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Take charge of your data to meet fundraising goals

AFPNNE NOV 8 2013

Chris Bicknell, Little Green LightKathy Howrigan, Marts & LundyBrendan Kinney, Vermont Public Radio & #fundchat

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Objectives

This session is intended to help you:• Focus on establishing a more strategic approach to donor data

management• Understand challenges shared by nonprofits around the country• Learn practical ways to overcome those challenges• Take away some simple tools

Ultimately, the goal is to help your organization raise more philanthropy for your important mission.

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“After people, data is your most important resource.”  

‐‐ John Kenyon

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Where you are and where you want to go

Constituent Chaos. Data scattered everywhere. Irregular, one-size-fits-all communications with supporters

Self-Centered. Constituent data consolidated, but focus attention inward rather than on interactions with the outside world.

Enlightened Stone-age. Appreciate and actively seek to engage constituents with high quality interactions, but a multiple data collection mechanisms require staff to jump through hoops to coordinate outreach.

Constituent-Centric. Contact data consolidated in only a few places, have regular targeted interactions with constituents in which they cross-promote different aspects of the organization and create opportunities to grow the value of their constituents.

Source for slide (text is adapted): “Creating the Relationship-Centric Organization: Nonprofit CRM” By Paul Hagen, May, 2006(http://www.idealware.org/articles/relationship_centric_org.php)

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Good News/Bad News

Good News!• Great strategy and clean donor data are not out of reach

for anyone.o The reality is that this area is in scale with the

organization. Larger organizations have more data and it costs them more money. Smaller organizations have less critical data and can achieve great results.

Bad News!• It will take more energy and time to get there than the

organization typically wants to allocate.o It also takes more discipline than many

organizations want to maintain.

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Issues from the Field

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Respondents by Number of Constituents

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

<1K 1K‐9K 10K‐24K 25K‐99K 100K+ConstituentsinDatabase

10+2‐9<2

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Respondents by Sector

3%

9%

10%

10%

12%

17%

19%

20%

Environment&Conservation

HealthCare

HigherEducation(public)

HumanServices

Other

HigherEducation(private)

Arts&Culture

K‐12Education

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Data as a Strategic Initiative

14%

16%

23%

30%

75%

75%

Donothaveorhavenotseenstrategicplan

ITHardware

Training

Donordatabasesoftware

Increaseduseofsocialmedia

Increasedengagementthroughcommunicationstrategieswithconstituents

StrategicPlan

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How Often Use Database for…

33%

33%

52%

59%

58%

78%

81%

41%

38%

13%

9%

9%

6%

5%

0% 50% 100%

MeasureEffectivenessofAppealLanguageorDesign

BuildPredictiveModels

BuildResearchProfilesofConstituents

AnalyzeConstituentGivingPatterns

TrackRelationshipsAmongConstituents

CommunicatewithSpecificGroupsaboutevents

SegmentationforAppeals/Events

VeryOften/Often NotOften Don'tKnow/NotSure Never

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Percent of File With…

55%

17%

5%

12%

0%

5%

17%

44%

69%

73%

0% 50% 100%

MailingAddress

Home/BusinessPhone

E‐mailAddress

EstimatedWealthfromScreeningVendor

CellPhone

90%+ 80%‐89% 70%‐79% 60%‐69% 50%‐59% <50%

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Recency of Data Acquisition

47%

46%

43%

34%

34%

32%

28%

22%

31%

37%

29%

38%

28%

43%

49%

59%

AppendedE‐mailAddresses

UpdatedAddressesusingNCOA

AppendedPhoneNumbers(Landline)

AppendedCellPhones

AppendedLostAddresses

ConductedanAuditofDataQuality

ConductedWealthScreeningonFullFile

ConductedPredictiveModelingonFullFile

Withinlastyear Morethanayearago Don'tknow/notsure Never

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Significant/Moderate Challenges

32%

33%

41%

42%

45%

49%

62%

StaffDoesn'tEnterImportantDataintoDB

QualityofDataEntry

UnderstandingUsefulnessofData

Reporting/GettingDataOut

InsufficientresourcesdedicatedtodataEntry

InsufficientresourcesdedicatedtoIT/DB

IncompleteConstituentData

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Solutions from the field

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Significant/Moderate Challenges

32%

33%

41%

42%

45%

49%

62%

StaffDoesn'tEnterImportantDataintoDB

QualityofDataEntry

UnderstandingUsefulnessofData

Reporting/GettingDataOut

InsufficientresourcesdedicatedtodataEntry

InsufficientresourcesdedicatedtoIT/DB

IncompleteConstituentData

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Incomplete Constituent DataBig Picture Approach

• Improving constituent records is a strategy, not a one-time activity.

Take Little Bites• Tackle “mass” update of records, but start small and scale

up, beginning with your VIPs and most recent donors first.

Enlist Your Army• Make it everyone’s job to update donor records; make it

part of every conversation.

Bring In The Big Guns• Make the case (and budget) for full database update. My

favorite: “Electronic Return Service Requested.”

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Insufficient Resources Data Entry & ITShare The Love

• Work across departments to share a position.

Volunteers• There is a lot of talent among your donors base. Find

retirees and/or students and recruit them.

Make The Case• An effective development program starts with good data.

It’s a mission-critical part of your operation that requires a professional staff.

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Understanding Usefulness of DataStart With The End In Mind

• Only capture data you intend to use.

Bring in an Expert• Using a consultant or other expert can often help you get

a head start.

Form a Coalition• Reach out to other area nonprofits to create a

local/regional professional network.

