What’s the difference between data, analytics and insights experts?

Utilising data to make better business decisions is on the agenda for the majority of organisations, with almost three-quarters (74%) saying they want to be “data-driven,” according to a study by Forrester. However, data is only valuable if it transpires into meaningful actions - only 29% of organisations said their data efforts have led to … Continue reading What’s the difference between data, analytics and insights experts?

Experts on How Technology Is Changing the Future of Fundraising

Five key figures in fundraising tech reflect on how technology has changed fundraising and what's next. With contributions from Mike Gianoni (President and CEO, Blackbaud), Bill Strathmann (CEO, Network for Good), Mike Geiger, M.B.A., C.P.A. (President and CEO, Association of Fundraising Professionals), Steve Spinner (CEO, RevUp Software) and Jean-Paul Guilbault (President and CEO, Community Brands). … Continue reading Experts on How Technology Is Changing the Future of Fundraising

New edition of What Small Charities Need to Know About CRM Systems

Ivan Wainewright acknowledges that buying a new CRM system or fundraising database is a daunting challenge for most charities and not-for-profit organisations, so he has written this book to feature issues that smaller not-for-profit organisations need to consider and be aware of. This free book has been written for people whose day job is not … Continue reading New edition of What Small Charities Need to Know About CRM Systems

Data Governance: 3 Key areas to focus your efforts

Data governance is needed to ensure your organisation can consume data which has integrity and quality. But how do you focus your efforts so that your governance programme can deliver the results needed? Toochukwu Philip Ibegbu MBA shares with us how he was able to successfully launch data governance initiatives that made the most impact. … Continue reading Data Governance: 3 Key areas to focus your efforts

Learn Everything about Sentiment Analysis using R

In this technical blog, Suresh Kumar Gorakala explains how to turn written comments into descriptive sentiment. This is extremely helpful when trying to categorise, segment and understand your audiences better. This example focuses on Twitter comments, but this technique can be applied to any text field, including telephone call notes and emails. http://www.dataperspective.info/2013/08/sentiment-analysis-using-r.html?m=1

How to Transition From Excel Reports to Business Intelligence Tools

Manually creating reports using Excel can be overwhelming to meet the organisational expectations for quality, insights, and velocity. Many business intelligence tools exist: Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, Looker, Amazon QuickSight, Google Data Studio. However, moving from Excel to one of these tools can be more difficult than anticipated. This blog by Thomas Spicer provides tips … Continue reading How to Transition From Excel Reports to Business Intelligence Tools

How data analysis can help your charity to enhance its fundraising results

This article by Becky Slack first appeared in the Guardian some time ago, but it's still a great starting point for those interested in understanding how analytics can drive insight and aid decision making in non-profits. Don't be put off by data. It's all about understanding your audiences. This guide contains some straight forward steps … Continue reading How data analysis can help your charity to enhance its fundraising results