How does donor data enrichment differ from traditional wealth screening?

Wealth screening identifies personal assets to find major gift prospects. Data enrichment/employer appends focus on professional affiliation to uncover corporate matching gift opportunities, turning small gifts into larger ones regardless of a donor's personal net worth.

How often should we run an employer append for our nonprofit?

Because professional data 'decays' as people change jobs or relocate, it is best practice to run a fresh employer append every 12 to 18 months to ensure your database remains accurate and effective for outreach.

Data Management Archives - Page 2 of 5

Q: What is an employer append and how does it work?

An employer append is a data service that identifies the current workplace of donors in your database. It uses sophisticated algorithms to match your donor records against professional databases, populating the 'Employer' field in your CRM.

Q: What is a 'Match Rate' and what should I expect?

A match rate is the percentage of your list the service successfully identifies. Most nonprofits can expect a rate of 25% to 45%, though high-quality lists using advanced tools can see hit rates exceeding 80%.

Q: What is the difference between workplace giving and matching gifts?

Workplace giving is the broad category for all employee-led philanthropy (payroll giving, volunteering). Matching gifts are a specific type of workplace giving where a company matches an employee's donation, usually at a 1:1 ratio.

Data Hygiene_ The Key to Scalable Gift Processing Strategies

Improving Data Hygiene to Scale Nonprofit Gift Processing

May 12, 2026/in Data Management, Top Articles /by NPOInfo

Data is essential to the livelihood of any organization. However, it has no value if you’re unable to locate the right information when you need it. Without taking the necessary steps to maintain proper data hygiene (i.e., keeping your data clean, clear, and concise), it is virtually useless.

At NPOInfo, we’ve seen firsthand the importance of clean data in improving a nonprofit’s gift processing, donor stewardship, and overall fundraising efforts. As a result, we’ve created this comprehensive guide to nonprofit data hygiene. We’ll cover the following points:

What Is Data Hygiene, and Why Does it Matter for Nonprofits?
6 Types of Data That Nonprofits Should Collect
Common Data Hygiene Challenges Fundraising Teams Face
How Better Data Hygiene Leads to Better Gift Processing
Maintaining Proper Data Hygiene in 5 Simple Steps

If you’re looking to optimize your operational workflows through effective use of clean data, read along as we dive deep into everything you need to know!

What Is Data Hygiene, and Why Does it Matter for Nonprofits?

Data hygiene is the ongoing set of procedures and processes that keep a nonprofit’s main database and constituent relationship management (CRM) system “clean” and error-free. These efforts typically involve verifying existing data, removing duplicate and non-useful records, and appending new data to fill in any gaps.

Why? Studies indicate that more than 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are generated globally every day. However, most of this data remains underutilized. For your nonprofit, this could mean:

Missing engagement opportunities

One of the best places to start prospecting is in your donor database, but disorganized data can obscure a strong prospect’s capacity and affinity markers. Additionally, you might miss an opportunity to invite a supporter to a fundraising event or volunteer opportunity they would be interested in if their engagement history is unclear.

Overspending on ineffective outreach

Messy, disorganized data could lead to wasting resources by sending costly direct mail solicitations to outdated addresses. (Research shows that 15% of individuals move each year, but 35% fail to update their address information.) Or, you might end up spending more on communication channels that supporters don’t respond to than on the ones they regularly engage with.

Incomplete supporter profiles

Approximately 54% of records in a nonprofit’s database lack email addresses, despite email delivering the highest ROI of any channel ($40 gained for every $1 spent). Meanwhile, 42% of records lack phone information. Organizations can have a difficult time connecting with their donors and volunteers if they’re not actively collecting these data points!

Lapsed donors

Not carefully tracking supporters’ involvement can lead to missed follow-ups, which can come off as a lack of appreciation for their contributions. When donors don’t feel like your organization values their support, they’re more likely to stop engaging.

Bottlenecks in gift processing

When donor data is disorganized or riddled with duplicates, your administrative team must spend valuable hours manually verifying details, correcting typos, and cross-referencing records before a donation can be batched. This friction slows your processing speed, delays tax receipting, and stalls the momentum needed to scale your fundraising.

Unclaimed corporate support

Double the Donation statistics report that 78% of individuals have no idea if their employers offer workplace giving programs. When nonprofits lack up-to-date employment information for their supporters, they can’t identify or follow up on these opportunities, leaving $4 to $7 billion in matching gifts on the table each year.

Nonprofit data hygiene is a key factor in achieving data maturity. Organizations are continually striving to be more data-driven, and it’s no secret that data-driven strategies tend to be the most effective. But when data is disorganized, valuable information falls by the wayside. Therefore, it’s essential to take full advantage of opportunities by maintaining clean data in your CRM.

