Beacon CRM and charity consultancy FAQs

Yes. Data held in Excel or Google Sheets can be imported into Beacon.

For Beacon imports, the data will normally need to be provided as a CSV file. An Excel workbook can be saved as CSV, and a Google Sheet can be downloaded as CSV before importing.

MakeITaplan can help prepare the data, configure the import and create a reusable import routine where you expect to repeat the process.

For Beacon's standard import process, yes. The file you upload to Beacon will normally be a CSV.

That doesn't mean you have to maintain your original data in CSV format. You can continue working in Excel or Google Sheets and create a CSV version when you are ready to import.

Yes. If you regularly receive data in the same structure, we can create a reusable Beacon import template with the columns mapped to the appropriate Beacon fields.

Once it is set up, future imports can be much simpler. You prepare the file using the same structure, select the saved import template and run the import.

We would normally show your team how to use it as well, so routine imports don't necessarily need to come back to us each time.

That depends on how the import is configured.

Where there is a reliable field that uniquely identifies the record, Beacon's deduplication settings can be configured to use it. If Beacon finds the matching value, the existing record can be updated rather than another record being created.

The important part is choosing an identifier that really is unique. We review this as part of setting up an import rather than assuming that a name, email address or another field is automatically safe to use.

There are a few ways to approach this.

If the file has a reliable unique identifier, we may be able to use that to prevent previously imported entries from being created again.

Where the data is continually appended to a spreadsheet, we can also establish a process for identifying which rows have already been imported.

For anonymous Google Form responses, for example, we have successfully used sufficiently precise submission timestamps as a deduplication value where no other unique identifier existed.

The right approach depends on the data, so we will check how it is generated before deciding on the safest method.

This depends on the information available in the source data and how the import has been designed.

Where recurring imports are required, we recommend building in a reliable way to distinguish previously imported information from new information rather than relying entirely on memory or manually checking individual records.

This might be a unique reference, timestamp or another suitable identifier. We can help design this into the import process.

This is quite common, particularly with anonymous feedback and other datasets where there is no person, email address or reference number to match against.

We first look for another value that is genuinely unique. This might be a source-system ID or a sufficiently precise submission timestamp.

If no reliable identifier exists, we may instead need to control which records are included in each import.

We won't simply choose an unreliable field as a deduplication key, as that creates a risk of either duplicating records or incorrectly treating two different records as the same one.

We generally work with the import templates and requirements provided by the receiving software supplier. For a move to Beacon, we discuss the available templates, your source records and the mapping needed with your team and Beacon where appropriate. If you are unsure what is available, contact us before preparing the data.

Timing depends on the data volume and quality, relationships between records, mapping decisions and testing required. We review your data and project scope before agreeing a timeline, rather than give a standard completion time for every migration.

The available migration route depends on whether your current system can provide a usable export and how its records are structured. MakeITaplan can review the source data and discuss a suitable approach before the work is scoped.

Not necessarily. It is useful to decide which records and history the charity needs for its work, reporting and obligations. We help document those decisions and map the agreed data; your team approves what should be retained and migrated.

Yes. We can help identify duplicates, inconsistent values, missing information and other data-quality issues, then agree which corrections are in scope and who will make them.

Review data early enough to understand the likely quality issues, then agree which corrections are necessary and who will complete them. Some decisions become clearer after field mapping and test imports.

Agree validation checks before the final import. Review representative records and relationships, compare relevant counts or totals with the source, record issues and repeat the checks after corrections.

Yes.

Beacon can filter a group of relevant records and export selected information from those records together. This means you don't necessarily need to open every individual record to retrieve the information you need.

We can help create the appropriate views, filters and export templates for reports you use regularly.

Yes.

This is a great example of where a Beacon export template can save a significant amount of time.

You can filter the relevant records, select the information you want to include and export it together. Depending on what you need to do with the information afterwards, the output can be a PDF or CSV.

For example, feedback from multiple events could be brought together into one document for review or funder reporting rather than copying it manually from individual records.

Yes. Beacon export templates can produce PDF output.

