A weekly newsletter for Chronicle subscribers that features expert advice, tools, case studies, and trends to help nonprofit professionals raise money, communicate, and lead. Delivered every Monday. (Subscribers only.)
From: Margie Fleming Glennon
Subject: Tips on Managing Donor Data
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The Chronicle’s fundraising editor Rasheeda Childress and senior fundraising reporter Emily Haynes, delved into data for our July cover story. Part of their reporting includes some targeted guidance on how to ensure data is relevant, current, and secure.
Rodney Grabowski, senior vice president for advancement and partnerships at the University of Central Florida, told Emily, “Organizations need to outline a clear vision for how they want to use data and then make it an organizationwide priority so everyone knows their part.” Think carefully about which data to track, writes Emily, and make sure the information’s being collected properly. For more guidance read, Not Sure What Donor Data to Collect? Think About Why People Care About Your Nonprofit.
Sarah Wilber, a vice president at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, told Rasheeda that the Center is reviewing how it takes in data and how and where it’s stored in the database. “That way, we can really educate and train people about how to keep it clean and empower them to say, When you find a duplicate record, merge it yourself.” Empowering and educating people to properly update records is vital for a never-ending task like maintaining database records. Learn more in Tips for Keeping Data Up-to-Date to Avoid Fundraising Pitfalls.
“Data security must be top of mind for every fundraiser,” says Michal Heiplik, president of the Contributor Development Partnership, which analyzes donor data for public-media organizations. One nonprofit, Emily writes, formed a data-governance committee on its board to communicate new data-security guidelines from the top down. “That changed drastically the way that organization used and thought about data at every level,” T. Clay Buck, a fundraising consultant, told Emily. Learn more in Why Fundraisers Need to Double Down on Data Security.
To supplement these stories, I offer one more from our archives, A Practical Guide for Harnessing the Power of Data, which helps nonprofits use data to make smarter decisions, gain insights, and accelerate progress.
Here’s to a data-driven week,
Margie Fleming Glennon
Senior Director, Product Strategy
Tip of the Week
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to attracting and retaining fundraising talent, says Tracy Weeks, managing director at Nonprofit HR. However, managers and leaders should avoid “making assumptions on what our employees want or need” and try to solicit that information from them. It’s also important to keep employees informed. Let them know what you can and can’t offer monetarily and maintain an open dialogue about bonuses, perks, and opportunities that matter most to them.
Your Chronicle subscription includes free access to GrantStation’s database of grant opportunities.
Gambling. The National Council on Problem Gambling supports nonprofit gambling-prevention programs designed to minimize harm among those who have not yet gambled or among those who have limited gambling experience. The goal is to fill in gaps for areas that currently have no such services, as well as bolster promising efforts in existing programs. Priority is given to projects reaching high school and college athletes, marginalized communities (especially communities of color), and middle school students. Grants range from $20,000 to $40,000. The application deadline is August 22.
Economics education. The Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation supports economic education, including solutions to reach and serve more of the population, behavioral economics with a focus on environmental issues, economic education efforts to underserved communities, and much more. The foundation expects to be one of several funders of a project and looks most favorably at programs that match grants with funds from other groups. Grants average $10,000 to $25,000. The next application deadline is September 10.
