This interview series with our #Nonprofit Service Provider Classifieds advertisers aims to unveil the stories and motivations behind those who specialise in uplifting and guiding the nonprofit community.

In this interview, we get to know Iris Cochrane, In-Contact

Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself and In-Contact?

A: I'm Iris Cochrane. I’ve spent my whole life in IT, starting about 35 years ago as a software developer and moving up through corporate to running an IT department. When I started, it was a very creative field and I loved what I did. But I became disillusioned with the corporate world as it became increasingly cut-throat. After I left corporate, I visited LIV Village, a large nonprofit in KwaZulu-Natal. They asked if I'd develop a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) package for them, as they found commercial packages weren't suited for nonprofits. A CRM package helps organisations to manage their interactions and relationships with all their existing and potential donors. I built the CRM system as a donation to them.

After seeing the potential for nonprofits, I formed In-Contact and started getting other organisations onto the package. I found it absolutely fascinating because I rediscovered that creative passion I had 35 years ago.

Q: What is In-Contact?

A: In-Contact is a comprehensive customer relationship management package designed specifically for local nonprofits. It's a POPI compliant database that enables detailed recording and management of all your supporters and beneficiaries. The system allows for communication via newsletters, targeted emails, SMS, events, surveys, and pre-printed letters - all from one set of contacts.

What sets In-Contact apart is that we work hand-in-hand with organisations, understanding their needs and customising the system with the modules they require. This can include donation recording and importing from various sources, with templates for thank you letters and tax certificates. There's powerful reporting functionality, and we're SARS compliant with SARS uploads currently being tested.

Beyond donors, we also cater for monitoring and evaluation, which allows you to extract statistics for annual reporting, donor accountability, or funding motivation. For beneficiaries, there are many custom fields and detailed history tracking. We've developed modules for attendance registers for events, interventions, impact analysis, and statistics. There's also a mobile app that works both online and offline for data capture by field workers.

Q: How do you help nonprofit clients accomplish their missions more effectively?

A: We provide quick access to all data for donors and beneficiaries. Instead of having silos of information and multiple spreadsheets around the organisation, everything can be generated from the data recorded per contact.

Our system replaces multiple products for newsletters, event planning, bulk SMS, and surveys with one integrated solution. This saves a lot of admin, especially for targeted communication. As an organisation grows and gets more contacts, they typically use multiple platforms like MailChimp, Eventbrite, bulk SMS services, and record donations on spreadsheets. When you start segmenting donors by interests and locations, it becomes an administrative nightmare to keep those different platforms in sync.

Our system immediately benefits organisations in solving this problem, by offering one simple system to integrate everything, tailored specifically to their needs.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about working with nonprofits?

A: I'm enjoy being in a creative space where I'm helping NPOs with what they're often not great at: good management of their data, communication with supporters, and accountability to donors. There's a huge gap with this because organisations are good at what they do, but they're often not great at the technical side. There's a lot of scope for innovation in helping nonprofits manage well, communicate properly with supporters, and be accountable for the work they do. It's incredibly rewarding to see organisations improve in these areas and become more effective as a result.

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced in this sector? How have you overcome them?

We provide quick access to all data for donors and beneficiaries. Instead of having silos of information and multiple spreadsheets around the organisation, everything can be generated from the data recorded per contact

A: The first challenge was realising that nonprofits can't afford to pay what corporates can. You're not going to get rich quick! But it’s important for me to do what I enjoy. If my product is good enough, I'll make up enough for a solid income based on volume. My model has been to keep the pricing affordable but attract more clients through the competitive pricing.

Government funding has been dwindling, so I've had to walk the journey with clients who've been forced to expand their donor base. This has meant helping them improve communications and accountability to donors about their work with beneficiaries.

Over the last two years, SARS requirements for issuing tax certificates to donors have grown substantially. Many organisations are confused about what's required. This puts them at risk of losing funding if their Section 18a certificates to donors are rejected. We've worked hard to keep our system compliant and to educate our clients on these changes.

Q: How do you see the nonprofit sector evolving in the next 5-10 years? How are you preparing for those changes?

A: Government funding has been drying up, and requests for corporate funding far outweigh capacity. Businesses are going to demand detailed answers to questions, and they'll need to be given quickly. Subjective motivation for funding won't work - organisations will need to back up their requests with facts that can be verified. They'll need to prove they're well-governed. Data management will become more of a priority. NPOs must be able to prove and quickly substantiate whatever claims they make about their work with facts. So having good data management systems is critical.

For our product, following best practices and ensuring data privacy and security is crucial. We're focusing on getting more organisations to record their work effectively to help ensure their longevity.

Q: Can you share an example of a nonprofit client you're especially proud to have worked with and why?

A: In the early years, I'm proud of my hands-on interaction with iThemba Lethu, C.A.S.T., and Hillcrest AIDS Centre. They had a lot of requirements for monitoring and evaluation, and it was extremely challenging. They also needed a mobile app for field workers to record data offline and online according to South African conditions. I'm proud of the work we did together to create systems that worked for them.

More recently, in 2023, I'm proud of the rollout for SPCA fundraising and their inspectorate. Their requirement was for all the inspectors to use a tablet to record data in the field while doing home visits. We got both the complex donor side and the custom inspectorate side up and running very quickly, including recording of home visits on tablets. This validated the maturity of our system for me.

This year I am busy rolling out the Bidvest Trust and I am pleased again to see the necessary tools are in place, which has made the site easier to configure and customise for the group.

Q: What do you wish more people understood about working with nonprofits?

A: Each organisation is very different with their own particular needs, so your product offering needs to be flexible and customisable. Specifications can change from time to time based on funding received and donor requirements.

Most staff and volunteers aren't highly computer literate, so the product needs to be simple to use. Don't overload it with excessive features. Work on keeping your training as short and targeted as possible. Short videos work best for each feature.

Q: The nonprofit space is challenging. What do you do to take care of yourself?

A: Fortunately, I live by the beach and I enjoy my daily walks there I find that clears my head for the day ahead. I try to live a balanced life with my family, friends, hobbies and interests. I'm trying to motivate myself to grow those more because it's about finding that equilibrium.

Q: What sets your company apart in the nonprofit services sector?

A: My clients verify my passion for the product and my commitment to good support. They love that it's not a commercial system tweaked for nonprofits, but is designed from the ground up for them. They find it simple to use and appreciate that their questions are resolved quickly because they can message the lead developer directly in South Africa, not go through an international support desk. There are no hidden costs -- implementation is free, as is support and upgrades. There's no contract, and clients can cancel their subscription at any time.

At the heart of In-Contact's mission is a deep commitment to empowering nonprofits. Our approach isn't just about providing software; it's about forging partnerships. We work hand-in-hand with each organisation, diving deep to understand their unique challenges and aspirations. This collaborative spirit allows us to tailor our system to not just meet, but exceed their needs. We’re not just offering a product - we're providing a pathway for nonprofits to amplify their impact, streamline their operations, and ultimately, change more lives.

• Find out more about In-Contact in our #Classifieds

• Visit the In-Contact website for a free demo