6 Types of Data That Nonprofits Should Collect

As the world transitions into an increasingly digital lifestyle, the volume of available data continues to grow. Today, there are six main types of data your nonprofit should collect, each of which provides a unique benefit for its overall operations.

Donor data, which helps your nonprofit better understand its individual supporters and develop stronger relationships with them
Campaign data, which provides insight into your nonprofit’s fundraising strengths and potential areas for improvement
Marketing data, which allows you to identify the best ways to reach supporters and amplify your mission
Financial data, which helps you assess your revenue and expenses to aid in developing a stronger financial management system
Website data, which allows you to develop stronger content and provide a better user experience within the main digital hub of information about and engagement with your organization
External data, which is useful for planning organizational growth and provides new perspectives on your mission and industry

While most nonprofits rely on data when planning their fundraising, gift processing, and supporter stewardship efforts, these efforts are significantly easier and more likely to succeed when the data you have is clean and hygienic.

Common Data Hygiene Challenges Fundraising Teams Face

While cleaning up your data, you may encounter several challenges that make it difficult for you to organize the information at hand. Here are some common data hygiene challenges your nonprofit may encounter, along with our recommended strategies for resolving them.

Ambiguous Data

Ambiguous data is information that is too broad to decipher its true meaning. For example, if you use the label “board” to indicate someone’s title, you may forget later down the road if that individual is a current or former board member. This difference is important to consider before approaching the individual for future campaigns.

The solution? Specificity is key. To address this issue, determine exactly how each data type should be coded going forward. For example, you could code current members as “current board” and former members as “former board.” Then, review all records with ambiguous coding and update them as you go.

Duplicate Data

Duplicate data is identical data entered throughout your database. This most commonly happens when there are two records for a single supporter (for example, if an individual made two gifts using different email addresses).

The solution? Implement a deduplication process at least once per quarter to stay on top of the game. Additionally, look for a database that offers a merge tool to review and combine similar records as they are entered into the system.

Inconsistent Data

Inconsistent data occurs when your entries differ across multiple databases. For example, if one of your systems says two individuals are married while the other says they are divorced, sending them joint communications may be a mistake.

The solution? Identify a threshold for the data you will review. For instance, you might establish a review cadence for donors who have surpassed a certain threshold. If someone gifted $3 million, your system could flag the entry and notify staff to double-check before proceeding.

Misplaced Data

Misplaced data is information that is present within your database but in the wrong location. For example, you could have John Smith’s email address entered under Mary Jones.

The solution? As with all other challenges, a thorough review of data entries will help to identify if data has been incorrectly entered. Be sure to review misplaced data as needed, move it to its correct location, and delete it from the incorrect field or record.

Missing Data

Missing data is information that your existing records lack. A common example of this is missing contact information, such as email address or phone number, resulting from “optional” form entry fields.

The solution? If you have other data sources that contain what you need, such as old databases or third-party systems, you may consult them to fill in any missing information. Not to mention, data append services make the processes of finding missing data quite simple.

How Better Data Hygiene Leads to Better Gift Processing

When we think about data hygiene, we often focus on the front-end benefits: improved marketing, more personalized appeals, and stronger donor relationships. But clean data is also the secret weapon of your behind-the-scenes workflows. When your database is structured, accurate, and regularly scrubbed, gift processing transforms from a manual, stressful scramble into a well-oiled machine.

Here’s how proper data hygiene paves the way for frictionless back-end operations.

Accelerating Processing Speed

When an influx of donations hits your organization (whether from a giving day campaign or an end-of-year push), your administrative team shouldn’t be held hostage by manual data entry. Clean data enables automation, which drastically cuts down processing times.

Automated Matching: Standardized fields, such as consistent naming conventions and address formats, enable your donation software to instantly pair incoming gifts to existing CRM profiles without human intervention.
Fewer Exception Queues: Messy data forces your system to flag a large number of transactions for manual review. Clean data ensures gifts slide right through the pipeline and directly into your bank account.

Eliminating the Duplicate Nightmare

Duplicate accounts are the ultimate bottleneck in gift processing. When a donor changes their email or uses a nickname, a messy database will accidentally create a brand-new profile, essentially splitting their involvement with your cause in half.

Single Source of Truth: Proper deduplication protocols ensure that every gift is automatically attributed to the correct, unified donor lifetime record.
Reduced Administrative Overhead: Your team will save dozens of hours every month that would otherwise be spent manually hunting down missing engagement histories.

Streamlining Acknowledgment and Tax Receipting

The clock starts ticking the moment a donation is made. Nowadays, donors expect swift confirmation, and tax receipts must be accurate. If your data is plagued by missing emails or outdated physical addresses, this process grinds to a halt.

