CRM for associations and alumni: how Feending differs and connects

A CRM manages a company's relationship with its customers; Feending manages a community and the relationships between its members. That makes Feending the next step for anyone running a community: it doesn't just record each person, it suggests who they should meet. And the two connect through an API.

What is the difference between a CRM and Feending?

The difference between a CRM and Feending is who uses the tool and why. Your team uses a CRM to sell to and support customers. Your team and your members use Feending every day to find each other, take part and do business together.

Think about what each person sees. In a CRM, a member of your association is a record: name, company, last email, next step. That person never logs in or knows the record exists. In Feending, the same member enters a platform carrying your organization's brand, fills in a profile and gets suggestions about people worth meeting.

A CRM tells you what you know about someone. Feending makes sure that someone gets something out of being there. In a community, that is what decides whether they renew.

Why is Feending the next step after a CRM for community managers?

Feending is to a community manager what a CRM is to a salesperson: the tool they work in every day. The step forward is that it adds what a CRM never set out to solve, because it was built for something else: the relationships between members.

The CRM brought order to sales. Salespeople used to keep customers in a notebook; afterwards, the whole company shared the same information. Many communities are still at the notebook stage, with spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups and stray forms. Moving to a CRM alone tidies the data but leaves untouched what members care about. There are three more steps:

1/ From record to living profile. In a CRM, your team updates the record. In Feending, each member has their own profile and can complete it from LinkedIn in seconds, so the data stays current without anyone chasing it.

2/ From follow-up to connection. A CRM reminds you who to call. Feending's AI builds a profile of each member and suggests who to meet through five dynamics: networking, mentoring, sales, investment and hiring. We explain it in how smart networking works.

3/ From log to activity. A CRM stores what has already happened. In Feending, it is where things happen: events, chat, the feed, resources, marketplace, jobs and fees sit in one place, and that activity shows you what works and who is drifting away.

How do a CRM and Feending differ day to day?

Day to day, a CRM measures sales opportunities and Feending measures the life of the community. Three questions a community manager asks every week show it well.

Who should I introduce this new member to? In a CRM you would search through records and answer from memory. In Feending, the platform suggests contacts to each member, and your team stops making every introduction by hand.

How do I run the next event? A CRM can send the invitation. Feending also handles registration, payment through your gateway, the ticket and attendance tracking, all in one place.

What do I show the board? A CRM shows a sales funnel, which says little about an association or an alumni network. Feending shows activity, events, sign-ups and connections made, and you can export it to PDF and CSV. There are more ideas in how to measure a professional community's impact.

Do I need a CRM if I already have Feending?

If your organization only runs a community, Feending is usually enough, because it brings together the member database, communication, events and fees. If you also have a sales team working opportunities, the CRM still has its place and the two complement each other.

The split is simple. The CRM belongs to your sales team and tells the story of the company and each customer. Feending belongs to your community and tells the story of each member and everyone else.

Some cases where they work well side by side:

1/ A corporate club. The sales team uses the CRM to win and renew sponsors. The companies already inside meet, do business and attend events in Feending. Levante UD's Business Club, with close to 400 companies, moved from Excel to running everything in Feending.

2/ A university. The fundraising office manages donors in its CRM. The alumni network lives on its own platform, where graduates meet, mentor each other and share jobs. UCAM Alumni made its segmentation 5 times faster by bringing its data into Feending.

3/ A company with a customer community. Sales stays in its CRM, and the customer or partner community gets a private space with your brand. See Feending Business.

How does Feending connect to a CRM through an API?

Feending connects to a CRM through its public API, and lists integrations with HubSpot and Salesforce. Other CRMs can connect through the same API, so you don't have to choose one or the other, or enter data twice.

Depending on what your organization needs, this is what can be connected:

1/ Users and profiles. Member data syncs with your systems, and the information stays centralized.

2/ Automatic sign-ups. Someone added to your CRM as a customer or member company can be registered in the community with no manual steps.

3/ Marketing and follow-up. Marketing flows and lead and customer management are automated with your CRM.

4/ Access from your website. Members can go straight into the community from your site.

The details are in integrations and security. Data is hosted on servers in the EU/EEA and handled in line with GDPR. Before connecting anything, decide which system owns each piece of data, because it will save you duplicates. If you're coming from spreadsheets, Feending imports any CSV or Excel file, as we explain in managing an association without Excel.

How do I know if I need a CRM, Feending or both?

You need Feending if your value lies in members meeting and taking part. You need a CRM if your priority is closing sales with a sales team. And you need both if you have both goals at once, connected through the API.

A quick way to tell: ask who is going to log in. If only your team will, you're looking for a CRM. If your community has to, you're looking for a platform like Feending. For the wider picture, start with what community management software is. We have also written about the difference between an ERP and Feending.

Frequently asked questions

Is Feending a CRM?

No. Feending is a private, one-of-a-kind platform for running a community. It includes a member database, as a CRM does, but members use it too and its AI suggests who they should meet.

Can I use a CRM to run an association or alumni network?

You can store the data there, but a CRM doesn't give members a place to meet, sign up for events or find jobs. For that you need a community platform, on its own or connected to your CRM.

Does Feending integrate with HubSpot and Salesforce?

Yes. Feending syncs user information and automates marketing flows and lead management with HubSpot, Salesforce or your CRM through its public API.

Do I have to drop my CRM to use Feending?

No. Your sales team can stay in its CRM and your community in Feending, with the two systems connected through the API.

See what your CRM is missing to become a community

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