Don’t be afraid of your fundraising data

One of the most satisfying things about nonprofit work is the opportunity to make a positive impact in our communities—not necessarily working with data. If computer work isn’t your favorite part of the job, the word “data” may bring up bad memories of hours spent agonizing over spreadsheets, fiddling with formulas, and troubleshooting discrepancies. Data doesn’t have to be a scary word, and a simple way to change that is by reframing how we think about it.

Reframe your beliefs about fundraising data

Remember that data tells your story

Associating data with only computer work can be limiting as it places data in a different context from the rest of your work. If you find yourself thinking this way, remember that data is the history of your work and it does not only exist in the digital world.

A great analog example of this is the year-long Dear Data project, in which two friends sent each other illustrated postcards of mundane observations, such as all the doors or clocks they had seen that week. They used colors and symbols to classify what they had observed into categories, like location or purpose. The combination produced intricate patterns and beautiful abstract designs. By the end of the project, each person had learned the story of the other’s year in rich, unexpected detail.

Recognize that data is information

Another helpful tip comes from T’pring R. Westbrook and Allison K. Holmes, authors of Data Party. They recommend mentally replacing “data” with the word “information” every time you see it. This can be a great way to spot what might be missing if you feel that the data in your database is lacking, but you’re not sure how to start improving it.

Are there important details that exist in your mind but not in your database? Are you constantly doing things like removing or manually adding people to mailings based on what you know about them? Do you have a collection of handwritten notes about interactions with your donors? If the answer to these types of questions is yes, then you are already on your way!

You have the information, and your database is there to help you organize it.

How your donor management software can help

In Little Green Light, you can use communication tags or constituent categories to track your constituents’ communication preferences, and you can store details about important interactions using LGL Contact Reports. This opens up more possibilities for how you can use your information, like excluding a communication tag from a mailing before you export it or pulling a set of major donors who you could interact with more.

Conclusion

Organized data is powerful. When the information that you have is organized well, it can empower you. You may start to notice patterns or opportunities that were previously lost in the shuffle. You’ll also save time when you know what information you have and where to look for it.

The work that you do to further your mission will always produce more data, so demystifying, organizing, and using it to make informed decisions is the best thing you can do to set yourself up for future fundraising success.