Instant Digital Receipts: With verified, up-to-date email fields, your system can automatically trigger personalized receipts the second a gift is processed.
Error-Free Mailings: For donors who prefer physical direct-mail acknowledgments, clean data prevents wasted returned letters and the embarrassment of misspelled names.

Enhancing Financial Reconciliation

Gift processing isn’t just about administrative speed; it’s about financial accuracy and compliance. Disorganized data makes reconciling your fundraising and accounting software a recurring nightmare.

Seamless Audits: Standardized data fields ensure that gift types, funds, and restrictions are coded correctly at the point of entry, making monthly reconciliation with your finance team painless.
Compliance and Trust: Tracking opt-ins, communication preferences, and secure data standards protects your organization from compliance risks and builds long-term donor trust.

Unlocks and Accelerates Workplace Giving

Corporate matching gifts, volunteer grants, and payroll giving represent billions of dollars in untapped revenue. However, processing these corporate disbursements is notoriously complex. When a donor submits a match request, it triggers a multi-layered cycle that includes CSR platform verification. Managing this process manually creates significant bottlenecks, but using automated tools within your tech stack transforms workplace giving into a seamless revenue stream.

Regardless of how your organization handles reconciliation, maintaining strong data hygiene directly accelerates workplace giving.

Accurate Disbursement Reconciliation: Matching gift disbursements often arrive as complex lump-sum amounts without clear donor context. Matching incoming corporate disbursements against database records (whether line by line or automatically with Double the Donation) allows you to cross-reference criteria like names, corporate emails, transaction dates, and amounts.
Data Enrichment and Targeted Follow-Ups: Clean data ensures donor profiles are enriched with accurate, up-to-date employment information. When records are tagged with verified employer data, software platforms can trigger targeted follow-up reminders and direct outreach. High-value opportunities are prioritized, ensuring staff bandwidth is spent where it yields the highest return.
Eliminating Forfeited Funds: Most corporate matching programs enforce strict submission deadlines. By keeping records clean and automated tracking active, your system instantly flags match-eligible gifts and sends timely prompts before deadlines pass. This prevents expected corporate revenue from being left on the table due to administrative delays.

The Bottom Line: You can’t scale your nonprofit’s mission if your staff is bogged down by operational friction. Investing in data hygiene and automated gift administration is not just a technical chore. It’s a direct investment in your capacity to process more generosity faster.

Maintaining Proper Data Hygiene in 5 Simple Steps

Now that you know what clean data is, the importance of maintaining it, and the challenges you may encounter along the way, it’s time to dive into the nitty-gritty of exactly how to clean your data.

Step 1: Conduct a database audit.

Conducting a database audit is the first step in cleaning your donor data. An audit allows you to assess the current state of your data and discover the areas most in need of improvement.

Here’s how you can do so:

Identify problems you’re facing. What are the main issues your organization is facing that impede proper data collection? What are you looking to get out of the audit process?
Pinpoint unhelpful information. Identify which pieces of your information are inaccurate, outdated, or utterly incorrect. Make note of these points, and you will help yourself in the long run. Keeping this information within your database will prove more harmful than helpful.
Identify inconsistencies in your data. If you are a long-standing organization, your team has probably gone through several different data input procedures. As a result, you have probably cycled through many different ways to upload names, addresses, dates, and other information. If you run a newer nonprofit, the threat of human error can also lead to variability in data input. Use your audit to note any inconsistencies that have occurred.
Share your findings with your team. Once the audit is complete, be sure to share the information discovered with all parties involved. Ensure stakeholders, such as board members and executive leadership, are aware of the findings and on board with moving to the next steps of the data hygiene process.

By conducting a database audit, you can produce an official review that will put you in the best position for correcting your data strategy moving forward.

Step 2: Remove unnecessary or harmful information.

Once you’ve conducted your audit, it’s time to get rid of any extraneous content that will ultimately result in a waste of valuable resources. In this case, more data is not necessarily better.

Some examples of unusable data points to remove include:

People on Do Not Call or Do Not Mail lists: Individuals who wish to opt out of telemarketing calls register with the National Do Not Call Registry, while those who do not wish to receive mail or email can register on the Direct Marketing Association website. While nonprofits are traditionally exempt from these regulations, organizations that partner with commercial marketing companies must comply with them.
Minors: Remove those under 18 of age from your database. If you conduct marketing to children, you can be fined by the Federal Trade Commission.
Incarcerated individuals: Those currently in the prison system cannot respond to marketing materials. Remove individuals currently in federal and state prisons, county correctional facilities, and jails to preserve your resources.
Deceased persons: By ensuring you do not attempt contact with the deceased, you can prevent sending unwanted marketing materials to their family members. Failing to do so often comes off as insensitive.

Once this information has been filtered out or suppressed, you’re left with a database that focuses exclusively on those who are interested in and able to engage with your messaging.

Step 3: Take a closer look at the remaining data.

