“You shouldn’t have to teach your partner about grantmaking”: Why ImagineCRM shows up differently when working with you.

We recently sat down with our CEO and Founder, Daisy Sayre Garcia, to find out what inspired her to do things differently when she started ImagineCRM ten years ago,  and why that mindset still defines our work today.

Her answer? It’s simple:

Daisy has worked inside foundations, like most of our team. She knows what it’s like to make funding decisions, manage internal complexity, and operate with systems that weren’t built for how foundations really work. That experience is baked into every decision we make at ImagineCRM.

Since founding the company, she’s intentionally built a team with direct grantmaking experience – people who’ve worked at places like the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Tides Foundation, and Arnold Ventures. We leverage our experiences working in the philanthropy sector to ensure everyone on our team, from advisors to platform builders, has access to industry-related knowledge that helps us understand our customers' needs.

We asked Daisy for her top reasons that ImagineCRM has stayed the leader in grantmaking Salesforce services, and what sets us apart still after 10 years. 

1. We can implement quickly, because we’ve likely done it before

"Clients are often surprised at how quickly we can move. A foundation recently asked if we could support sequencing disbursement payments. The answer was YES! As we only work on grantmaking projects, this was an easy one for us. We’d already done it just weeks earlier for another client.

That’s because everything we do is grounded in our knowledge of how grantmakers work. We’ve seen it. We’ve solved it. We don’t have to spend time reimagining what’s already been built. We can quickly develop a proof of concept, tailor it to your needs, and make it scalable.

Every project we take on feeds into the next. We carry forward that knowledge, which means faster delivery, smarter architecture, and more space to focus on what matters." Daisy shared

2. We don’t expect you to make a million tiny decisions

"We’re often complimented on how easy we are to work with.” Daisy shared.

“Most of our clients don’t want to be overwhelmed by decision fatigue. When we take on other partners' work, they can often be drained from the day-to-day. Not from their work, but from the number of micro-decisions they’re suddenly asked to make in an implementation. Things they didn’t even know they’d have to consider.

So we don’t just hand over a long list of open-ended questions. We bring options. We lay out the pros and cons. And we guide you through it.

It’s not about taking control away. It’s about ensuring you feel empowered to make decisions without being buried by them. You shouldn’t need to figure out every button or automation; that’s our job. We simplify, so you can help make well-informed decisions and stay focused."

3. We’ve worked inside foundations, so you don’t have to explain everything

How does ImagineCRM just get it? We are often asked this when we finish a project: “How did you just read our minds and get it from day one?”

Daisy shared:  "You don’t need to explain what an open call is to us. Or why thinking about AI has implications on ethics. Or how a family foundation thinks differently from a community one. Or how living donors handle giving differently than board-driven Foundations. Or how federal funding creates different compliance and reporting needs. We already know –  because we’ve lived it. We have stood in your shoes.”

ImagineCRM brings direct experience from the field. We’ve worked inside foundations and nonprofits. We understand board approvals, governance processes, internal politics, and policy compliance.

Daisy went on to share: “And we don’t stop learning. We stay involved in Salesforce Nonprofit User Groups, we track every release, and we’re constantly updating ourselves on the latest developments in grantmaking. We go to conferences like PEAK and TAG. We speak to funders every week. We’re in it."

4. We guide, advise, and adapt to how you work

When we come together with your team, we understand and guide you from day one. It’s in our DNA and our core as a team.

Daisy shared her thoughts: "Foundations aren’t all the same. Some move fast. Some are consensus-driven. Some want to test and explore. Others want a recommendation and a delivery plan. We adapt to all of that.”

What we never do is expect you to teach us how Foundations work. We understand the internal landscape and the operational realities, the way decisions are made, and the constraints you’re under.

Daisy went on to share the thing we hear the most from our customers: “One thing we hear often from clients is: 'We spent more time teaching our last partner about grantmaking than actually building the system.' That doesn’t happen with us. We come in ready, and we adapt our consulting style to fit your rhythm."

5. We help you meet the moment, not get stuck in it

One of the areas where we have invested a lot in as a team is learning. Daisy and her leadership team are grounded in learning and invest in keeping current.

Daisy shared, "Foundations are being asked to do more than ever—faster turnaround. Increase giving. Create AI policies. Greater transparency. More collaboration. Changing policy landscapes. We help you stay ready.

Because we’re so embedded in the sector, we know what’s shifting,  from new compliance expectations to sector-wide calls for faster, more equitable funding models. That means the systems we build aren’t just solving for today,  they’re built to flex with whatever comes next.

You don’t have to teach us the context. We’re already there with you, staying current on policy shifts, funding sources, and structural changes. We’re constantly speaking to leaders in the space, bringing that insight back into the design."

"There are a lot of consultancies out there trying to do everything. But if you’re doing everything, you’re not truly an expert in anything. We’ve chosen to stay focused on foundations because we care about this work. And that shows up in everything we do."

If you’re looking for a Salesforce partner who already understands your world? Let’s talk.

We only work with grantmakers and nonprofits, so if you’re ready to think about how we can help you, we’d love to share some of our industry knowledge with you and think differently about how Salesforce could help you. 

Contact us here.