This is particularly useful when you want an easy-to-read document containing selected information from a collection of records rather than raw data for further analysis.

Yes. Data can also be exported as CSV and then opened in Excel.

CSV is often the better option when you intend to analyse, manipulate, reconcile or further process the data after it leaves Beacon.

Yes, provided the relevant information is being captured consistently.

Views can be filtered to identify the records you want before reporting or exporting them.

For example, you might report only on a particular event type, records within a date range, activities with a particular status or records where a specific value has been entered.

Good reporting starts with good data structure, so we can also review whether the fields you currently capture will support the reports you need.

Yes.

Where the underlying data supports it, Beacon charts and dashboard information can be grouped by categories such as event type, activity type, status or another relevant field.

We can help work backwards from the question you want the dashboard to answer and make sure the underlying data supports it.

Often, yes.

Date criteria can be used when building views, charts and reporting so information can focus on a relevant period.

The best approach depends on what you are measuring and which date represents that activity.

They solve slightly different problems.

Dashboards give you an at-a-glance view of useful figures, charts and information.

Filtered views help you find and work with a particular group of records, such as upcoming events, outstanding actions or applications at a particular stage.

Exports take selected information out of Beacon, for example into a PDF or CSV, so that it can be shared, analysed or used elsewhere.

Often the best solution uses more than one of these together.

In many cases it can reduce the number of separate spreadsheets you need to maintain.

If the information required for a funder report is already being captured properly in Beacon, we can look at views, dashboards and exports that make it easier to retrieve.

There will still be circumstances where Excel is useful for further analysis or preparation of a particular report. Our aim isn't to eliminate spreadsheets for the sake of it. It's to avoid entering and maintaining the same information twice unnecessarily.

Agree who will use it, what decisions it should support, how each measure is defined, which time period and filters apply, and who will maintain it.

Review representative underlying records, check field and category consistency, confirm filters and time periods, and compare the results with a trusted source or manual sample before relying on the report.

Beacon publishes a dashboards guide in its help centre. Use the current guide for product-specific instructions and available options.

Yes.

Although forms are often thought of as supporter-facing tools, they can also be extremely useful for internal processes.

For example, an internal form might allow a member of staff to record the outcome of an event or submit information without needing to navigate several areas of Beacon.

Yes, and sometimes this is the better solution.

If somebody only needs to submit a particular set of information occasionally, asking them to remember where every field sits in Beacon can make the process unnecessarily difficult.

A simple guided form can make the task much clearer, improve consistency and increase the likelihood that the information actually gets recorded.

Beacon forms can be configured to create the associated records and information in Beacon, depending on the process and record types involved.

The important part is deciding what should be created and how it should relate to any records that already exist.

We can design and test this with you before it is put into everyday use.

Potentially, yes.

Exactly what can be populated depends on the field, record type, available Beacon functionality and the structure of the form.

If you have a particular process in mind, we can review the required fields and confirm the most appropriate way to capture the information.

Not automatically.

A form used internally to record operational information is very different from a public form gathering marketing preferences from supporters.

Consent or privacy requirements should reflect what information you are actually collecting, why you are collecting it and your organisation's agreed data-protection approach.

We can implement the agreed requirements in Beacon, but your organisation remains responsible for determining the appropriate lawful basis and privacy wording.

We'll first check the form configuration, required relationships and the way the submitted information is meant to create or update records.

It is also worth allowing for processing delays rather than immediately assuming the form has failed.

If the configuration appears correct and the issue appears to be with Beacon itself, the appropriate next step may be to raise the product issue with Beacon support.

We'll help distinguish a configuration problem from something that needs to be escalated to Beacon.

Yes. Beacon supports recording Gift Aid declarations, collecting declarations through its forms, and submitting Gift Aid claims to HMRC once the required setup is complete.

Your charity still needs to check that donations and declarations meet the applicable requirements and review exceptions. Our Gift Aid planning guide explains the CRM workflow considerations; eligibility and tax questions should be checked against current HMRC guidance or with an appropriate adviser.