After refining your database and removing unwanted information, assess your remaining data closely. During this step, it’s important to assess and correct the errors you identified during the primary audit stage.

You can ensure your records are clean by:

Eliminating duplicate entries: Verify the correct entry and merge or eliminate any copies that might have emerged over the years.
Verifying email addresses: Doing so will increase your engagement rate and save you time and resources by only sending messages to correct, active email addresses.

Taking the time to refine data will help correct minor inconsistencies that can add up to much larger issues.

Step 4: Standardize processes for ongoing maintenance

It is best to adopt continuous data hygiene practices rather than conduct an occasional major, very time-consuming cleanse. Ensure future success by creating an ongoing process for standardized data entry and maintenance. Some key tactics to consider implementing would be:

Standardizing data input practices. Outline the rules team members should follow when entering new information into your database. This includes procedures for inputting names, phone numbers, physical email addresses, employment information, and all other relevant data points. For example, “Lane” vs. “Ln.” and 5-digit ZIP code vs. ZIP+4.
Opting for auto-complete fields for donor-provided data. If you historically asked donors to type their employer’s name in a free-form text field on your donation page, an individual who works at Disney might say “Disney,” “Walt Disney Company,” “Disney World,” or even “Dksney.” Pivoting to an autocomplete search tool helps ensure this information is standardized for future use.
Creating a data training process for staff. Create a shared document (i.e., a Data Dictionary) that includes all the details team members need to use the database effectively. Review the process in a meeting or training seminar so everyone is on the same page.
Defining rules for handling errors. Who is responsible for fixing incorrect, incomplete, or duplicate records in your system? Define the process and include it within your data input process documentation.
Schedule regular data back-ups. In a survey by Jay Love, 60% of organizations admitted they did not back up their data properly, and only 5% claimed to even test their backup solutions! In case of a software crash, the last thing you want to happen is a loss of all of your data. To prevent this, it’s essential that you undergo proper backup procedures each day to ensure your data remains safe.

Using these practices to standardize your data maintenance approach will help make the process more manageable. The maintenance process is customizable to your organization, so be sure to implement whatever tools work best for you.

Step 5: Bring an expert on board to help

Establishing good data hygiene can be challenging, especially when you’re not sure where to start. Professionals who specialize in nonprofit data hygiene can set your team up with a concrete plan for future success.

Database marketing specialists can assist with all of the processes outlined in the steps above, but they don’t stop there. These professionals provide a wide array of other services, such as:

File Conversions: Converting files into useful formats according to the various needs of your organization
A/B Splits: Segmenting your data into groups to determine which marketing strategies are most effective
Parsing: Splitting up the elements of one record into separate fields in your database
Data appends: Supplementing data from your organization’s internal database with external information. Learn more about how NPOInfo can help you do this!

Beyond hygiene, data marketing firms also conduct data enhancement, audience building, targeted digital marketing, and other marketing efforts. Partnering with the right expert will leave your organization with a stronger framework for future campaigns.

Wrapping Up

When fundraising scales, your data operational needs scale with it. Unfortunately, many growing nonprofits hit an invisible wall. You want to process gifts faster and steward donors better, but your CRM looks less like a source of truth and more like a digital junk drawer.

The reality is simple: You cannot build a modern, scalable gift-processing engine on top of messy data. But proper data hygiene empowers your organization to scale its impact, free up staff time, and create a seamless experience for the supporters who make your mission possible.

Interested in learning more about proper data management? Here are some additional resources to explore:

Unifying Donation & Workplace Giving Data: 3 Top Strategies. Find out how effective management of donation and workplace giving data can transform nonprofit fundraising.
The Future of Gift Processing: AI and Workplace Giving. If you’re wondering what’s to come, this forward-thinking guide examines several tech trends. Plus, it provides actionable tips for making the most of them!
Do Your Donors Work For Socially Responsible Companies? See how your team can uncover the best opportunities within your existing supporter network! This guide provides helpful strategies to answer the question.

Donor Data Enrichment and Employer Appends: An FAQ Guide

February 4, 2026/in Corporate Giving, Data Appends, Data Management /by Kanwei Li

Identifying your supporters’ professional backgrounds is one of the most effective ways to increase your fundraising revenue. However, many nonprofit professionals have thousands of supporter records but little to no details about where those individuals’ “9 to 5s.” That’s where donor data enrichment comes in.

Donor data enrichment is the strategic process of filling those gaps by matching your existing records against massive professional databases. By using a dedicated fundraising tool to identify these connections, you can tap into corporate giving programs that might otherwise go unnoticed.

And we’re here to help you do it! In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know, including:

Understanding the basics of donor data enrichment
Strategic data enrichment benefits and useful use cases
Successfully navigating workplace giving and matching gifts
Technical execution and batch data append services
Donor data enrichment & maintenance best practices

Using data enrichment to strengthen your nonprofit database is a foundational step in modern fundraising. It moves your team from guessing who might be eligible for a match to knowing exactly which corporations to target for growth.

