Database Support

Information is Knowledge that leads to Success!

If you rely on donations to achieve your mission, then your donor database is the foundation of your organization’s accomplishments.

“Fundraising technology is the single most important support factor that enables nonprofit organizations to successfully raise money”, says Kent E. Dove in his book, Conducting a Successful Fundraising Campaign (2001). Dove contends that centralization of gift/donor data is most important to the integrity of its effectiveness.

The swift and efficient collection of information in gift databases is essential to the seamless success in communicating and soliciting constituents for continued loyalty and support. At the minimum, donor records should contain accurately documented data pertaining to:

cash gifts
soft credits
in-kind gifts
donor advised funds
stock gifts
matching gifts
tribute/memorial/honor gifts
multiple contact options (phone numbers: home, business, cell)
work and personal email addresses, addresses (home, business, seasonal)
segmented gifts from United Way, Employer campaigns, crowd fundraising campaigns
notes regarding visits, conversations, events attended, awards, media entries

When the above information is properly chronicled in a reliable database, reports can be created to combine multiple fields of data that will indicate giving trends, which will ultimately reveal valuable clues to your donors’ future inclinations and abilities to contribute more consistently and in increasing magnitudes.

All of this accumulated information helps your organization compile accurate donor acknowledgement reports, note your donors’ values and preferences, and aids in the transfer of historical knowledge from one staff member to another during attrition—all contributing to your donors feeling as if they are valued by your organization.

If you are struggling to keep up with your data imputing and suspect your database isn’t performing to its potential, then we can help you make it more proficient.