Level Setting Your Data in Raiser’s Edge

Level Setting Your Data in Raiser’s Edge DATA THAT IS FRESH, CLEAN, AND COMPLETE

Patrick Deming, Omatic Software

Welcome!

• Your supporters are the backbone of your organization.

• Providing and maintaining a positive experience during any interactions is critical for sustainability and growth.

• A healthy database is critical to the success of your organization.

• Database Audits are the most efficient and effective way to ensure a healthy database.

• The results of an audit impacts a lot of people, in a lot of different ways within your organization.

I’m Patrick Deming

• Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge experience

• Enjoys helping Nonprofit Organizations reach the power of their missions

• Participated in 10 Tough Mudder/Spartan Race events

• Hospice House of Southern WV

SALES ENABLEMENT ENGINEER

About Omatic

• Founded in 2002, Blackbaud partner since 2004

• Over 2,700 clients worldwide

• 70+ person staff: Software development and customization, Consulting and support, Professional Services

Healthy Database = Happy Supporters

Poor Supporter Experience

Good Supporter Experience

93% of donors would give again and 64% would give more IF they

received a prompt & personal thank you.

–Penelope Burk, Donor Centered Fundraising

Donor behavior (giving) is determined by the actions you take to influence his or her attitude positively or negatively.

Few organizations understand that the actions they themselves

take determine the donor's attitude—positively or negatively.

-Roger Craver, Retention Fundraising: The New Art

and Science of Keeping Your Donors for Life

What Do I Have?

Pillars of a Healthy Database

Fresh

Supporters are driven by the commercial sector with regard to their expectations for instant gratification in communications.

Clean

Data accuracy- even down to the letter can make the difference between a poor supporter experience and a great one.

Complete

Disparate data found in multiple systems throughout the organization should be compiled into a centralized record to offer a complete view of your supporter.

Does your data strategy support your lifecycle management strategy?

OR

Does your data strategy hurt your supporter experience?

Data That Damages Your Supporter Experience

Blind spots come from…

Disparate data

• Separate systems

• Spreadsheets

• In peoples’ heads

Duplicate records

Purged / Deleted records

Fuzzy spots come from…

Data inaccuracies

• Misspelled names

• Inaccurate relationships

Outdated information

• Address, email, phone, etc.

Maintaining a Healthy Database

Sometimes We Know Why

Sometimes we don’t know why or what is wrong

Duplicate Management

With multiple people adding information from various sources to a database, it’s easy to unknowingly create two, three, even four records for the same constituent

Health Check

Sometimes we don’t know why or what is wrong

Supporter Impact

• “I’m getting too many communications from you.”

• “I’d like to get your communications but I’m not. What are you up to?”

• “I unsubscribed from your emails but I am still receiving them.”

• “I haven’t been getting any communications about what I am interested in.”

• “You sent me multiple mailings and some have my name misspelled. What are you doing?”

• These are the things you hear. What about the Supporters that you don’t hear from?

Where Do I Start?

How Do I Know I Need A Database Health Check?

• You’ve seen issues but need to fact-gather to validate those issues

• There is a new database manager

• You want to better align the database for reporting purposes

• The database has been passed through several management styles

• Coding of records is not consistent

• Data storage is not constant

• The database is just plain cluttered or dirty

• Evaluation of Raiser’s Edge is being conducted

• Internal resistance to using database / lack of trust of the data and the database

• Campaign/Fund/Appeal structure in RE is not consistent with the reality of your fundraising structure

When Is A Database Health Check Appropriate? NOW!

Before:

• Trying to determine how that database should be clean-up or optimized

• Considering a move to a hosting/NXT environment if you are self-hosted

• Migrating any sizable data into the database from another database or other source

• Before a campaign or event

When:

• You often hear users say, “it’s always been done that way”

• Reporting or other data results are not consistent

• Before or after major cleanup

The most dangerous phrase in our language is “we’ve always done it

this way”

What Do I Need?

Database Audit Deliverables• Database and record cleanup recommendations

• Data management best practices for your organization

• Recommendations for module usage

• Alternate system and/or integration option recommendations

• Duplicate record analysis and recommendations for remediation

• Process improvement recommendations & training needs analysis

• Recommendations for staffing, and for security groups and permissions

• Recommendations for written policies and procedures

• Organization goal and system alignment recommendations

How do I sell this internally?

Articulating Role-Based Value

• Audits don’t just benefit the individual responsible for data entry, there is impact at every level of your organization.

• Include those individuals who are able to recognize current issues as well as those who may have a more strategic outcome need.

• Make it clear this is not the treatment – it is the diagnosis. Committing to obtaining an understanding is easier than the commitment to make a change. Baby steps!

Preliminary Steps: Organization Goals & Procedural Documentation

Where does your organization see itself going with regards to fundraising efforts?

Fundraising Goals for the next 1, 5 or 10 years?

Documentation of Internal Guidelines

Internal Prep & Questions

Prep Your Staff for the Audit

Interview all users that can give meaningful background or feedback on your current processes

Analyze/Summarize results

Sample Questions to Ask

What have been some of the most significant pain points with the database? Are they the most time consuming or are there others?

What are some limitations you have found working in RE?

Have there been any discrepancies with Reports or Dashboards?

How often do you complete a record check to ensure data is being updated/added correctly?

Deliver an Awesome Supporter Experience

Build stronger relationships through tailored, personalized communications

Gain trust by delivering a consistent experience

Prevent over-communication or under-communication

Treat your Supporters with dignity

Takeaways

Individuals need prompt, personalized communications in order to maintain a relationship with your organization.

Every organization should complete database health checks.

An audit will provide your team with a game plan for optimizing and then maximizing your use of your fundraising tool.

To learn more about what was included in this agenda, visit:

OmaticSoftware.com

[email protected]