Let’s get started.

Understanding the Basics of Donor Data Enrichment

Before implementing advanced strategies, it is essential that you understand the foundation of data enrichment. This section explores the fundamental concepts of how the right supplementary tool can transform your database from a list of names into a strategic map of professional connections.

What is an employer append and how does it work?

An employer append is a highly specialized data service that identifies the current professional workplace of individuals already in your database. At its core, it is a process of verification and addition. It essentially populates the “Employer” or “Company” field in your CRM by using external professional data sources to identify a person’s current place of employment.

The mechanics of this process generally involve sophisticated matching algorithms. When you submit a list of names and addresses, the system scans vast repositories of professional data, including business directories, social networks, and public filings. It then looks for a unique match based on the identifiers you provide. Once a match is confirmed, the system appends the relevant information back to your original record. This allows you to stop guessing about your donors’ professional lives and start using confirmed data to drive your strategy.

Why is donor data enrichment necessary for nonprofits?

The primary reason to pursue enrichment is the staggering revenue potential hidden in corporate giving programs. In fact, research from Double the Donation indicates that between $4 billion and $7 billion in matching gift funds go unclaimed every single year. This isn’t because corporations don’t want to pay. It’s because donors don’t know the programs exist, and nonprofits don’t know which supporters to remind.

When you use a data enrichment tool to identify these employers, you can bridge that communication gap. Instead of a generic “thank you” email, you can send a targeted message that says, “We noticed you work at Home Depot. Did you know your company will match your gift?” This level of personalization significantly increases the likelihood that an individual will complete the match process. Furthermore, it saves your staff hundreds of hours that would otherwise be spent manually researching major donors or LinkedIn profiles.

How does this differ from traditional wealth screening?

While both are indeed forms of donor data enrichment, wealth screening and employer appends serve different strategic purposes. Traditional wealth screening generally looks for signs of significant personal assets, such as luxury properties, stock holdings, or a history of political contributions. The goal being primarily to identify “major gift” prospects: individuals with the capacity to make five- or six-figure donations based on their personal net worth.

In contrast, an employer append focuses specifically on professional affiliation and employment status. While a donor might not have a ton of personal wealth, they may work for a company like Google or Disney, which can turn their $500 gift into $1,000 or more. By focusing on where someone works rather than just what they own, you democratize your fundraising strategy and tap into corporate budgets that are already set aside for social impact.

Strategic Data Enrichment Benefits and Useful Use Cases

Knowing where your donors work is more than just a data point; it is a catalyst for major growth across your organization. Here, we discuss the high-level impact of these services, with a special focus on how higher education and other large nonprofits can use this information to drive engagement and support.

What advantages do employer appends offer for higher education?

Employer appends act as a primary “early warning system” for your college or university’s fundraising team, allowing for real-time wealth and influence tracking. Instead of waiting for a donor to self-report, an append identifies “rising stars” as they move into high-impact roles.

This allows the institution to:

Identify alumni with high capacity for major gifts based on executive job titles and industry seniority.
Map the institution’s influence across specific sectors to prioritize regional fundraising campaigns and capital projects.
Uncover powerful workplace giving opportunities, including matching gifts and payroll deductions, that alumni are encouraged to engage with.

By maintaining this map of professional movement, your development staff can shift from reactive fundraising to proactively cultivating relationships with graduates as they reach their peak giving potential.

Beyond fundraising, how do data appends support university alumni engagement?

Outside the development office, a data append service empowers higher education teams to use employer data as the engine for hyper-segmented engagement. Rather than sending generic newsletters, alumni relations teams can curate content that matches a graduate’s professional reality. This transforms the university by:

Curating Networking: Organizing industry-specific events, such as a “Women in STEM” mixer for alumnae at top engineering firms.
Strengthening Career Services: Identifying “anchor companies” where high concentrations of alumni work to secure internship pipelines for current students.
Sourcing Social Capital: Quickly locating subject matter experts to serve as guest lecturers or mentors based on their specific professional expertise.

This approach ensures that alumni see the school not just as a place where they spent four years, but as a continuous professional network that adds tangible value to their current careers.

Can identifying donor employers help with corporate sponsorships?

Yes! Identifying clusters of employees in your supporter database can directly lead to larger corporate partnerships and event sponsorships. Here’s an example: let’s say you run a report and discover that 50 of your donors work for the same local bank or regional healthcare provider. In that case, the corporation in question is a perfect candidate for a sponsorship opportunity.

