Nonprofit organizations constantly track, monitor, measure, and analyze various data points. They use this data to guide operations, attract funding, and improve decision-making. Additionally, data is crucial to measure the success of a nonprofit and the reach of its impact.
Nonprofits may use outcomes measurement to evaluate their impact and determine if their programs are meeting their intended goals. Data points related to the nonprofit’s strategies, programs, and goals can identify and communicate better impact stories.
To leverage your nonprofit’s data in a beneficial way, you must learn how to use it properly. Read on to learn how you can efficiently manage your nonprofit’s data.
1. Data consolidation and organization
Nonprofit data is only valuable if it’s usable, and to be able to use it, you must keep it organized. Because there are so many sources of valuable data associated with your organization, your data might be stored in multiple places, contain outdated information, or host multiple entries of the same data point. The first step in effective data management is maintaining a hygienic database. Hygenic, or clean, data is:- Centralized in one, easily accessible database.
- Frequently updated to reflect accurate information.
- Cleaned out to remove any outdated details.
- Identically formatted.
2. Data automation and tech tools
Pen and paper are certainly not the most efficient way to record important data. Email accounts, spreadsheets, and documents offer the convenience of digital storage, but even these solutions don’t streamline information gathering and data tracking on an ongoing basis. Consider the data points that are commonly subject to change:- Contact information: Nonprofit constituent relationship management (CRM) software can manage supporters’ phone numbers, home addresses, and email addresses, even as this information changes. For example, if a supporter changes the email address on their donor profile, your CRM will automatically update the address in your database without requiring any additional steps from you.
- Fundraising progress: Instead of manually tracking the amount of money raised from a fundraising campaign, allow fundraising software to track your progress for you and notify you when you’ve hit significant fundraising milestones. Software will not only keep track of each individual donation but also compare funds raised to your overall goal.
- Donor data: Effective donor engagement is made possible by the information you gather as you get to know your donors. Using a donor management software can help you keep track of details such as involvement histories, giving motivations, occupations, community connections, and other important information within an outreach tool. That way, you can target outreach more effectively and filter your data to find supporters who share a similar characteristic.
