Is Your Non-Profit Data Deprived?

In the information age, you are at a data disadvantage if you aren’t paying attention to the precious resource of your database.

Regularly refreshing and enriching your data can lead you to new donors and a better understanding of your current donors. When you make investments in data, the knowledge it gives you will provide guidance about using your resources strategically to target the right set of constituents for engagement and fundraising.

You are practicing data avoidance if you aren’t monitoring data on a regular basis.

Understanding what kinds of reports to ask your database administrator for is the key to success. Do you have a set of key metrics to set goals and regularly monitor progress? Suggestions for donor analysis include a look at detailed donor retention, a detailed weekly donor and dollar report tracking against the last few fiscal years, an appeal tracking report which will help you understand the sources of your gifts, and an individual major gifts report which will help you with timely stewardship.

Don’t get stuck in data immobility.

If you are able to pull data for analysis, how good is your team at finding patterns and making strategic decisions? Training your team to understand reports and analysis, even on a basic level, will go a long way toward making strategic decisions and tactical plans. Use your data to segment and customize your communications, outreach, solicitations and stewardship. In a data-driven world, non-profits have to stay current by maintaining good data, analyzing it regularly, and taking action on the findings.