How the Keela and Raisely Integration is Transforming Nonprofit Tech

A Peek Behind the Scenes with Senior Product Manager Natalie Freckleton

Fundraisers, it’s time to say goodbye to spreadsheet uploads and say hello to seamless data flow. The new Keela and Raisely integration is here to help you effectively manage the full donor lifecycle. It works by taking donations that come through your Raisely forms and syncing them instantly to your Keela CRM—complete with all donor details, transaction information, and campaign data. No more manual uploads, no more waiting, and no more duplicate entries!

We got the full scoop from Natalie Freckleton, the Senior Product Manager at Keela and Raisely, to learn about her vision behind this game-changing integration and how her own fundraising history shaped this initiative that's giving fundraisers back their precious time.

From Ambitious Fundraiser to Tech-Savvy Product Guru

With 15+ years of fundraising experience under her belt, Natalie brings the real-deal perspective to product development. Her fundraising journey kicked off with the Poppy Appeal in London where she stewarded volunteers to go out and collect money. From there, she worked to organize sponsored walks, glitzy gala dinners, and peer-to-peer fundraising efforts.

"I've worked for charities of all shapes and sizes—from tiny grassroots organizations to large enterprise-level nonprofits," she explains. After making the leap to Canada, she joined the BC SPCA in Vancouver and later JDRF, where she continued her community fundraising magic.

The lightbulb moment? While at Prostate Cancer UK, Natalie found herself diving headfirst into donor data trends (and loving it!). When her team launched a virtual walk for folks who couldn't make it to in-person events, she got a taste of product management that changed everything.

"Our first year was super scrappy,” Natalie says. "We raised about £30,000, which wasn't too shabby. But then we started using actual product management techniques to refine our approach and really get inside our donors' heads."

The results? Mind-blowing: "The next year we skyrocketed to £130,000, and now that same event pulls in millions."

That aha moment showed Natalie how the right processes could transform fundraising results, sending her on a journey from professional fundraiser to nonprofit tech product manager.

Developing the Ultimate Fundraising Solution: Keela + Raisely

When asked about the process behind the Keela and Raisely integration, Natalie thinks back to when the project kicked off in early 2024.

"First we chatted with eight different fundraisers from different organizations to really understand their headaches when it came to CRM and fundraising platforms," explains Natalie. These conversations revealed the challenges with manually transferring data between platforms just to report on donation progress and stay connected with donors.

"Fundraisers have better things to do than manual data entry all day," Natalie says. "We wanted this integration to be instant—no data manipulation, just instant connectivity."

With the talented engineers and designers at Keela and Raisely, they cooked up an experience that creates a seamless flow of data from Raisely to Keela. After some scope refinement, lots of technical development, and working with beta testers, the first version of this fundraising data integration was born.

Why This Integration is the Superhero Fundraisers Deserve

For Natalie, what makes this integration special isn't just the tech—it's the freedom it creates. "Once you connect these platforms, you don’t have to worry about tracking donor data," she explains. "The data from your fundraising in Raisely comes through to Keela immediately so you can focus on those instant stewardship journeys with the automation in Keela."

This integration includes:

• Real-time updates of transaction, campaign, and contact data in Keela
• Error-free data across your fundraising and donor management efforts
• A seamless donor lifecycle journey with less manual effort

Natalie describes the value of the integration like this: "Imagine you’re a fundraiser whose CRM and fundraising platform are giving each other the silent treatment. You’re maybe waiting weeks for data updates. Then comes the call from an excited fundraiser: 'I just got a huge donation! Can you see my new total?' And there you are, frantically toggling between your systems to give an update."

This integration eliminates those frustrating moments. "There's nothing better than the instant dopamine hit of seeing those donation numbers climb in real-time," she says. "That immediate celebration is what keeps fundraisers pumped and donors engaged."

The Bigger Vision (Because We're Just Getting Started!)

This integration is just the start of a much larger move toward nonprofit tech excellence. Natalie and the entire team at Keela and Raisely is on a mission: give nonprofits the incredible tech they deserve.

"Nonprofits deserve so much more than what they’ve been given in the past. Their tech should align with what’s provided to everyone else," Natalie says.

The grand plan? Create a unified platform ecosystem that slashes administrative busywork so fundraisers can focus on the heart and soul of their work: connecting with donors and changing the world.

"Imagine having all that mental bandwidth back," Natalie says. "No more sticky notes, no more 'did that donation get recorded?' anxiety, no more spreadsheet-induced headaches while you're trying to have meaningful conversations with the people who fuel your mission."

With automated data syncing between platforms, fundraisers reclaim brain space for what they're actually passionate about—building relationships. Year-end thank you letters will have the right info, reports will add up (hallelujah!), and every donor gets proper acknowledgment whether they gave online or offline.

"Let's be real—fundraising can be emotionally draining. You're constantly giving your energy to inspire others," Natalie says. "Keela and Raisely together are like having a personal assistant who handles all the boring stuff so you can focus on the work that lights you up."

As the Keela-Raisely integration continues to evolve (along with Aplos for fund accounting), one thing is crystal clear: when your product team includes people who have actually been in the fundraising trenches, magic happens for nonprofits. And that magic translates to more donations raised for causes that matter.

Want to see the integration in action? Schedule a demo and watch your fundraising workflow transform before your eyes!