Are you able to tell what’s “on trend” in every area of life EXCEPT when it comes to your donors?
If the answer is yes, read on. (If the answer is no, read on anyways!)
When developing appeals to donors and planning events targeted toward your donor base, you hope that what is learned from the experience will benefit future appeals and events. Are you hoping to quantify the results as well? You should be. According to an identification of nonprofit trends for 2016 by NonprofitPro.com, measuring and reporting on your results is more vital than ever before, within a system that can handle what you ask of it. It is no longer acceptable to just give a wide overview of results; specifics are expected. The great thing is, the specifics are what is best for YOU to know, as well as your donors and board.
When gathering your team together after a major annual event, look at who came, what was given, at what point at the event it was given, how it was given, etc. Noting how the donation was processed (credit card vs. cash/check) and at what point in the event process it was given, can help you in better targeting your donor’s place in the giving process next year. If end of year appeals are sent out at your organization, evaluate the return rates on emails vs. mail outs vs. phone calls. You may be already tracking all of this data. If this is the case, way to go! It is important to make sure that you have a donor management system in place that this data can be entered into. A donor management system that can be further customized to accept these facts you have found is the top way to report best on this activity.
At this point, you have recognized the trends of donor’s giving and overall involvement in appeals and events, so the natural next step is to ensure that accurate reports are set up to draw the best conclusions from the information you have noted. Reporting within a custom built donor management system is “on trend” AND supports your realization of donor trends specific to your nonprofit. Build reports based on each specific finding (i.e. giving before the event, during, or after, or giving because of an email vs. a phone call), and make sure you have reports that provide the overview of event and appeal success as well.
If specifics are what is expected, then specifics will be provided. Donors will recognize the attention to detail by your organization, and will look forward to contributing to the “trendy” findings of your organization for years to come.
Join DonorLynk for a webinar tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. CST to learn more about the top donor cultivation strategies. Sign up here!
Marianna Woodruff is a Business Development Executive at DonorLynk, LLC. DonorLynk is focused on helping nonprofits increase effectiveness and efficiency.