Requirements gathering captures what your technology needs to enable you to do. It is a collaborative process that builds shared understanding across teams and creates a clear statement of needs that guides partner selection and implementation.
We work iteratively with your teams to capture charity CRM requirements that are accurate, complete and usable, drawing on experience from more than 550 NFP technology projects. The insight from the process itself is often as valuable as the final requirements document.
Requirements gathering is most effective when it is anchored to your organisation's strategic direction, not just today's operational needs.
As a fiercely independent consultancy, Hart Square does not sell software, accept commissions, or partner with vendors. Our advice is 100% objective, technology-agnostic, and client-first, built on experience from more than 550 projects with charities and membership organisations.
We work iteratively with your teams throughout the process, not just at the start and end. A typical engagement runs in four stages.
Structured workshops with all business areas, including end users, not just leadership, to build a shared understanding of what the organisation needs from a new system.
Functional requirements captured for each area, alongside non-functional requirements covering security, performance and documentation needs. Current systems and integrations mapped.
Agreement on how to distinguish must-haves from nice-to-haves, so that when no single system meets every requirement, you have a principled basis for the decision.
A complete requirements document formatted for use in your selection process, with stakeholder sign-off secured where needed.
“ It was so helpful to be able to have allies to question and validate my thinking. Hart Square were very good at coaching me in how to deliver difficult messages across the organisation as we reset the project and appointed new suppliers. They helped us to form a new project team and to align everyone’s interests. We were so keen to retain their input after our ITT process that we appointed them as external project managers ”
Capturing the solution requirements gives everyone a clear understanding of what is needed so the solutions can be implemented to meet those requirements.
And doing so at the outset of the project minimises errors. lowers the overall cost of a project and gives a more accurate picture of how complex a project can be.
According to a NASA study on project costs, “the cost of fixing a requirements error discovered during the requirements phase is defined as one unit, the cost to fix that error if found during the design phase increases to 3–8 units; at the build phase, 7–16 units; at integration and test, 21–78 units; and at the operations phase, 29 units to more than 1,500 units”.
What is involved in requirements gathering?
Requirements gathering involves a structured process of identifying and documenting what your organisation needs from a new system before evaluating suppliers. It covers functional needs, technical requirements, data considerations and integrations, and includes input from the teams who will use the system day to day. The output is a prioritised requirements document that guides procurement and enables objective supplier evaluation.
How do you run a nonprofit CRM requirements process?
A nonprofit requirements process involves facilitated workshops to capture and prioritise needs across business areas, followed by structured documentation and stakeholder sign-off. The process must include end users alongside leadership, and should produce documentation ready to use directly in a tender or RFP. The output clearly distinguishes between essential requirements and desirable features.
What are membership management software requirements?
Membership management software requirements typically cover membership record management and renewals, subscription billing and payment processing, event registration and CPD tracking, communications and member portal functionality, and integration with finance systems. Unlike CRM requirements for donor-focused organisations, membership management software requirements are primarily membership-first, focused on subscription lifecycles, automated renewals and member engagement.
Why do charities need a formal requirements process before selecting a system?
Without a clear requirements document, organisations compare systems without a consistent framework. Suppliers emphasise different features, making proposals hard to evaluate objectively. A proper requirements process makes selection faster and fairer, protects the organisation if a system fails to deliver what was agreed, and ensures the brief to potential partners is clear enough to attract accurate proposals.
How does Hart Square's requirements gathering differ from doing it in-house?
We bring an independent perspective that is harder to maintain internally, particularly on prioritisation. Because we have no affiliation with any technology supplier, our recommendations are based entirely on your needs. We also bring direct knowledge of what suppliers in the sector can and cannot realistically deliver, and the requirements that are commonly missed in NFP technology projects, built across more than 550 projects with charities and membership organisations.
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Last updated: 05 April 2026 by Joyce Harmon