This data allows you to present a compelling case to a corporate social responsibility officer. By demonstrating that their employees are already passionate about your cause, you can pitch sponsorship as a logical extension of their existing corporate culture. Such a “bottom-up” approach to philanthropy is often more successful than “cold” outreach, as it is backed by the proven interests of the company’s own workforce.

Successfully Navigating Workplace Giving and Matching Gifts

Workplace giving is a core benefit of donor data enrichment, but you need a solid understanding of these opportunities to make the most of them. This section clarifies the terminology and explores standout opportunities to be aware of.

What is the difference between workplace giving and matching gifts?

Workplace giving is the broad “umbrella” term that covers any program where a company facilitates employee-led philanthropy. This can include a wide variety of initiatives, such as annual corporate giving campaigns, payroll deductions, and volunteer programs alike.

Matching gifts are a specific, particularly high-value slice of that workplace giving umbrella. This is a program in which a company matches an employee’s donation to a nonprofit, usually at a 1:1 ratio. The defining characteristic of a matching gift is that the employee must make an initial donation. Once the contribution is made, the employee submits a request to their employer to trigger the match. This is why donor data enrichment is so vital: if you don’t know the employer, you cannot prompt the donor to take that final, necessary step to double their impact.

How do volunteer grants fit into this data strategy?

Volunteer grants, often called “Dollars for Doers,” are another type of giving program in which companies provide monetary grants to nonprofits in recognition of the hours their employees volunteer.

According to corporate volunteer statistics, approximately 40% of Fortune 500 companies offer these programs, yet they are even less well-known than matching gifts.

Once you have a record of an individual’s employer, you can cross-reference that company against a database of volunteer grant programs. This allows you to identify eligible supporters who already volunteer with your organization and work for a company that compensates them for their time.

Why is payroll giving data important for my fundraising tool?

Payroll giving allows corporate employees to contribute recurring amounts directly from their paychecks. By identifying employers that offer these programs, you can encourage eligible donors to leverage this “subscription” method for their gifts.

Technical Execution and Batch Data Append Services

The process of updating thousands of records might seem daunting, but modern batch append services are designed for efficiency. In this section, we cover the technical “how-to” of the process.

What is a batch append service?

A batch append service is a streamlined process in which you submit a large file of donor records to a dedicated vendor. Within a few days, a nonprofit can transform a database full of missing information into a high-powered fundraising engine. The service returns your original file with new columns containing current employer names and job titles.

What information do I need to provide for a successful match?

While names are the primary identifier, adding additional details significantly increases accuracy. Try to include as much of this information as possible:

First and last name
Unique identification number
Mailing address
Email address
Phone number
College or university (graduation year and major/degree)

What is a “Match Rate” and what should I expect?

Your “match rate” is the percentage of your submitted list that the service can successfully identify. In the world of data science, a 100% match rate is a myth. Most organizations can expect a standard match rate of 25% to 45%. However, cohorts processed through software like Double the Donation have achieved hit rates exceeding 80% for records with high-confidence identifiers.

How do I interpret confidence scores in my report?

Enriched data files include a “confidence score” for each match—a numerical value telling you how certain the system is that the match is correct. Prioritize “high-confidence” matches for automated email campaigns and personalized outreach.

Donor Data Enrichment & Maintenance Best Practices

Donor data often requires ongoing care to remain effective. This final section provides a roadmap for maintaining your database.

How often should we run an employer append?

To keep your database from becoming obsolete, we generally recommend running a fresh employer append every 12 to 18 months. This ensures your outreach is based on where your donors work now.

Is the appending process secure for my donor data?

Yes. Reputable services use bank-grade encryption and comply with regulations like GDPR and CCPA. It is a safe and accepted practice in the nonprofit industry.

How should I use the data once an append is complete?

Start by segmenting your donor list. Create a specific segment for donors who work at “Top Matching Gift Companies” and send them tailored messages with links to their company’s matching gift form.

Can I find job titles as well as employer names?

Most comprehensive services provide both the company name and the job title. This data enables sophisticated persona-based marketing, ensuring your message resonates with supporters’ professional backgrounds.

Will my donors know I ran an append?

No, the appending process is a “back-end” administrative function. There is no direct contact with the donor, and the service does not “ping” their employer. Most donors simply notice that the communications they receive become more relevant.

Key Terms Glossary

Donor Data Enrichment: Enhancing a database by pulling in external data for complete supporter profiles.
Data Append: Adding missing data, such as employment information, to a record.
Hit Rate: The percentage of records successfully matched with new data.
Confidence Score: Likelihood that a data match is correct.
Matching Gift: Corporate programs that match employee charitable donations.

Conclusion: Transforming Your Database into a Revenue Engine

Investing in donor data enrichment is one of the smartest moves a development team can make. By taking the time to find donor employers through batch append services, you are opening a door to millions of dollars in corporate matching gift revenue.

