3 Ways You Can Use The Donor Data You’ve Collected To Raise More Money

KindfulJanuary 22, 2020

3 Ways You Can Use The Donor Data You’ve Collected To Raise More Money header image

If your nonprofit organization is using a donor management platform or nonprofit constituent relationship management (nonprofit CRM) software, you likely have lots of data on hand. That’s great news!

Now that you have the data, you can probably see that the data doesn’t do anything on its own. It’s valuable information to have, but to really get the most out of it you need to use it. One important way you can do that is to think about how you can use your data to inform your fundraising efforts. After all, when you make data-driven decisions, you’re putting yourself in a better position to raise more money in the future.

Here are three examples of how you can do that:

1. Use The Data To Build Your Nonprofit’s Credibility

Nonprofits run on donations, and donors give based on how credible they find your nonprofit. To put it in simpler terms: Donors are looking to see that you’re fulfilling your mission.

Take a look at your mission statement and then look at your data. How many people have your services reached? How efficiently are you spending the money people are giving to your organization? How are you reaching more people or providing more services year over year? Now, what data points can you use to back that up?

Having specific answers to these questions can help build credibility in the eyes of your potential donors, giving them confidence to hit “submit” on that online donation form.

2. Use The Data To Show Your Team Where You’ve Missed The Mark

Perfection doesn’t exist. You’ll have some big wins, but the trial and error necessary to succeed results in, you guessed it, some errors. By recording your methods and their results, you gain valuable knowledge about what to try in the future.

Take a look at fundraising campaigns that didn’t perform as well as your team had hoped or expected and see what you can discern from the data. Maybe a fundraising campaign’s message didn’t land with the intended audience. Maybe the supporters crowdfunding didn’t have the materials they needed to build momentum early in the campaign. Whatever you find out, just remember that the point isn’t to feel demoralized. The more information you have, the more opportunities you have to improve in the future.

3. Use The Data To Tell Your Nonprofit’s Story

Without firm data, the story you tell about your nonprofit’s work might lack substance. And if you present raw data without a story, it may make it difficult for people to understand why they should be invested in your cause.

Use the data you have on hand to map out the narrative arc of your work. How can you back up the amazing achievements and testimonials listed on your website? What do donors keep asking about? What data is most exciting to your team?

Your data is so much more than just numbers in a spreadsheet or points on a screen. It’s an invaluable asset when it comes to telling your nonprofit’s story in a way that helps you succeed and wins support from prospective and current donors. Take advantage of the data you have on hand and move confidently in the direction of your best fundraising year yet.

Schedule a live demo with our partner Bloomerang, and we’ll show you how easy it is to create and automate reports, utilize online and offline fundraising tools, quickly integrate and access all your data, and ultimately create more time to engage your donors.

Filed Under:   Fundraising