Yes. Beacon forms can be embedded within an existing website or shared as standalone pages. Depending on the form type, they can collect donations, membership applications, event registrations or other information directly into Beacon.

The setup depends on your website platform and the journey you want visitors to follow. Check Beacon's current embedding guidance and involve your website developer where needed.

Beacon publishes guidance on collecting declarations through Beacon forms. Check its current instructions for supported form types and setup, then confirm that the process fits your charity’s requirements.

Beacon’s current guide includes instructions for adding declarations manually. The right method depends on the source, evidence and condition of your records; review Beacon’s instructions and your charity’s data-handling process before importing or entering historic information.

No. It is a CRM planning guide, not tax or legal advice. Check current HMRC requirements and seek appropriate advice for questions about eligibility, declarations or claims.

We start with what the information represents and what you need to do with it.

A useful CRM structure reflects genuine relationships in your organisation rather than simply creating a new field every time somebody wants to record something.

We consider questions such as:

• Does this information belong to a person, organisation, event, application or another record?
• Can there be more than one of these over time?
• Does it need its own history?
• Does it need to relate to something else?
• Will you need to filter or report on it?
• Is it a controlled category or narrative information?

We can help translate your real-world processes into a Beacon structure that remains understandable as the database grows.

There isn't one structure that is correct for every organisation.

For example, you may need to distinguish between events you organise, external events you attend, workshops, training and other engagement activities.

Before creating fields, we look at what is different about those activities and what you need to capture and report for each.

If named attendees register for one type of event while another is measured by an anonymous engagement tally, those are important differences for the CRM design.

Often, yes.

You don't necessarily need a separate record type for every variation of an activity.

A record type can often support several related activities using appropriate categories, relationships and fields.

However, we wouldn't force fundamentally different processes into the same structure simply for the sake of keeping the number of record types down.

First, don't panic and don't immediately start deleting things.

We'll review the existing custom fields to understand which are genuinely being used, whether any are redundant or duplicated and whether some information would be better represented differently.

Only once we understand the existing data and processes should fields be removed or repurposed.

If the existing capacity is genuinely required, your Beacon subscription options may also need to be considered.

Potentially, but they should be checked first.

A field that looks unused on the screen may still contain historical data or be referenced by a form, import, view or other process.

Before repurposing a field, we check what it contains and where it is used. Where historical information is no longer operationally useful, we can discuss how it should be handled rather than simply deleting it.

Absolutely.

A large part of our work involves improving Beacon databases that are already in use.

A review can look at fields, relationships, forms, views, terminology, reporting and processes to distinguish quick configuration improvements from areas that need more fundamental redesign.

Starting again is rarely our default recommendation.

Start with why you need it.

If nobody uses a piece of information operationally, for reporting, communication, compliance or decision-making, it is reasonable to question why people are being asked to maintain it.

We prefer purposeful data collection over collecting information simply because the CRM has a field available.

This also helps keep Beacon easier for your team to use and reduces unnecessary data maintenance.

Beacon can automate a range of processes, but the functionality available depends on your Beacon subscription and the particular process.

Examples can include form acknowledgements, internal notifications and workflow-based actions triggered by changes in CRM records.

We normally start with the process rather than the automation feature: what currently happens manually, where does it go wrong and what would you like to happen instead?

A form can perform useful actions associated with somebody submitting that form, such as sending an acknowledgement or notifying your team.

Workflows are designed for broader automation based on activity and changes taking place within your CRM records.

Which one you need depends on the trigger and the outcome you are trying to achieve.

Not necessarily.

Automation is useful when it removes genuine repetitive administration or reduces the risk of important actions being missed. It shouldn't be introduced simply because the functionality exists.

Sometimes a better view, clearer form, dashboard or simpler process solves the problem without needing a workflow.

We can help identify where automation would actually add value.

Depending on the process, yes.

For example, a form submission can notify relevant members of your team, and other notification opportunities may be available through Beacon's automation functionality.

Rather than flooding everybody's inbox, we recommend deciding who genuinely needs to know and what information they need in the notification.

