1. Getting the Most Out of Your Data
“We have data, now what?”

3. Why Data? Everything we have is “data” Data tells a story
Can improve your operation:
Donor/volunteer relations
Efficiency
Decision making
Program services
Names, addresses, donations, expenditures, staff info, program information, services
Paper, word doc, spreadsheet, database
Data is an asset, but do you know what story its telling?
Turn into information

5. Data Questions Do you need what you are collecting?
Will it be used? How and by whom?
Where is it stored?
Is it accurate?
Is it accessible? By whom?
Is it secure?
What do you want to know and show?
Only need it if you are going to use it. Don’t collect for the sake of collecting
Examples of data collection, historical, people using it
How many have a third party CRM database or something for your org? Tom mentioned there was an AFP meeting on databases
Garbage In, Garbage Out!
Can you get the data out of your system? Access to data, reporting, spreadsheet?
Anyone storing SSN? Anything encrypted? Regular Operating System patching, anti-virus, firewall?
Also have a backup system and plan in place.
Develop a plan to address these questions.

6. UNI Advancement Examples
Converted database in 2000
Data Management Team
Data Inventory Survey - Potholes
Data Appends
Monthly data cleansing
Resources and Staffing
Started in 1997, converted from a mainframe system to modern web-based CRM product called Millennium, completed in 2000.
Offered easier access and a lot of data options including historical data, this was good and bad
Have millions of “rows” of data
Now needed to develop better standards for data, started a Data Management Team in 2003, comprised of representatives from the different units in the division
Changes to data affect everyone, meet every month
Inventory - Found where gaps in data existed. We are in the relationship business so our priority was contact data; addresses, phone, , now employment.
Had over 10% “lost” alumni, now down to just over 1%. Started with big data append from 3rd party vendor
Database vendor provides a service runs addresses thru NCOA monthly, phone numbers quarterly and updates zipcodes and area codes. We now do occasional appends for
Very proactive. Not cheap, budget of $30K, 2 full-time biographical data entry, part-time gift processor and part-time prospect management. 2 full-time data IT staff and a network admin

7. UNI Advancement Examples
Data Entry Specialized
Biographical, Gifts, Prospect Tracking
Use drop down menus and check boxes
Try to keep data entry simple
Use “Validation Reports” to check for errors
No Shadow Databases
Data is everyone’s job
Helps maintain consistency of data, whether good or bad
Free text allows for mistakes creating garbage, much easier to pull exactly what you want
At one time had 15 versions of Principal Financial Group
If protocol too complex, won’t be remembered. We have jumped the shark on that one.
Examples – spouses with different addresses; multiple spouses, addresses, names, s; no preferred address or name; no constituent type;
Shadow – Duplication, end up with wrong data
If someone knows data is wrong, tell someone who can fix it. And if there is one example, there are probably others.

8. UNI Advancement Examples
Gift Processing
Always record to name on check
Volunteers
Prospect Management
4 A’s of data
Data Analysis
Measuring Performance
Gift Processing – 2 spouses signed check, business owner soft credit, DAF soft credit no pledge payments
Volunteers – make a constituent if no volunteer module, use some other field like events, or gift row to record activity
Prospect Management – we track when contacted, for what reason, type of contact, comments from contact, date of next contact and reason, and ask and/or close amounts
Measuring Performance – different units have own goals; annual giving, major giving, overall campaign, # scholarships, endowment
4 A’s of data – Accumulate, Analyze – reports, Apply – compare real results with goals, Act – develop insights
Data Analysis – can work in a Excel using charts, pivot tables or simply filters and sorting

9. Resources Websites for Nonprofit Technology
Assoc. of Advancement Services Professionals
Advancement Services Listserv

10. Resources Websites for Nonprofit Technology
Assoc. of Advancement Services Professionals
Advancement Services Listserv

11. Internal monthly dashboard
Also do one for each major gift officer

12. Internal Analysis of gift closes using reporting tool called Crystal Reports

13. External Report on website - Annual Endowment Statement

14. External Report – End of campaign report
We should have mailed to the 35,000 donors but we didn’t as budget was tight.
Other areas with

15. Ron Giddings ron.giddings@uni.edu 319.273.6078
Questions?
Ron Giddings