Soapbox Engage Blog

“Umm, yeahhhh, I’m gonna need you to run that report...by tomorrow.” No, it’s not just a riff on a line from that cult classic, Office Space. It’s probably something you’ve heard from your boss or said as the boss more than once if you work at a nonprofit. Because let’s face it, while nonprofits aren’t businesses, the numbers do matter, and fundraisers and communicators need data to back up the way we operate, show value, and illustrate impact.

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But what exactly is our data telling us? And how can you use data to tell the story of your organization? This is where we can borrow a little lesson from journalism school. Just as reporters and writers are trained to answer a set of basic questions to provide the meat of their stories, we can ask the same questions when collecting data about our donors and determining how to use it. So we start with:

1. WHO?
2. WHAT?
3. WHERE?
4. WHEN?
5. WHY?
6. HOW?

You’re probably thinking this is super basic. And sure, some of it is. But we can expand upon each of these questions and dig deeper, because as you probably know, it’s more than just knowing that you have 5,200 donors, most of whom live in the U.S., who give once during the holiday season, and are split between online and checks. There is a boatload of information to be found, and if you have comprehensive reporting features, you should be taking full advantage of the data. You don’t even have to be a numbers nerd to do it -- because again, ultimately, you’re trying to understand the story behind the numbers, and the story you can tell with the numbers.

We've outlined a handful of potential data points corresponding with each category, and some considerations on how to put the numbers to use. In our webinar this month, we'll dig deeper and get Salesforce-specific on several of these:

1. WHO?


Okay, so we know the main questions to get some demographic details on your donors and supporters: age, gender, geographic location, perhaps occupation, etc, etc. But what else might be helpful to know about these folks as you craft fundraising appeals and communications? What can help you target segments of your list for special asks, stories, or events? Some ideas:

• How long have they been a donor/supporter?
• Is your mission their exclusive passion or do they support charitable causes more broadly?
• How did they find out about your cause?
• Are they connected with you on social media?
• Where are they on the ladder of engagement?

2. WHAT?


The what of your donors is all about what they like to support and the ways in which they are doing that. If your nonprofit has a bunch of different issue areas and campaigns, it’s helpful to break down your donors in terms of their interest areas so you can tailor messaging, events, rewards, and appeals to them. To consider:

• Have they supported more than one campaign for your organization? If so, are they within the same issue area, or different?
• How have they shown support -- through gifts, showing up to events, as online ambassadors or volunteers?
• What are the campaigns they have responded to? Do you notice any trends about that?
• What types of actions are they taking, and are they progressing or staying at the same level?


3. WHERE?


We’re not talking about if your donors live in Ohio or Oslo. Given the increasing number of spaces, offline and virtually, that people can connect in, it’s important to know where your audience is engaging -- with you, with each other, and with other brands. Based on this, you can segment your donors and supporters to appeal to them and communicate with them in the places they prefer and spend the most time. As we have discussed in previous posts, what works on one platform may not work on another, and the same goes for the people on those platforms, depending on what level of giving they are at.

• How many people on your email list are also follow you on Facebook or Twitter?
• If some people first joined your cause through an event, how will you integrate them through welcome communications and where will you place them on the ladder of engagement?
• What are other spaces your supporters “hang out” in, online and in real life, that could be an option for further promotion and touches?

4. WHEN?


Beyond the key times of year when people are most likely to give - giving days, the holiday season, end-of-year, and emergency appeals - when exactly are your donors giving and taking action? Here are a few drill-down questions to explore that can help you plan out your calendar and adjust your email, call, and social media schedule:

• Do your donors tend to give more during the week or on weekends?
• What time of day works best for a fundraising appeal?
• Is summer a true slow season for your nonprofit or is it actually the best time of year?
• Are they giving after the first fundraising ask, the second, or the third?

5. WHY?


Ah, the $64,000 question: why do people give? We could sit here all day and philosophize about it, and goodness knows there’s plenty of science-based research out there about why people give to charities. But your nonprofit’s personal data can tell you a few things, too -- and it’s more than just because people like saving animals, giving books to kids, or saving trees.

• Compare your three most recent fundraising campaign. Which message/story got the most donations? Which had the most compelling language?
• Do some of your campaigns offer perks or rewards that inspire more gifts?
• What’s in it for the donor? (See our recent blog post on this topic)
• Were you able to show impact in a clear, defined way?

6. HOW?


And finally, in this golden era of technology where it seems like a no-brainer to donate $10 from your phone or tablet in less than a minute, we still need to run the numbers on how people are giving.

Raise your hand if you still manually input cash and checks on a monthly basis. That’s what we thought.

Understanding the ways and means that people are giving to your cause has major implications for the technology you’re using, the timing of your appeals if there are hard deadlines (think end-of-year tax deductions and emergency appeals), and even the language you’re using in emails and in the fine print on your donate page.

• What percentage of your donors are giving by cash, check, text message, over the phone, and online?
• How many recurring donors do you have? How many one-time donors? Two-time donors?
• How did people land on your donate page? Was it from social media, or an email, or by Googling your organization?
• What’s the breakdown on the donation levels presented on the donation page, and does that differ if done by phone vs. a computer?
• Are you testing donate button placement, color, and fonts in your emails and on your website?

Ready to get a bit more specific and a lot more Salesforce-y? Join us for our free webinar, What is Your Salesforce Donor Data Trying to Tell You?, on Thursday, August 23rd at 3 pm ET as we dive deeper and discuss the Nonprofit Success Pack and its new Customizable Rollups feature.