#FundraisingData - a Random Thought Thread . . .
Some days I wonder why I've decided to focus on data. It's not sexy, it's hard for some folks, it gets relegated to the realm of the geeks & the nerds, and it's a little harder to measure the direct impact it can have /1 . . .
Some days I wonder why I've decided to focus on data. It's not sexy, it's hard for some folks, it gets relegated to the realm of the geeks & the nerds, and it's a little harder to measure the direct impact it can have /1 . . .
And I'm not an analyst or statistician. What I do is usually some pretty good filtering, sorting, basic formulas, and the (life-giving) Pivot Table here and there. Usually looking for anomalies where data is missing or digging into historical giving. Nothing earth shattering /2
But then I'll spend a week or two on a file. And it's always there. Always. Just waiting to be uncovered. There's ALWAYS a thread of donors who give consistently, regularly, faithfully. But they get missed b/c their single gifts are small or they don't give consecutively 3/
And then the trends start to emerge. And donors start to tell you, through their data, "Here's how I want to give & what I want from you." It's in the size or frequency or what they give to. Or it's in screening results in other philanthropy or hidden capacity /4
Or in engagement stats or other details. It's always there. No matter how old the data or badly maintained, full of holes and missing info and inconsistencies. That thread of loyal, caring, giving donors is ALWAYS there. In every file. Our job is to find and care for them.
