Most nonprofit stores end each month knowing one number: total sales. That number tells you how the month went, but not why. It won’t show you that donations are sitting in the back room for two weeks, that one shift asks for roundups far more often than the others, or that your most loyal shoppers have never been asked to give.

Nonprofit retailers, from museum gift shops to thrift stores, juggle more than a typical shop does: donated or mission-related inventory, member discounts, register donations, and a volunteer crew that changes every shift. A few monthly reports give you a clear read on each of those, so you can make decisions based on what’s actually happening instead of hunches.

Let’s take a look at four reports every nonprofit retailer should run monthly, what to look for in each, and what to do with what you find.

Inventory Pipeline and Velocity Report

This report follows your merchandise from the moment it arrives, whether in a vendor shipment or a donation bag, to the moment it sells. It shows how quickly new stock reaches the sales floor, how fast it sells (often called velocity), and how long it sits before it does.

Key metrics:

• Average time from receiving (a vendor shipment or donation dropoff) to sales floor placement
• Sell-through rate (the share of stock that sold during the month) and days on floor by product category
• Percentage of sales floor stock older than your target age, such as 45 or 60 days
• For stores that accept donations: intake volume and how much gets discarded during sorting

What this report helps nonprofit retailers do:

• Prevent receiving slowdowns. If new stock takes a week to reach the floor, the sales you could have made that week are gone. Watching this number tells you when to add help in the back room, whether that means unpacking a big holiday merchandise order or sorting a spike in donations.
• Identify categories that stall out. Your velocity figures might show that exhibit catalogs sell out within weeks while framed prints sit for months, which is a sign to reorder the first more often and buy fewer of the second.
• Clear dead stock before it clutters displays. Catch aging items early, and you’ll still have time to move them to a better display or pull them from the floor.
• Schedule discounts. Track floor age to decide when to start discounting older stock. A 25% markdown at 45 days can save you from a 75% clearance price at 90.
• Balance stock between locations or departments. When winter hats sit untouched at your downtown shop but sell steadily at your suburban location, move them where shoppers are buying instead of marking them down.

A dedicated inventory management software solution can track these metrics for you. It logs receiving dates through barcode scans or batch numbers and flags items that cross a set freshness threshold. You can print a quick list of these items for your morning volunteers and ask them to pull the dead stock, so displays look fresh and shelf space goes to items that will sell.

Register and Roundup Donation Impact Report

Every transaction at your register is a chance to raise money for your mission. Point of sale (POS) software built for nonprofit retailers, such as ThriftCart’s thrift store POS system, lets shoppers round up their total or add a set dollar amount at checkout. This report shows how much those small gifts add up to each month and which cashiers and shifts are requesting them.

Key metrics:

• Total checkout donations, split between roundups and fixed-dollar gifts
• Percentage of transactions that include a donation
• Average donation per transaction
• How often each cashier and shift asks shoppers to give

What this report helps nonprofit retailers do:

• Spot which giving option raises the most. If flat $1 add-ons bring in more than roundups at your store, have cashiers lead with that option, or offer both and compare next month’s totals.
• Coach cashiers on the donation ask. If the Saturday crew collects roundups on 30% of sales and the weekday crew on 10%, pair a weekday cashier with a Saturday regular for a shift, or post a short ask script by the register.
• Test cause-specific checkout scripts. Compare giving rates across different register prompts to reveal which mission messages inspire shoppers to round up their total.
• Give your board a number to track. A line in your board report showing checkout donations month over month, such as $640 in March and $910 in June after a new cashier script, shows that the store raises money for the mission, not just sells merchandise.

Small changes in what cashiers say can make a noticeable difference in what you raise. For example, customers are more likely to donate when cashiers mention the specific cause that the donation supports, such as asking, “Would you like to round up to the nearest dollar to feed local shelter animals today?” rather than a generic, “Do you want to donate?”

Customer Contact Acquisition and Donor Conversion Report

Most customers who make an in-store purchase are already warm prospects for increasing their support for your nonprofit’s mission. This report compiles customer names, email addresses, and purchase histories gathered through digital receipts, loyalty accounts, and customer sign-ups.

