Data and reports

Creative and effective use of data can transform your fundraising. This showcase features a range of case studies from organisations who are committed to making the most of their data. It also includes articles that show you how to get more from the data you hold. Finally, you will find pieces on fundraising data and benchmarking that could offer you useful information when planning future budgets and communications.

CDE project 3 section 3: Making it happen

by The Commission on the Donor Experience

We have seen that there are lots of things that you can measure, but you don’t have to measure them all. Just choose one! 

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CDE project 3 appendix 1: measurement of satisfaction and loyalty in action

by The Commission on the Donor Experience

There are several companies and a few charities who measure how their customers and supporters feel, using some of the tools we have outlined in this document or their own methodologies. 

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CDE project 3 appendix 5: Glossary and appendix 6: sources of further information

by The Commission on the Donor Experience

 Glossary and Sources of further information

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CDE project 3 appendix 4: survey findings

by The Commission on the Donor Experience

Fundraisers were surveyed about the extent to which the fundraiser measured how their donors feel, how they used the findings (if they did) and what barriers they have come across.

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CDE project 3 appendix 3: sample questions

by The Commission on the Donor Experience

A quick Google search will bring up many sample questionnaires, but for ease we have included a couple here.

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CDE project 3 appendix 2: frequently asked questions

by The Commission on the Donor Experience

In our research (see Appendix 4), several people mentioned barriers to measuring how their donors feel. This section lists the most common of these and gives our advice.

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M​usings of a direct response fundraiser no. 2: finding the ‘sweet spot’

by Jonathon Grapsas

Our job as fundraisers is to find the sweet spot: an amount that is appropriate to that donor at that time. In his second article on the musings of a direct response fundraiser Jonathon Grapsas shows exactly how to do it.

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St Michael’s Hospital Foundation: data-based planned giving campaign delivers heavenly results

Some of the teams and work that St Michael’s generous donors help.

by SOFII

St Michael’s Hospital Foundation’s in-depth analysis and profiling of their donor lists has gone a long way towards answering the oft-repeated question: are we marrying the needs of the donor with the needs of the cause in order to achieve a common goal? 

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The great donor exodus, and what to do about it. A three-part series from Jay Love

triangle

by Jay Love

Jay Love’s revealing infographics have been setting American fundraisers alight recently, with good reason. Why do donors head for the exit? How does our sector’s attrition compare with customers of for-profit businesses? Do larger donors leave sooner? How many donors could you keep, if you just did some things differently?

Now on SOFII, widely respected data specialist and entrepreneur Jay Love explores these seemingly permanent hot topics with two generous helpings of practical advice all fundraisers could follow.

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The Salvation Army: UK Christmas appeal

Pack shot

by SOFII

Some donors have rational reasons for giving, some have emotional reasons and some go on a journey. Our strategy was to model this behaviour, to take the insight and analysis to new levels of understanding.

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Data is gold. But only if you can get to its real value

people crowded onto a truck

by Chuck Longfield

All fundraisers know that their data is valuable. All fundraisers know that developing an existing donor is many times less costly than recruiting a new one. All fundraisers know that fundraising should be integrated, that focusing on the donor is more appropriate than on the medium of communication, that...well, that there are a lot of things we all know full well but we still don’t do the right thing by them. Data is one of these, perhaps one of the most obvious and important.

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We can boost donor retention. But only if we get smart

by Chuck Longfield

Chuck Longfield created a SOFII classic with his last interview Data is Gold, providing SOFII readers with free access to real fundraising gems hidden within their donor files. Today SOFII enthusiastically adds part two, an in-depth conversation with Chuck that draws out five more golden nuggets of smartness.

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