May 2009
Reports You Can't Live Without
Thu May 21 2009 Filed in: Reports & Measurement
By Sally Funk
All right, you can live without reports, any reports. You just can’t build a strong, growing base of support for your organization without systematically measuring your efforts and their results. But what to measure?
Good reports answer questions:
➻ How much more do we need to raise?
➻ Is our plan to raise that on target?
➻ Is our donor base growing?
➻ Did the event work?
So first, measure what’s important. You’ll need to decide what is important for your organization, and set goals. Don’t just pull numbers out of the air, but think more of, “how will we know when we’re successful?” Some important things are common to all organizations, like the amount left to raise this year, the number of new donors acquired (win), the number of current donors giving again this year (keep & lift), and the number of lapsed donors reactivated (keep) — and their giving behavior. Others will be specific to your organization.
Second, measure what you can do something about. This usually means measuring your strategies — like how well did that last mailing work? You’ll need to know the main objective for each of your strategies and set goals accordingly. If the main point of your new donor program is acquiring new donors, measure that. If the objectives for that event include increasing public awareness, acquiring new members and getting large gifts from major donor attendees, measure those results. If you’re struggling with reactivating lapsed donors, measure the results of your remedial strategies.
The actual formats and content of your reports will probably vary from other organizations, due to the priorities, culture, and personalities in your organization. But in one form or another, you’ll need these reports:
Income to Goal Progress
Donor Base Growth (Win, Keep & Lift)
Strategy specific progress
Problem area progress
If you don’t currently have a reporting system in place, start out simple. Begin with the questions that keep you awake at night. Once you have those reports, you’ll find they spark additional questions. Use those questions to create the next level of reports, and so forth. Soon, you’ll have a system of regular, effective reports and wonder how you survived without them.
All right, you can live without reports, any reports. You just can’t build a strong, growing base of support for your organization without systematically measuring your efforts and their results. But what to measure?
Good reports answer questions:
➻ How much more do we need to raise?
➻ Is our plan to raise that on target?
➻ Is our donor base growing?
➻ Did the event work?
So first, measure what’s important. You’ll need to decide what is important for your organization, and set goals. Don’t just pull numbers out of the air, but think more of, “how will we know when we’re successful?” Some important things are common to all organizations, like the amount left to raise this year, the number of new donors acquired (win), the number of current donors giving again this year (keep & lift), and the number of lapsed donors reactivated (keep) — and their giving behavior. Others will be specific to your organization.
Second, measure what you can do something about. This usually means measuring your strategies — like how well did that last mailing work? You’ll need to know the main objective for each of your strategies and set goals accordingly. If the main point of your new donor program is acquiring new donors, measure that. If the objectives for that event include increasing public awareness, acquiring new members and getting large gifts from major donor attendees, measure those results. If you’re struggling with reactivating lapsed donors, measure the results of your remedial strategies.
The actual formats and content of your reports will probably vary from other organizations, due to the priorities, culture, and personalities in your organization. But in one form or another, you’ll need these reports:
Income to Goal Progress
Donor Base Growth (Win, Keep & Lift)
Strategy specific progress
Problem area progress
If you don’t currently have a reporting system in place, start out simple. Begin with the questions that keep you awake at night. Once you have those reports, you’ll find they spark additional questions. Use those questions to create the next level of reports, and so forth. Soon, you’ll have a system of regular, effective reports and wonder how you survived without them.
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