Key metrics:

• New customer email addresses and phone numbers collected
• How often repeat customers visit over 30, 60, and 90 days
• Shoppers who go on to donate to your parent organization
• Open and click-through rates for emails sent to retail subscribers

What this report helps nonprofit retailers do:

• Build a giving pipeline. A shopper who visits your museum shop every month and opts into digital receipts already cares about your organization. Share those contacts with your development team, and they’ll have a receptive audience for your next campaign.
• Check whether your loyalty perks bring shoppers back. If members who get a monthly “new arrivals” email visit twice as often as those who don’t, keep sending it. If the numbers look the same, try a different reward.
• Segment supporter outreach by purchase habits. Someone who buys children’s science kits wants to hear about your family programs, not your wine-tasting fundraiser. Group customers by what they buy so your newsletters feature the exhibits, programs, or merchandise they care about.
• Win back inactive shoppers. When registered shoppers haven’t visited in 60 days, send an automatic email with a small discount or a heads-up about new arrivals to bring them back.
• Measure long-term shopper-to-donor conversion. Link your store contact lists to your donor database to see how many regular shoppers go on to give, and how their giving grows over time.

To turn shopper sign-ups into lasting supporters, you have to break down the data silo between your POS solution and your nonprofit’s donor database. In practice, that means connecting the two systems and cleaning up retail records before they sync with your constituent relationship management (CRM) platform. If a shopper’s email lands in your CRM once as a donor and again as a customer, your development team could end up asking the same person for a gift twice.

Volunteer Retention and Shift Reliability Report

Your store runs on volunteers showing up, from the register to the back room where shipments get unpacked and donations get sorted. This report tracks volunteer attendance, total hours logged, shift coverage, and recurring participation rates across the month.

Key metrics:

• Total volunteer hours logged across all departments
• Shift attendance and last-minute call-outs
• Active versus inactive volunteers over 30, 60, and 90 days
• How many new volunteers are still showing up after 30 days

What this report helps nonprofit retailers do:

• Prevent volunteer fatigue and burnout. If the same three volunteers have covered every Saturday for two months, spread those shifts around before exhaustion leads them to quit.
• Maintain adequate floor and intake coverage. Review shift reliability each month so busy weekends, holiday sales, and big delivery or donation days have dependable coverage.
• Improve initial onboarding success. 30-day retention rates can reveal whether new volunteer orientation effectively prepares recruits for daily store tasks.
• Reengage lapsed volunteers before they leave for good. Attendance trends flag when regular volunteers start missing shifts, giving you time to reach out and check in.
• Celebrate volunteer service milestones. Log cumulative hours so you can recognize volunteers at team gatherings when they reach milestones like 100 or 500 hours of service.

Make it a habit to share store milestones with your volunteer team at the start of each month. According to BetterImpact, one of the main reasons people choose to volunteer is to make a difference for a cause they care about. When volunteers learn that their sorting, tagging, and register shifts helped raise thousands of dollars for your community programs, they know their time is making a real difference, and that’s what keeps many of them coming back.

A nonprofit store has more moving parts than a typical shop, from merchandise and register donations to shopper relationships and volunteers, and each one shows up in your monthly numbers. Reviewing those numbers every month gives you a clear picture of what’s working, what isn’t, and how much your store is contributing to your mission.

Start with the two or three reports that answer your biggest questions right now. As your team gets comfortable reading them, add the rest, and use what you learn to restock what sells, keep shoppers coming back, and raise more for your mission each month.

Collecting, analyzing, and applying data is essential for your nonprofit’s volunteer program to succeed long-term. Volunteer data plays a critical role in maintaining engagement and trust with program participants, making informed decisions about administrative processes, and demonstrating your volunteers’ value and impact to stakeholders and the broader public.

