the organisation actually needed was a flexible sales-style CRM.
“I’ve worked with fundraising databases for over 25 years and realised we didn’t need something complex and expensive. What we needed was a system that allowed us to manage relationships, track donations and work with our data easily.”
Spotler CRM, formerly Really Simple Systems, stood out for its balance of functionality, simplicity and cost effectiveness.
“Spotler offered a number of database solutions while also significantly reducing the cost of managing our data.”
Key factors included ease of use, the ability to customise the database without technical expertise, simple reporting and automated data uploads.
Using Spotler for fundraising and supporter management
Since implementation, Spotler CRM has become central to how MWIA manages supporter relationships and fundraising activity.
The team uses the system to record donations, update supporter information, forecast income and track tasks such as follow-up calls. For the first time, MWIA gained real-time visibility into donation data and campaign performance.
“The reporting has been especially valuable. We can now forecast income, segment supporters for fundraising campaigns and track calls and follow-ups across the team.”
Previously, reporting lagged behind activity and data could only be reviewed at the end of each quarter. With Spotler, the team can monitor progress regularly and make informed decisions throughout the year.
Tangible results
Improved data visibility and better supporter management quickly translated into stronger results.
“We saw our income increase substantially in the last financial year, and we believe adopting Spotler played a big part in that.”
The organisation also discovered that many supporters had not been contacted for several years. Re-engaging these lapsed supporters led to renewed donations and stronger long-term relationships.
Beyond income growth, Spotler also improved the team’s day-to-day working experience.
“Not only has the CRM improved our income streams, it’s also improved our work-life balance. There’s no longer a backlog of data uploads, everything is much easier to manage now.”
Looking ahead
MWIA continues to explore how Spotler can support future growth, including deeper integration with email marketing tools to keep supporter preferences fully up to date.
Michelle is clear about the value of having the right system in place.
“Without an effective data management solution, planning and performance become very difficult. I would highly recommend Spotler CRM to any organisation in the fundraising sector looking for a comprehensive and cost-effective solution.”
The result
With Spotler CRM, Mary Ward International Australia has replaced fragmented systems with a single, flexible platform that supports stronger relationships, clearer insight and increased fundraising impact.
The organisation can now focus more time and energy on its mission, confident that its supporter data is organised, accessible and working to support a more just world.
What is marketing without a CRM?
Knowing your (potential) customer helps you send more relevant messaging, lower acquisition costs, and sets your sales teams up for success.