Analytics Will Always Matter• Think long-term about how to build your internal capacity.• Send a key staff member to webinars and conferences.

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ReportingGarbage in, Garbage out

• Data integrity must be your #1 priority.• No pivot tables, at least on day one. Keep it simple.

Be Mindful • Many organizations obsess with capturing all of the data

or nothing. Don’t let perfect stand in the way of good enough.

• Do you have the right tools and tech? Many systems great data warehouses. Reporting? Not so much…

“Top Three”• Survey your gift officers, accounting staff, and CEO, etc.• Design the most critical reports and build from there.

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Buy-inDemonstrate the Cost of Bad Data

• Air your dirty laundry. Share actual stats or examples of how bad data has led to a poor experience for donors of all stripes. Good data means good service for your donors.

Work Your Connections• Reach out to colleagues who already support your effort.

Organize a meetup coordinated by your colleague to introduce you and talk about collaboration. Hear out the concerns (listen).

Make It Easy• Ensure that the methods or systems for providing or

entering data is straightforward and hassle-free.

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Data Quality & IntegrityStandards-based Approach

• Create a new expectation for data integrity for your org. • Benchmark the current state of your data and then map a

course to a higher level.• Decide “tiers of importance” and bite off the challenge in

smaller chunks.

It’s Not “Other Duties As Assigned”• High quality data entry is a mission-critical task.• Professional position – not an intern or a volunteer.• It is in someone’s job description.

Be Relentless• Every interaction with donors – or prospects – is an

opportunity to enhance the integrity of your data.

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What About Social Media?What Twitter Account?

• First things first: Focus on establishing your social media presence first.

• Choose the platform that your supporters/members use.

It’s Just Another Tool, But Different• The kinds of things that resonate in social media: pictures,

video, questions, and cats.

Extend Your Customer Service• Always be listening. Response time <1 hour.• Don’t forget = your service is public.

Analytics• Okay, now you can start parsing the data…

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Connect…

http://fundchat.org | @fundchat

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• Chris Bicknell, co-founder of LGL, started fundraising out of college and has served as a campaign consultant with CCS Fund Raising and led seasoned fundraising staff at the local, regional, and national levels.

• At LGL we believe in the work of non profit organizations and know how important it is to have a database that works for you. That’s why we created an easy-to-use donor management system that is both powerful and affordable.

• Try us FREE for 30 days! Sign up at www.littlegreenlight.com.• For more information contact us at info@littlegreenlight.com or

877-820-6109.

Depth of Talent. Wealth of Experience.Since 1926 we have served thousands of clients, whose annual giving programs range from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars and whose campaigns range from a few million to several billion.

Service to our clients is enhanced by our four practice groups: Arts & Culture, Health Sciences, Independent Schools and Higher Education. Each group is led by an experienced Senior Consultant, and each comprises consultants and analysts with exceptional expertise and passionate interest in the advancement of philanthropy in the sector.

Marts & Lundy has a history of innovation. We have led many of the transformational changes in our industry — including development of the campaign feasibility study, creating the sub-industry of wealth screening and developing data-driven solutions such as the capacity analysis.

Our consulting services are tailored to each client’s distinct set of circumstances and the prevailing philanthropic environment.

FUNDRAISING CONSULTING • Comprehensive Campaign Planning • Development/Advancement Audits• Annual Giving• Strategic Planning• International Fundraising• Planned Giving• Board Development• Governance

ANALYTICAL SOLUTIONS• Benchmarking• Capacity Analysis• Constituent Survey• Constituent to Donor Study• Return on Investment Analysis

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS• Strategic Counsel• Data-Driven Communications• Campaign Messaging & Branding• Writing• Website Production• Social Media Strategy• Film & Video Production

TALENT DEVELOPMENT• Professional Development Programs and Training

Series for Staff• Engagement Strategies for Clinical Leaders• Performance Planning and Evaluation Programs• Leadership Development• Succession Planning• Recruitment and Retention Strategies

Visit us at www.martsandlundy.com

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Appendix: Simple ideas to take home

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Two things to avoidThe “Git-R-Done” Syndrome

• Comedian Larry the Cable Guy made this phrase famous. It plays out when data management is treated like cleaning toilets: get it done as quickly and cheaply as possible. Problem? You bet.

The “Mikey likes it” approach• Most of us probably remember the Life commercial where the two

brothers suggest their youngest brother try the new cereal because he “likes anything.”

• In Development shops, data tasks are often handed off to the newest person or the lowest-level person who the others hope, like Mikey, will learn to like the task. Unfortunately this leads to massively inconsistent practices as many times those staff members don’t have the skill set they need right away and aren’t given the training they need.

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A form like this can be valuable in helping everyone think through what is most critical in putting new constituents in your database, or when updating constituents

It helps you and anyone else be consistent and see the most relevant data points in one place

Use a new name/update Form

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Create a checklist for constituent review

When you look at a constituent in your database you should quickly be able to understand:

• Whether or not they are a donor and their giving historyo Who is responsible for managing that engagement

• Whether or not they are a prospecto Who is responsible for this activity

• That while they are neither a donor or prospect you can see the importance of having them in the database

• Which communication lists they are part of and which they are excluded from

• How they will appear in segments• Whether or not your correspondence will be addressed

to them properly

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Establish regular and consistent reporting

Monthly gift report for both progress to goal and reconciling with financial reporting

• Show enough detail to confirm amounts with finance and remind you about pledges due

Progress report for appeals, funds, campaigns• Status, who’s committed, who to ask, who owes

Information for board and executive• It is a good idea to produce these reports monthly even

if they are needed quarterly or less frequently