Just like your organization’s fundraising and donor data is most useful when it’s managed effectively, proper volunteer data management turns the raw information you’ve collected into actionable insights about your program. Plus, it helps you streamline workflows for coordinators and comply with relevant regulations as you handle volunteers’ personal data.

In this guide, we’ll walk through five volunteer data management best practices to help your nonprofit advance its efforts while remaining in good standing with its community. Let’s get started!

1. Leverage End-to-End Volunteer Management Software

When your nonprofit first started managing volunteers, you probably made a spreadsheet to collect and store their data, and you may have also used some disparate solutions like a form builder for signups and an online calendar for scheduling in your process. While these methods work for very small programs, most organizations eventually outgrow those solutions and need to migrate volunteer data into a comprehensive management platform.

Better Impact’s volunteer management software buyer’s guide suggests looking for the following features as you shop for one of these systems:

• A centralized database that automatically creates and updates individual profiles for all of your volunteers
• Recruitment tools for publishing role descriptions, building custom-branded signup forms, and vetting applicants
• Training resource libraries and online course creation modules to support both onboarding and ongoing education
• Communication capabilities so you can easily contact specific groups of volunteers via email and SMS
• A volunteer portal where volunteers can access their schedules, track their hours, and update other essential information on both desktop and mobile

When you use a unified volunteer management solution, all of the data collected through your recruitment, training, portal, and communication tools funnels directly into one database. This setup saves your coordinators time and reduces the risk of mistakes that come along with manual data entry.

2. Keep Your Volunteer Database Clean

Even with automatic database funneling, volunteer data can become outdated, messy, or less useful to your nonprofit over time. This is where data hygiene comes in—i.e., the ongoing process of keeping stored data organized and error-free.

Here are a few tips for getting started with volunteer data hygiene:

• Schedule regular system audits. Periodically go through your volunteer database to identify and resolve any issues with ambiguous, duplicated, inconsistent, misplaced, or missing data.
• Standardize data entry. Create formatting guidelines for information that could be written multiple ways (e.g., whether volunteer phone numbers should have parentheses around the area code or a hyphen afterward) so all of your inputs look the same and are easier to search.
• Remind volunteers to update their portals. Ask your volunteers to double-check their contact information, employment, and preferences a few times a year to make sure you always have accurate information.

If your program implements these data hygiene habits, your volunteer managers can be confident that they’re always working with the best and most recent information as they develop engagement strategies and plan for the future.

3. Integrate Corporate Volunteering Information

Corporate volunteer programs are a win-win opportunity for your nonprofit and the businesses that offer them. You get additional help with mission-critical work and an open door to a long-term community partnership, and the businesses you work with have opportunities to increase employee engagement and boost their reputations as socially responsible companies.

Some common corporate volunteer initiatives to be aware of include:

• Volunteer time off (VTO), where companies set aside a specific number of paid days off for each employee to volunteer at the organization of their choice.
• Team volunteer outings, where a business sanctions a volunteer activity for a group of staff members.
• Volunteer grants, where employers make monetary donations to the nonprofits their employees consistently volunteer with.

Workplace giving software is helpful for identifying local businesses that offer these volunteer programs and existing volunteers who can participate in their employers’ initiatives. Integrate this solution with your volunteer management system to make it easier to remind eligible volunteers about VTO and volunteer grant opportunities and plan team volunteer outings with willing corporate partners.

4. Consider Data Privacy & Security

Nonprofits like yours are uniquely vulnerable to cybersecurity threats due to the amount of sensitive data you store and the historic lack of security protocols within the sector. In fact, 68% of nonprofits reported experiencing at least one data breach between 2022 and 2025. And since your volunteer database contains personal information on many of your supporters, protecting it should be a priority to maintain those individuals’ trust in your organization.