Interested in enriching your organization’s donor data? Get started with Double the Donation’s industry-leading employer append services today.

Boost Segmentation, Giving Through Smart Prospect Research

December 23, 2025/in Corporate Giving, Data Appends, Data Management /by adam

Unlocking major fundraising growth often starts with a deeper understanding of your donors. Nonprofits today operate in a landscape where donor dollars are competitive, and supporters expect personalized engagement. Leveraging robust donor segmentation can transform generic fundraising into compelling engagement strategies that resonate with each individual, maximizing participation and giving alike.

The ability to analyze and segment your donor base with current data is more than a tactical advantage. It’s a necessary practice to identify those most likely to give, those who can contribute more, and those whose employers will amplify their support through workplace giving programs.

The strategies outlined here will guide you through actionable techniques for modern donor segmentation as part of next-level prospect research, converting data into stronger relationships, higher revenue, and lasting support. We’ll cover:

The Role of Prospect Research in Donor Segmentation
How to Combine Wealth, Philanthropic, and Engagement Indicators
Maximizing Impact Through Workplace Giving and Employer Data
Top Tools & Resources to Enhance Your Prospect Research Strategy
Establishing a Sustainable, Data-Driven Segmentation Workflow

Without a clear segmentation plan, nonprofits may overlook significant funding opportunities and miss opportunities to form deeper, more meaningful connections. However, by combining accurate employment data, indicators of wealth and philanthropic interests, and a culture of continual learning, your nonprofit can shift from scattershot appeals to intentional, high-impact donor relationships.

Let’s begin with the basics.

The Role of Prospect Research in Donor Segmentation

Proper prospect research forms the foundation for every successful donor segmentation strategy. Instead of relying on a broad outreach approach, prospect research allows your team to deliver personalized communications tailored to donor values.

A strong prospect research strategy incorporates these essential practices:

Maintain Clean Data: Conduct quarterly audits to remove duplicate records, confirm contact details, and record recent supporter touchpoints in your CRM. Database hygiene prevents wasted resources and ensures reliable analytics.
Track Both Affinity and Capacity Indicators: Combine internal giving history with external insights, such as real estate holdings and other nonprofit affiliations. This data helps categorize supporters, including major gift prospects, recurring donors, and volunteers.
Pair Segments with Specific Campaigns: Align specific donor segments directly to organizational campaign goals. Use research insights to pinpoint the best candidates for planned giving, challenge matches, and/or capital campaigns.
Assign Relationship Owners: Task individual team members or trained, trusted volunteers with stewarding specific high-potential donors using personalized outreach strategies.
Standardize Data Entry Standards: Schedule bi-annual database cleanups and train all CRM users on strict data entry guidelines. Consistent tagging keeps donor profiles reliable and actionable.

Keep in mind that deliberately investing in prospect research allows nonprofits to move beyond generic appeals, build stronger supporter relationships, and maximize overall fundraising revenue.

How to Combine Wealth, Philanthropic, and Engagement Indicators

Strong segmentation relies on more than a single data point. The best strategies bring together employment information, wealth indicators, and engagement history, creating a multi-dimensional view of each donor and supporting increasingly sophisticated targeting. Therefore, start by ensuring that your CRM and other connected fundraising tools capture a wide array of supporter information.

Ideally, this should include…

All giving history with your organization
Volunteering, advocacy, or event attendance records
Evidence of involvement with other nonprofits, if available

From there, you’ll want to supplement your internal data with external insights (such as from donor surveys or public records) to round out each individual profile. Consider analyzing wealth and capacity by reviewing real estate ownership, business affiliations, and financial indicators.

Establishing a Dedicated Prospect Scoring System

Create a scoring system that combines employment data with other relevant insights to capture a full view of an individual’s capacity, engagement, and recency of involvement. Assign capacity scores to donors and prospects, and update their scores as circumstances change, such as after a promotion or a significant purchase.

Then, use your rating system to identify and define actionable segments, which may include:

Individuals most likely to contribute a major gift
Lapsed but high-potential supporters
Consistent mid-level donors
Those who qualify for high-impact workplace giving programs

Each group should have a custom stewardship plan. For example, you might prioritize personal phone calls for major donors and email marketing re-engagement campaigns for those whose support has recently lapsed.

