Does data really matter? In the increasingly crowded and vital world of fundraising, every interaction counts. Yet, for busy development teams, the shotgun approach of contacting just about anyone connected to your organisation or institution often yields disappointing results. This is where data steps in, transforming the fundraising landscape from a scattershot endeavour into a … Continue reading Turning Blind Calls into Bullseyes: How Data Empowers Fundraisers with Smarter Targeting
Do you like what we do? How can you measure and track engagement using what you already do.
By Adriana Williams Why is engagement important The traditional pyramid, or its inverted “funnel” counterpart, is (in my opinion) the best demonstration of the role that engagement plays in fundraising. Whether at the top or the bottom, the slice named ‘community’ or ‘potential donors’ is certainly where the vast majority of our constituents sit. In … Continue reading Do you like what we do? How can you measure and track engagement using what you already do.
Saying ‘aloe’ to your new community – tricks for a trouble-free transition
Every year educational charities turn students into alumni and add a new cohort of students. Many charities also have regular schedules of welcoming new supporters and managing changing relationships en mass. In this exclusive, original post on Propper Fundraising, Adriana Williams presents an essential guide to managing this data process. Trigger warning: this post is … Continue reading Saying ‘aloe’ to your new community – tricks for a trouble-free transition
How to Combat Shadow Data Management
Shadow data management happens whenever data scientists or analysts copy data from the primary, IT-approved database to run analysis with their own tools in their own environments — many of which have not gone through the rigor of IT approvals. This is an issue that will create many headaches, ranging from security vulnerabilities to inadequate … Continue reading How to Combat Shadow Data Management
10 Visualisations Every Data Scientist Should Know
Data visualisation plays two key roles: 1. Communicating results clearly to a general audience. 2. Organizing a view of data that suggests a new hypothesis or a next step in a project. It’s no surprise that most people prefer visuals to large tables of numbers. That’s why clearly labeled plots with meaningful interpretation always make … Continue reading 10 Visualisations Every Data Scientist Should Know
7 Steps to Ensure and Sustain Data Quality
Before data science became mainstream, data quality was mostly mentioned for the reports delivered to internal or external clients. Nowadays, because machine learning requires a large amount of training data, the internal datasets within an organization are in high demand. In addition, the analytics are always hungry for data and constantly search for data assets … Continue reading 7 Steps to Ensure and Sustain Data Quality
4 tips for launching a successful data strategy
Becoming a data-driven fundraising organisation isn't as simple as amassing loads of data. If it were, more charities would already be reaping the rewards. A bald allusion to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner comes to mind, “Data, data everywhere, but not a drop to use.” Which data should we collect? Which department “owns” the … Continue reading 4 tips for launching a successful data strategy
Data doesn’t speak for itself: Why data storytelling is important
Almost all data is a recording of past events - what has happened before. People have to explore and analyze it to find historical truth, in the hopes it can reveal trends, inform the next direction to take, and act as a guide for the actions necessary to improve the future. For analysts in an … Continue reading Data doesn’t speak for itself: Why data storytelling is important
Data insight made easy: using RFM scoring to find great prospects
As fundraisers, when we think about data analysis today, we’re likely to drift into the world of complex modeling practices that predict what donors are most likely to give based on a wide variety of factors. Go to any conference and you’re bound to hear about the wonder of Big Data. But if you work … Continue reading Data insight made easy: using RFM scoring to find great prospects
Have an exit strategy (and other unexpected lessons learned)
Like many of us, Kurstin Finch Gnehm, Deputy Director of Philanthropy at the Royal Academy of Music had an unplanned, crash course in virtual events earlier this year. With four cultivation 'Coffees with the Principal' and a Scholars' Recital in the books and her team still emotionally intact, Kurstin shares some of her lessons learned. … Continue reading Have an exit strategy (and other unexpected lessons learned)
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