They can reduce it considerably in the right circumstances, but we wouldn't recommend automating a poorly defined process.

The best candidates for automation tend to be repetitive tasks with clear triggers and outcomes.

We first make sure the underlying process and data are sound, then look at which manual steps can safely be removed.

Before recommending an upgrade, we look at the processes you want to improve and the features available in your current Beacon account.

Forms, views, imports and reporting may help, depending on your plan and requirements. More advanced functionality may require a different plan or additional features. We confirm the current options with Beacon rather than assume a particular feature is included.

Not necessarily.

Someone subscribing to a general newsletter does not automatically mean your organisation needs a full CRM record for them.

Someone with a wider relationship with the organisation, such as a donor, volunteer, applicant or service user, may have a much stronger reason to exist in Beacon.

We can help you define what belongs in each system and avoid unnecessarily duplicating data.

That depends on your processes.

For some organisations, Mailchimp remains the natural home for people whose only relationship is receiving a newsletter, while Beacon holds the richer CRM history of people with a broader organisational relationship.

The important thing is to establish deliberate rules rather than allowing contact data to accumulate in both systems without understanding which one is authoritative.

Yes.

The key is to decide what each system is responsible for, how information moves between them and how communication preferences are managed.

We can review the wider process rather than treating Beacon and Mailchimp as completely separate systems.

First consider whether that information is actually useful to your organisation and what you intend to do with it.

Detailed marketing engagement may naturally belong in the email marketing platform, while relevant supporter communication history may need to be visible within your CRM.

The right balance depends on your reporting, fundraising and communications requirements.

We look at the information rather than trying to make one application the source of truth for absolutely everything.

Your CRM might be authoritative for supporter relationships and core contact information, while another specialist system is authoritative for its own operational information.

We then identify where information needs to be shared and which system should win if there is a discrepancy.

Beacon provides integration options, but the answer depends on the system you want to connect and exactly what information needs to move between them.

We can help define the requirement, investigate the available integration options and determine whether an existing connection, API-based solution, import/export process or another approach is most appropriate.

No. Agree which system owns each record, how exceptions are handled and what checks staff need to perform. Test representative cases and keep clear ownership for ongoing monitoring.

MakeITaplan can discuss your charity’s CRM requirements and workflows through its Beacon consultancy service. Whether a specific technical integration is available or suitable must be confirmed against Beacon’s current documentation and the products involved.

We only require access to information that is necessary to deliver the agreed work and apply appropriate technical and organisational safeguards when handling client information.

Depending on the project, this can include restricted access to files and client systems, secure cloud storage and sharing, multi-factor authentication where available, encryption provided by the relevant services, data minimisation and secure return or deletion of client information when it is no longer required.

Where project files need to be retained by MakeITaplan, we may use our Microsoft 365 environment, including SharePoint and OneDrive, for secure storage, collaboration and file transfer.

We may also work directly within systems owned by your organisation where that is more appropriate to the work.

Yes.

MakeITaplan uses Microsoft 365, including SharePoint and OneDrive, where appropriate for secure file storage, collaboration and transfer.

We may also use client-owned cloud systems where access is necessary to provide the agreed services.

Where necessary to provide the contracted service, yes.

This may include Microsoft 365 services such as SharePoint and OneDrive and trusted UK-based consultants working with MakeITaplan.

Use of sub-processors will be subject to the relevant contractual arrangements and client requirements.

Access is restricted to those who need it to deliver the contracted service.

Where an appropriately authorised consultant or service provider is required, this will be subject to the relevant confidentiality, data-protection and client arrangements.

We do not simply share client information with unrelated third parties.

We use appropriate secure methods for project information, including Microsoft 365, SharePoint and OneDrive where suitable.

Our security measures also include access controls, password-protected devices, multi-factor authentication where available and encryption in transit and at rest where provided by the relevant service.

The appropriate transfer method will depend on the nature and sensitivity of the information involved.

We can review the data-processing and confidentiality agreements required for your project and complete relevant supplier due-diligence, information-security and data-protection questionnaires.