To safeguard your volunteer data, make sure to:

• Comply with all data privacy laws that apply to your region or vertical. For example, organizations that operate in California need to keep the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in mind, and healthcare nonprofits are often required to follow the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• Allow and respect volunteer data collection opt-outs. This process involves both providing space for volunteers to share these preferences internally (such as adding an opt-out checkbox to signup forms) and applying knowledge gathered from external systems like the National Do Not Call Registry.
• Leverage built-in volunteer software security features. Enabling database encryption and two-factor authentication, limiting user permissions, and running regular system updates all help protect your volunteer management platform against breaches.
• Train volunteer managers on cybersecurity best practices. Host an annual meeting or brief online course for your coordinators in which you review your organization’s data security policies as they apply to your volunteer program and explain how to spot and navigate common threats.

Although this type of proactive risk management approach is generally most effective, you should also have a plan in place to navigate cybersecurity violations after they happen so you can maintain your volunteers’ and community’s trust even in a crisis.

5. Track Key Volunteer Program Metrics

So far, we’ve focused primarily on managing data on individual volunteers. However, setting up your database to monitor and visualize program-wide metrics also helps inform your overarching strategy. Some data points you might track to better understand trends across your larger volunteer base include:

• Volunteer acquisition rate: How many new volunteers sign up for your program each year?
• Volunteer recruitment form completion rate: How often do potential volunteers who start signing up submit the form, and how often do they abandon their applications?
• Volunteer program marketing conversions: Which promotional channels (your website, social media, emails, paid digital ads, etc.) bring in the most volunteers?
• Volunteer communication open rates: What percentage of the recipients of the emails and texts you send to existing volunteers actually read them?
• Volunteer scheduling distribution: Which roles and time slots are most and least popular among your volunteers?
• Volunteer retention rate: How many volunteers continue serving with your organization from one year to the next?
• Volunteer satisfaction: How do volunteers feel about their experience with your program?

To that last point, UpMetrics’ nonprofit data analytics guide recommends collecting qualitative data (i.e., descriptive or intangible information) alongside quantitative data (i.e., numerical metrics) for a more complete picture of your volunteer program’s success.

Volunteer data management is essential for keeping your volunteers engaged and your program thriving for years to come. Use the best practices above to get started, and remember that the technology you leverage can make all the difference in your organization’s success.

Data enables your organization to make confident decisions by establishing credibility with evidence and unifying your team around concrete results. However, making data-backed decision-making second nature in your organization can be a challenge, especially if you’re unsure which insights to prioritize. Not to mention, unorganized, missing, or unhygienic data can stall your progress or lead you down the wrong path.

To strengthen your organization’s informed decision-making abilities, we’ve compiled a list of five strategies you can employ to back your ideas with solid evidence.

1. Lead by example

When your organization’s leaders set an example, it’s easier to obtain buy-in from the rest of the team. Start at the top of your organization to pinpoint ways your leadership can set the tone for following evidence-based strategies. A few techniques to try include:

• Regularly reviewing organizational performance metrics to show employees what metrics matter, what healthy results look like, and how to navigate any results that are off track.
• Reviewing case studies before finalizing decisions to allow previous insights to guide your strategy. This process could involve evaluating work your organization has completed or relevant work in your industry.
• Creating evidence-based action plans to show how you’ve decided on each step of your process by consulting relevant data. Comprehensive action plans would therefore involve citing multiple sources and proactively explaining any gaps.
• Offering data research and presentation best practices based on leadership expertise. Give tips and strategies for presenting data and research in a way that is both compelling and relevant for your audience.

These strategies should be unique to your company’s needs and objectives. For example, a healthcare organization may set expectations for employees to review the risk adjustment process so they understand all workflow and compliance requirements. According to Arcadia, you may need to break down each step to accurately suspect, engage, and assess patient needs while maintaining quality standards.

2. Provide data literacy training

While data is a useful tool for decision-making, it can sometimes be tricky to interpret, especially when gathering actionable insights from specific data points. Ensure everyone has the necessary training to manage your organization’s data, which might include:

• Hands-on data analysis projects related to team members’ roles that enable them to explore and analyze data independently.
• Interactive platform walkthroughs that focus on your organization’s specific analytics dashboards, giving users the practical skills to generate and filter their own reports.
• Data storytelling workshops that teach team members how to translate raw numbers into clear, compelling visual narratives for strategic planning.
• Peer-to-peer learning sessions where team members from various departments can collaborate and share their best practices.
• External training opportunities, such as workshops or conferences, that enable team members to learn more about data analysis from experts in their field.

