What CRM Vendors Really Think When They Read Your RFP

You just spent a week crafting the perfect CRM RFP. Now what? 

Most nonprofits never see what actually happens when a vendor receives a request for proposal (RFP). And if you don’t know the process vendors use, you can’t tweak your RFP to stand out from the crowd and generate quality responses that help you find a great tech match. 

Let’s pull back the curtain and give you a rare look inside the vendor review process…and offer some key takeaways that will make your chances of RFP success soar. 

The First Filter: Should We Respond? 

Crafting an effective and thorough proposal in response to an RFP takes time and resources, so it’s never a given that we will respond to something that comes across our desks. 

The first filter will always require triage. At first glance, we evaluate: 

• Are they looking for what we sell? 
• Does their budget fit our pricing plans? 
• Are they hoping to go live in a reasonable amount of time? 
• Is the scope of work one that we can effectively accomplish? 

So what does this mean for you? Put that information front and center. Lead with it. That’s what we need to know to move the RFP further into our process. 

We hear, often from larger clients, that they don’t necessarily want to share a budget. They want to see where vendors price the functionality they’re offering. That’s totally fair, but be transparent. Let us know you’re choosing pricing benchmarks so we can tailor our cost accordingly. If you’re going to choose the lowest cost, tell us that. 

Pro tip: Give us enough information to ascertain whether or not we’d be a good fit for your nonprofit and organizational goals. 

The Huddle! Who’s at the Table? 

Consider who will be looking at your RFP. In a company like CharityEngine, it goes to the sales department first. If the vertical-specific Account Executive (AE) likes it, he usually shares it with the VP of Sales. They have a meeting and often bring in the Marketing team for content help. 

When the proposal is being written, it will be reviewed by the Implementation team to confirm that we can fulfill all the requirements, and it may also be run through the IT department if they have any questions. 

While that’s a big team, they’re each looking at it through a different lens: 

The AE and VP of Sales: Is this in our wheelhouse? Do the timeline and budget look like a fit? 

The Marketing team: Is the RFP organized, clear, and easy to understand? Can we easily format a response? 

The Implementation team: Is there anything we've been requested to provide that we can’t? What timeline and price are appropriate? 

The IT department: Are there questions about PCI or SOC II compliance or API integrations that we can answer?  

Pro tip: Consider the vendor team members who will be reviewing your RFP and what they might want to see.  

Yeah, We’re Scoring You, Too! 

Most internal teams have a scoring rubric in place. Points are awarded for certain categories or characteristics and are scored. Every RFP that scores above a threshold will receive a response. 

The scoring is designed to identify which projects are most likely to succeed. While we, of course, are auditioning for you, we also want to ensure you’re the right fit for us. A technology mismatch isn’t a win for anyone—not for you, and not for us. 

Here are some “scoring” questions we might ask: 

• Are there clearly identified goals? 
• Are the goals realistic? 
• Has the nonprofit identified needs that our technology can meet? 
• Does the budget range indicate they understand the costs? 
• Is there a clear process for making a decision? With dates? 
• Does the RFP articulate a strategy or is the nonprofit looking for vendor input on a strategy? 

These answers can really determine whether or not we respond. 

Pro tip: Ensure your RFP is well-organized and addresses the questions most RFP vendors will have.

Common RFP Mistakes That Turn Vendors Off 

So, if that’s what we are looking for, what are the red flags that might doom your RFP? 

• Laundry list of features: More is not always better—prioritize what matters most. 
• Copy-paste errors: Yes, we still see other nonprofits’ names in RFPs! 
• No context: Tell us your story, not just your specs. 
• Unrealistic timelines or budgets: Be aspirational, but be grounded. 
• No process transparency: Let us know what to expect next. 
• No questions allowed: This signals an unwillingness to collaborate for the best solution. 

The nonprofit’s goal is to get the perfect technology, so the more attention you give to the RFP, the more likely it is you’ll end up with qualified responses.

Pro tip: Don't rush through the writing of an RFP. Be careful and deliberate, so you communicate your needs well.

Should You Pre-Select Vendors to Get Your RFP? 

Many large nonprofits do this, as they want to limit the number of responses. For growing nonprofits, there are several key takeaways from the process. 

You can issue a pre-RFP (here are the questions we recommend) to get to the heart of what you need. If you don’t have the resources or time to go through a pre-RFP process, you can schedule some discovery calls with vendors. 

Whether you’re running a formal pre-RFP process or just doing your homework, here are some great questions to ask prospective vendors: 

• How do you guide nonprofits through implementation? 
• Who migrates the data and how? (This can be a big headache for nonprofits!) 
• Can you share some examples of clients like us? 
• What is the process if I have questions after implementation? 

While you can use those to ask the same questions and limit your pool of respondents, you can also use them to develop the RFP. Most vendors would appreciate being in the early conversations, and you can ask three to five vendors the same questions to inform your RFP before you release it. 

Pro tip: Doing research with vendors can result in fewer responses to read...but they'll be more qualified.

Summing it Up: Stronger RFPs Attract Stronger Vendors 

Your RFP isn’t just a request for information; it’s a first impression and an invitation. Vendors aren’t just deciding whether to respond. They’re also deciding whether a long-term partnership with your nonprofit is likely to succeed. 

By understanding what happens on the other side, you craft an RFP that opens doors and helps your nonprofit in countless ways.