Any agreement is subject to reviewing and agreeing its terms; we confirm the appropriate arrangements before work begins.

We can help you understand how an agreed approach to consent and communication preferences can be structured and implemented within Beacon.

We can also help identify inconsistencies in the way preferences are currently captured. For example, mixing "tell us what you want to receive" with "tell us what you don't want to receive" can create confusing data.

However, MakeITaplan is providing CRM consultancy rather than legal advice. Your organisation should determine the appropriate lawful basis, wording and data-protection policy, then we can help translate the approved approach into a workable CRM process.

Your organisation is responsible for those decisions, with appropriate advice from your Data Protection Officer, information-governance lead or legal adviser where required.

MakeITaplan can help identify how existing decisions affect the CRM and can implement an agreed retention, consent or preference model.

We deliberately separate deciding the policy from implementing the policy in your CRM so that a technical configuration decision is not mistaken for legal advice.

We start by understanding your charity, rather than immediately creating fields in Beacon. Our support journey has six stages:

1. Understanding your charity - an initial requirements call and agreed discovery discussions to understand your people, processes, data and priorities.
2. Designing around the way you work - agree your CRM structure, responsibilities, scope and a realistic delivery plan.
3. Building it together - configure the agreed setup, prepare and test data migration, and review progress through regular project meetings. Forms, reporting and automation are included where agreed.
4. Training your team - practical, role-based learning for staff and volunteers via Microsoft Teams, at your premises, or a blend of both.
5. Launching with confidence - agreed testing, data checks, handover and go-live support.
6. Supporting what comes next - further support, improvements, refresher sessions and new-starter training as agreed.

These stages can overlap: learning and review take place throughout implementation, not just at the end. The work is tailored to your charity, Beacon plan and agreed scope, and can be delivered in phases. Follow-on support and training are scoped and quoted separately unless already included in your agreement.

Explore our charity CRM support journey.

It depends on the project, but useful information can include:

• your existing data
• details of current systems
• examples of forms
• reports you need to produce
• existing processes or process notes
• key user requirements
• current problems or frustrations
• the people who understand each area of the organisation

Don't worry if this isn't beautifully documented. Discovery is partly about helping you work through it.

Yes.

We can help extract, clean, restructure, map and import data from existing systems and spreadsheets, depending on the agreed project scope.

Migration is not simply about putting old columns into new fields. We will also consider relationships, duplicates, data quality and whether the existing structure makes sense in the new CRM.

Enough to help us understand what you do, but please don't rebuild all your data or processes before speaking to us.

It is usually more productive to look at the genuine starting point together.

If preparation is required before a particular phase, we'll explain what we need and why.

We can do both.

Some clients want MakeITaplan to undertake most of the configuration. Others have an internal administrator who wants to build parts of the system with guidance.

We can agree a working model that suits your team's capacity, confidence and budget.

Training can be included as part of an implementation where it forms part of the agreed project scope. We plan learning throughout the implementation, so your team can understand decisions and practise relevant tasks as the system takes shape, rather than leave all learning until launch.

We can also provide training separately or use consulting hours for additional or bespoke training.

We'll make clear what is included when agreeing the project.

Yes.

In fact, role-specific training can be more useful than giving everybody exactly the same session.

A fundraising team, administrator and occasional CRM user may each need to understand very different parts of Beacon.

That depends on your requirements, data and availability.

A simple implementation can move considerably faster than a complex migration involving several teams, forms, processes, integrations and reporting requirements.

Client availability also matters because we will need decisions, testing and feedback at various stages.

Once we understand the scope, we'll agree a realistic timetable rather than promising an arbitrary go-live date.

Yes, and it is often sensible to do so.

For example, core contacts and fundraising processes might be established first, followed by additional teams, forms, dashboards or automation.

A phased approach can reduce pressure on your team and avoid trying to solve every future requirement before anybody has begun using the CRM.

Yes. Our involvement doesn't have to stop at go-live. Ongoing support and consultancy can be added as needed and quoted separately.

