A presentation delivered at the annual AFP-NNE Conference on Nov. 8, 2013 by Chris Bicknell of Little Green Light, Kathy Howrigan of Marts & Lundy, and Brendan Kinney of Vermont Public Radio.

1. Take charge of your data to
meet fundraising goals
AFPNNE NOV 8 2013
Chris Bicknell, Little Green Light
Kathy Howrigan, Marts & Lundy
Brendan Kinney, Vermont Public Radio & #fundchat
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2. 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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3. “After people, data is your
most important resource.”
‐‐ John Kenyon
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4. 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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5. 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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6. Issues from the Field
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7. Respondents by Number of Constituents
30
25
20
10+
15
2‐9
<2
10
5
0
<1K
1K‐9K
10K‐24K
25K‐99K
Constituents in Database
100K+
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8. Respondents by Sector
K‐12 Education
20%
Arts & Culture
19%
Higher Education (private)
17%
Other
12%
Human Services
10%
Higher Education (public)
10%
Health Care
Environment & Conservation
9%
3%
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9. Data as a Strategic Initiative
Strategic Plan
Increased engagement through
communication strategies with constituents
75%
Increased use of social media
75%
Donor database software
30%
Training
IT Hardware
Do not have or have not seen strategic plan
23%
16%
14%
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10. How Often Use Database for…
Very Often/Often
Not Often
Don't Know/Not Sure
Segmentation for Appeals/Events
Never
81%
Communicate with Specific Groups about
events
5%
78%
6%
Track Relationships Among Constituents
58%
9%
Analyze Constituent Giving Patterns
59%
9%
Build Research Profiles of Constituents
52%
Build Predictive Models
33%
Measure Effectiveness of Appeal Language or
Design
13%
33%
0%
38%
41%
50%
100%
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11. Percent of File With…
90%+
80%‐89%
70%‐79%
Mailing Address
60%‐69%
50%‐59%
55%
Home/Business Phone
5%
17%
17%
E‐mail Address 5%
Estimated Wealth from Screening Vendor
<50%
44%
12%
69%
Cell Phone 0%
0%
73%
50%
100%
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12. Recency of Data Acquisition
Within last year
More than a year ago
Don't know/not sure
Appended E‐mail Addresses
47%
Updated Addresses using NCOA
Never
46%
Appended Phone Numbers (Landline)
31%
37%
43%
Appended Cell Phones
34%
Appended Lost Addresses
34%
Conducted an Audit of Data Quality
32%
29%
Conducted Wealth Screening on Full File
Conducted Predictive Modeling on Full File
28%
22%
38%
28%
43%
49%
59%
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13. Significant/Moderate Challenges
Incomplete Constituent Data
62%
Insufficient resources dedicated to IT/DB
49%
Insufficient resources dedicated to data Entry
45%
Reporting/Getting Data Out
42%
Understanding Usefulness of Data
41%
Quality of Data Entry
33%
Staff Doesn't Enter Important Data into DB
32%
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14. Solutions from the field
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15. Significant/Moderate Challenges
Incomplete Constituent Data
62%
Insufficient resources dedicated to IT/DB
49%
Insufficient resources dedicated to data Entry
45%
Reporting/Getting Data Out
42%
Understanding Usefulness of Data
41%
Quality of Data Entry
33%
Staff Doesn't Enter Important Data into DB
32%
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16. Incomplete Constituent Data
Big Picture Approach
• Improving constituent records is a strategy, not a onetime 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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17. Insufficient Resources Data Entry & IT
Share 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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18. Understanding Usefulness of Data
Start 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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19. Reporting
Garbage 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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20. Buy-in
Demonstrate 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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21. Data Quality & Integrity
Standards-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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22. 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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23. Connect…
http://fundchat.org | @fundchat
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24. •
•
•
•
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.
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25. 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
ANALYTICAL SOLUTIONS
• Comprehensive Campaign Planning
• Benchmarking
• Development/Advancement Audits
• Capacity Analysis
• Annual Giving
• Constituent Survey
• Strategic Planning
• Constituent to Donor Study
• International Fundraising
• Return on Investment Analysis
• Planned Giving
• Board Development
TALENT DEVELOPMENT
• Governance
• 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
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
• Strategic Counsel
• Data-Driven Communications
• Campaign Messaging & Branding
• Writing
• Website Production
• Social Media Strategy
• Film & Video Production
Visit us at www.martsandlundy.com

26. Appendix: Simple ideas to take home
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27. Two things to avoid
The “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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28. Use a new name/update Form
 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
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29. Create a checklist for constituent review
When you look at a constituent in your database you
should quickly be able to understand:
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•
•
•
•
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Whether or not they are a donor and their giving history
o Who is responsible for managing that engagement
Whether or not they are a prospect
o 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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30. 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
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