12 April 2021 | Article | Ryan Teo
The Keys to an Effective Data-Driven Fundraising Campaign
Using data to drive your fundraising campaigns might sound simple in theory but can be complex in the execution. Synthesising layers of data for information which can inform your next fundraising steps differ based on which aspect of your fundraising campaign you are looking to innovate.
Three key questions to keep in mind:
What data to collect?
Before we delve further, it is important to note that all donor data should be collected in accordance to the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). Essentially, donors would need to consent to any information collected during the sign-up process.
Three considerations when designing your pledge form:
- The donor data is processed for a purpose directly related to an activity of the data user;
- The processing of donor data is required for and should be directedly related to that purpose; and
- The donor data is adequate but not excessive in relation to that purpose.
It is important to remember that donor data collection for analysis is not limited at the point of collection. Meaningful insights can be drawn through further interactions later.
Consider these underlying questions that can support capturing data beyond mere tangible details:
- Can you capture how well your donor donates on a regular basis?
- Do you know what communication materials appeal to your donors?
- How can you use your call interactions to better understand your donors?
How to store, manage and organise data?
Keeping your data organised and up-to-date is an important aspect in powering a data-driven fundraising campaign.
Needless to say, a clean organisation of data will allow for quick and seamless access. For example, allocating unique identifiers to your respective donors will allow you to:
- Track details of a particular donor
- Draw insights across donors of similar demographics and similar acquisition channels
- Minimise potential data duplication when handling large volumes of data
The utilisation of a good Client Relationship Management (CRM) system which looks to store and manage your donor relationship and interactions securely and privately, will also allow for early identification of trends in your data.
Any CRM used to store and organise your donor details should be able to:
- Store data fields securely and effectively.
- Have clear definitions to the data fields.
- Organises donor interactions into clear and definitive outcomes where possible.
How to get everyone onboard?
The set-up of a data-driven fundraising campaign can be a significant task to undertake for a non-profit, and it’s important to start with the mindset of your organisation.
If you have not yet explored using data to inform strategic changes to your fundraising campaigns, chances are your personnel will take some time to adapt to the incoming change.
To ensure the smoothest transition possible:
- Notify your personnel of the new approach (ensure appropriate change management plans are in place)
- Define what being data-driven means for your organisation and how this can be supported at all levels
- Identify and build the foundations required (e.g. invest in new systems, defining a data scientist role)
Utilising data is not always an easy task, but it’s also not impossible. With the experience and management of over 3 million donor records across multiple great causes, SG Support has a high degree of knowledge in providing analytics for our non-profit partners. We’re always drawing insights and trends of donor performance, and looking into practical solutions to implement for the optimisation of acquisition and retention processes, so that we can better support non-profits to address their challenges in using data to drive their fundraising strategies.
Interested to know how we can support you? Reach out to us at consulting@sgsupport.com for a quick chat.
About SG Support
SG Support exists to make fundraising easy for charities. We do that by working with them to acquire new donors, retain existing ones and win back those who have left. We do this through our complete suite of services that range from data-driven strategy and consultancy, all the way down to the operational aspects of payment processing, contact centre and financial reporting.