This might include user questions, additional development, reporting, forms, new processes, refresher training or reviewing your database as your organisation's requirements change.

Yes.

We'll normally start by reviewing the current setup and understanding what has already been done, what works and where the problems are.

The answer is not automatically to rebuild everything.

Sometimes relatively focused changes to structure, terminology, views, processes or training can make a significant difference. Where deeper redesign is needed, we'll explain why before making substantial changes.

We agree a training plan around your team, learning objectives and CRM workflows. The topics, delivery format and any supporting materials are agreed in that plan, so you know what is included before booking.

Group size is agreed around the training format, topics and participants. We consider how much hands-on practice and individual support people need when recommending a suitable session.

The duration, start and finish times, and breaks are agreed in your training plan. We shape the schedule around the topics, delivery format and time your team has available.

Supporting materials are agreed in the training plan. Let us know whether your team needs manuals or reference guides so we can discuss suitable materials and confirm what is included in the quote.

For on-site training, each participant needs access to a computer or laptop, and the room needs enough space for everyone attending.

A projector or shared display for the trainer and a flip chart or board can also be useful, but are not essential. If your office cannot accommodate this setup, contact us to discuss suitable arrangements.

Training can be delivered live online via Microsoft Teams, face to face at your charity's premises, or through a blend of both. We agree the format around your team's roles, accessibility needs and ways of working.

A separate venue can also be discussed, subject to availability and an agreed quote. The location, arrangements and any travel or accommodation costs are confirmed in advance.

Training is priced through a tailored quote based on your requirements and agreed training plan. Contact us to discuss your team, topics and preferred delivery format, and we will explain what is included before you book.

If on-site training involves travel or accommodation costs, these will be explained and agreed in the quote before booking. We confirm the arrangements with you in advance.

Training outside normal office hours may be possible by prior arrangement. Availability and any additional charges must be discussed and agreed in advance.

No. Alongside fundraising, Beacon supports areas such as memberships, events and ticketing, volunteer management, and service delivery.

The right setup depends on your charity's workflows and the features available on your chosen plan. Start by identifying what each team needs to manage, then confirm the requirements before configuring the system.

Yes. Training can be shaped around user roles and the workflows your team needs to carry out. Topics may include records, filters, exports, dashboards, forms, Gift Aid and events, depending on your Beacon setup and agreed training plan.

Training can be planned for administrators, staff and volunteers, including new starters and different groups of everyday users. We discuss who needs training and what they do so the content and practical examples match their responsibilities.

Possible topics include navigating records, filters and exports, dashboards, mail merge, Beacon forms, Gift Aid and events. The final topics depend on your Beacon configuration, user roles and training objectives.

A Beacon CRM consultant helps a charity translate its goals and workflows into clear requirements, project decisions and practical system improvements. The scope may include discovery, process review, configuration planning, migration coordination or user training.

We can help document your requirements, compare possible workflows and coordinate decisions with your team and Beacon. Recommendations depend on your objectives, configuration and the options available in your Beacon account.

No. We can discuss support for charities planning an implementation as well as organisations that already use Beacon and want to review their processes, data or staff training needs.

MakeITaplan support plans provide agreed day-to-day help with your existing setup. MakeITaplan consultancy covers planned work such as configuration, migration, data improvements, reporting and training.

These are separate from Beacon product support. If a request falls outside your MakeITaplan support arrangement, we will explain the scope and any additional charges before undertaking the work.

A question about how your existing setup works, help investigating an issue or straightforward technical guidance would generally sit naturally within support.

A request to build, redesign, migrate, configure or deliver a substantial piece of work is more likely to be consultancy.

We consider the scale and nature of the request rather than applying an arbitrary rule to every situation.

If something falls outside your support arrangement, we'll let you know before undertaking the additional work.

Formal or bespoke training would normally be treated separately from day-to-day technical support.

Training can instead form part of a consultancy arrangement or consulting-hours block.

If you simply need a little guidance to resolve a normal support question, we're not going to turn every explanation into a training project.

Minor assistance may sometimes form naturally from a support request, but planned configuration or database development would normally be consultancy.

