Are You Collecting the Right Data?
All of us in nonprofit work understand that collecting the correct data is crucial for effective donor management. And if you’ve been in this business for any significant amount of time, you probably know the basics that you must be gathering: name, age, street address, email address, phone number. But is there more you should be collecting and more you should be doing with your data to make your donor relationships as effective as possible? We would like to share what we have learned from our years of experience in fundraising.
Know the person. This may seem like an obvious statement to many, but it can be overlooked. Sure we all know to collect the name and email address. But to cultivate a donor relationship, each individual should become a friend. This friendship will be more strategic than it will personal - at least at first - but a relationship is imperative nonetheless. Know an individual's birthday, and acknowledge it. Learn the family situation: kids' names, wedding anniversary, favorite sporting events; and use this information to find commonality. Understand an individual's passions and interests. Often these lifestyle details become the bridge to impactful donations. People love to be known, so know your donors as individuals.
Know the giving patterns. Do not simply know if a person gives and how much, but watch for trends. Does the person give at the end of the year? Does he or she give in honor of others? Do they offer several small gifts through the year, or one big gift? Are more funds raised at events among a certain population? Look for giving patterns and trends among individuals and common groups. These trends will help you solicit donations more effectively and have a better understanding of how and when is best to communicate to your donors.
Use what you know. If you know a donor's wife has a passion for the mission of your organization, and you know their wedding anniversary, you may suggest a donation to your organization as the perfect gift idea. And this thoughtful anniversary gift could also result in a significant donation to your organization. Do not collect data simply for the sake of information, but use what you know to make strategic asks that grow your giving.
Your data is only as good as its accessibility. If you have all the helpful data one could imagine but cannot access it, then you have nothing. Entering and managing data is the first step to successful donor relations. We have employed our decades of donor management experience to create the best and most accessible donor management platform available. Donor.com makes donor relations something to enjoy! Spend less time managing your software and more time learning your donors.