By offering training and collaboration opportunities, your entire team will be on the same page about how to approach various decisions. Additionally, avoid sequestering your data science team away from the rest of your organization. Instead, make sure they are heavily involved in explaining any process or system updates and catching any new team members up to speed to promote transparency.

3. Offer secure data access and management

Although almost everyone on your team can benefit from data-backed decision-making, it’s important to safeguard sensitive information by restricting access to authorized team members only. This privacy is especially important in certain industries, such as healthcare, which has regulatory protections for patient information.

Ensure secure data access and management by employing the following strategies:

• Leverage integration: Disorganized data is difficult to find and may be accessible by unauthorized parties. Convert your data to a digital format and aggregate it into a central location to keep it secure. For example, a healthcare organization might consolidate patient data by leveraging EHR integration with a unified data platform, ensuring all insights are available in a single location.
• Provide data security training: Set up a series of meetings or an official training program to cover basic security principles with your team. During these sessions, you may cover tips on creating strong passwords, identifying phishing scams, and updating software. You might also offer hands-on training through simulations to help your team put these tips into practice.
• Use clear data access controls: Limit user permissions to ensure only authorized team members can access sensitive data. For example, you may use multi-factor authentication (MFA) or biometric authentication to verify a team member’s identity before allowing them access. You can also implement logging and monitoring mechanisms to track who accesses certain information.

Beyond implementing controls that restrict which team members have access to specific data, you can also protect your organization’s information by determining which data sources are most relevant to each team member. Consolidating data provides a comprehensive overview of your organization’s most important information in one place.

This way, you’ll be able to build data-backed, team-based workflows so each department can access the data they need without sacrificing security. Just be sure to identify any incomplete or missing data before finalizing workflows. If needed, request a data append to fill in any gaps.

4. Define clear objectives and KPIs

To reinforce a culture of data-backed decision-making, your organization should align its overall goals with relevant metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). Double the Donation recommends using the SMART method to create specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals. Then, you’ll have a clear plan for how and when you’ll achieve these goals.

Enforce a coordinated effort to leverage data in decision-making by aligning these data-backed goals across departments. A few ways you can do this include:

• Encouraging collaboration: Enable teams to collaborate on projects by sharing relevant data and insights.
• Establishing strategic KPIs: Develop KPIs for each team that support the organization’s overarching goals. Track them regularly and share progress across the entire team.
• Implementing data-backed performance reviews: Use KPIs to track team performance and acknowledge team members who go above and beyond.

When equipped with clear goals and a plan to achieve them, your team can work cohesively toward your organization’s success.

5. Provide relevant resources and support

While you may have an organized approach to data collection, you should also leverage relevant resources to simplify decision-making for your team. Consider the following ways you can support data-backed decisions:

• Establish a centralized data dictionary: Provide a shared glossary of standardized metrics and definitions so that all departments interpret the same numbers consistently.
• Leverage knowledge-sharing platforms: Provide team members with access to tutorials, case studies, and best practices via a dedicated platform.
• Integrate cross-functional data pipelines: Connect disparate software systems to eliminate informational silos and ensure cross-departmental visibility.
• Use analytics: Give your whole team access to analytics tools to collect and interpret data from various perspectives.
• Continually improve the process: Regularly evaluate and improve your organization’s data processes and practices. Ask team members for feedback to determine data needs and address challenges.

Your team can only employ data-backed decision-making when they’re equipped with the right resources and support. In addition to these strategies, provide data quality assurance to ensure team members work with consistent, reliable information.

Data is the key to innovation and growth relevant to your organization’s objectives, and establishing clear expectations for team members to support this strategy can go a long way. Where possible, explain the importance of data in team members’ roles to transparently implement data-driven processes. Prioritize data across your entire team for better results in every initiative.