This protects your support provision for genuine day-to-day questions while giving larger changes appropriate time for design, testing and implementation.

Yes.

You can purchase consulting time without having an ongoing MakeITaplan support plan.

This works well if you have a particular improvement, training requirement or piece of work you want us to undertake but don't require continuous support.

Yes.

This is a useful combination for organisations that want ongoing help for everyday questions while also having planned CRM improvements or development underway.

Your support plan can cover day-to-day technical assistance while consulting hours are used for the larger pieces of work.

This depends on the MakeITaplan support plan you select.

Our current plans provide for different numbers of authorised support contacts so that there are clear routes for raising and managing requests.

We will confirm the current options and pricing when you discuss support with us.

Both. Most CRM consultancy, configuration and support can be delivered remotely. Live training can take place via Microsoft Teams, at your charity's premises, or through a blend of both.

Requirements workshops and planned on-site consultancy can also be arranged where they add value. The format, accessibility needs and any travel or accommodation costs are agreed in advance.

Start dates depend on the size and scope of the work, your availability and our existing commitments. Smaller remote requests may be easier to schedule than substantial implementations or on-site work.

If you have a deadline, tell us at the beginning so we can discuss availability and agree a realistic start date.

Our normal telephone and email coverage is 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding specified UK holidays and planned periods of closure.

If MakeITaplan has a planned suspension of normal coverage outside those dates, clients are notified in advance.

Pre-arranged out-of-hours consultancy can also be discussed where required.

For general consulting arrangements, we make best efforts to respond to telephone messages and emails on the same working day or, where that isn't possible, by the next working day.

If you have a MakeITaplan support plan, your contracted support response time will apply.

A response does not necessarily mean that every issue can be fully resolved immediately. Where work needs to be scheduled or investigated, we'll let you know the next step.

Where on-site work involves travel or accommodation costs, these will be explained and agreed in the quote before booking. We confirm the arrangements with you in advance.

Unless we have specifically agreed otherwise with you, prepaid consulting hours should normally be used within one year of the invoice date.

If you have a particular longer-term requirement, please discuss this with us when purchasing the hours.

Yes, subject to the scope we have agreed.

This is one of the advantages of a consulting-hours arrangement.

Rather than commissioning a separate project every time something arises, hours can potentially be used across CRM consultancy, configuration, data work, training and bespoke support requirements.

If a request is substantially different from the original arrangement or requires specialist work, we'll discuss that with you first.

Requirements do change, particularly once teams begin seeing a new CRM structure in practice. Regular project meetings and progress reviews give us space to discuss feedback, decisions and changing priorities; we agree the frequency around the project and your team's availability.

Small refinements may be absorbed into the normal project process.

If a new requirement materially changes the agreed scope, timescale or amount of work involved, we will discuss it with you and agree any changes and costs before proceeding.

We would rather have an open conversation about a change in scope than deliver an unexpected invoice.

Our consultant needs to speak with a representative from each department that uses or will use the CRM. Bringing those perspectives together helps clarify current workflows, difficulties and priorities for improvement.

The duration and agenda are agreed around the departments involved and the topics to be covered. We discuss who needs to contribute and what you want to achieve before confirming the arrangements.

The deliverables are agreed in the assessment scope. A written report can be included to summarise the discussion, identify quick wins and set out medium-to-long-term recommendations. We confirm what you will receive before the work is booked.

Assessments are priced through a tailored quote based on the scope, departments involved and agreed deliverables. Contact us to discuss your CRM and assessment goals so we can agree a suitable approach and explain the costs.

Certification is useful evidence of a relationship with Beacon, but your charity should also compare project experience, scope, communication, migration approach, training and references against its own requirements.

Ask who reviews your source data, how records and fields will be mapped, whether test imports and validation are included, what your team must prepare and how out-of-scope data work will be handled.

No. Compare the deliverables, assumptions, project responsibilities, migration and testing work, training, exclusions and post-launch support as well as price. The lowest initial price may not include the work your charity needs.