SAMPLE PROSPECT RESEARCH SCORING SYSTEM
Data Point	Value / Indicator	Impact Score	Target Segment	Recommended Action
High Capacity	Real estate holdings > $1M; SEC filings or High-Net-Worth indicators	+30 pts	Major Gift Candidates	Schedule tailored phone calls and direct 1:1 outreach from Major Gift Officers.
Match Eligibility	Employed at a company with a 1:1 or 2:1 matching gift program	+25 pts	Workplace Giving Supporters	Enroll in automated matching gift email streams and post-gift submission reminders.
Corporate Exec.	Executive job title; eligible for Volunteer Grants and Paid VTO	+20 pts	Corporate Partnership Leads	Pitch corporate sponsorship proposals and invite to group volunteer days.
Giving Cadence	Gave 3+ times in the past 12 months or active monthly supporter	+15 pts	Consistent Mid-Level Donors	Send recurring gift upgrade appeals and introduce pre-tax payroll giving options.
Lapsed Supporter	Previous gift > $500, but zero giving activity in the past 18–24 months	+10 pts	Lapsed High-Potential Contacts	Launch targeted re-engagement campaigns showcasing recent mission updates.

Database enrichment can further enhance this approach. In order to ensure the insights don’t stale, we recommend using periodic data append services to verify or update addresses, phone numbers, emails, and employer information across your supporter base. Doing so enables you to keep your segments up to date and flag any recent developments. It also makes segmentation far more effective, ensuring each communication is relevant, personalized, and optimized for conversion.

Maximizing Impact Through Workplace Giving and Employer Data

Employment data provides essential insights for effective donor segmentation but is often overlooked. However, understanding where your donors work does more than fill out a demographic profile; it unlocks new opportunities for support.

Integrating workplace philanthropy and employer information into donor segmentation can be a game-changer, helping nonprofits avoid leaving corporate giving revenue untapped. After all, many donors are eligible for employer-sponsored giving initiatives but are unaware of them, preventing these funds from being realized. Here’s how you can begin bridging that gap:

For Matching Gifts

Begin by embedding a matching-gift check option into your donation process and event pages. As you gather employment information, flag donors whose companies are known to offer matching gift programs. Segment these supporters accordingly and prioritize them for targeted follow-up, using thank-you messages and confirmation pages to share information and provide actionable steps for submitting a request. If a donor begins but does not complete the process, send additional reminders until they indicate that a match has been submitted!

From there, you’ll want to track each segment’s matching gift completion rates within your software system. Recognize and thank donors who secure matching gifts, reinforcing the value of their increased impact and encouraging future participation in workplace giving.

For Volunteering Programs

Collect employment information on volunteer registration forms and during sign-up flows to flag active volunteers whose employers offer monetary donations for completed service hours. Send automated follow-ups showing individuals how to log their hours through their corporate portal to trigger volunteer grant funding or get their VTO hours approved.

Additionally, reach out to local businesses with targeted invitations to host team volunteering initiatives or specialized skills-based service events.

For Payroll Giving

Leverage employment data to screen your donor database against companies known to offer payroll giving schemes. By identifying supporters who qualify for these pre-tax, automated payroll deduction programs, you can increase revenue through a predictable, steady giving channel while offering supporters a convenient, budget-friendly way to give.

From there, don’t forget to highlight that many companies with payroll giving programs also offer automatic matching for donations processed through the internal giving platform!

For Corporate Sponsorships

Use prospect research and employer data to turn donor relationships into institutional partnerships. To get started, filter your donor base by job title and employer name to identify executive-level contacts and other business leaders. Then, reach out to those leadership-level supporters with tailored partnership proposals, asking them to introduce your development team to their company’s CSR or community relations department.

You can even use prospect research tools or corporate sponsorship directories to research potential partners’ CSR pillars, grant timelines, market area requirements, and more.

Here’s an example: Let’s say an organization discovered that a long-term donor held an executive role at a local corporation. By engaging them in a leadership campaign, the nonprofit secured a valuable challenge match, increasing both donor participation and overall giving.

Incorporating employment data makes every segment more actionable. When combined with other prospect research insights, such as wealth and engagement metrics, such an approach yields even better fundraising outcomes.

Top Tools & Resources to Enhance Your Prospect Research Strategy

Building a strong technology infrastructure is essential to maximize the value of donor segmentation and prospect research. The right platforms streamline manual processes, uncover hidden funding opportunities, and free up staff time to focus on relationship building.

To build an efficient technology ecosystem, consider integrating these key types of prospect research solutions into your overall tech stack:

A Robust Supporter Management System: Donor database or CRM software that tracks engagement metrics, giving history, and other milestones, often with visual dashboards that allow teams to monitor performance by segment in real time.
Wealth Screening Software: Tools designed to uncover wealth indicators such as real estate holdings, estimated salaries, and major gift capacity scores and help organizations prioritize high-value prospects and personalize their donation requests.
Data Enrichment Services: Dedicated providers that aim to fill in gaps in donor and volunteer records with missing data points, such as employment details, contact information, and more, to keep the information in your CRM current and actionable.
Workplace Giving Automation Tools: Software that identifies eligibility for matching gifts, volunteer grants, and payroll giving programs, automating post-engagement outreach and driving submission requests through to disbursement.
Prospect Research Databases: Online directories that provide access to information on historical major gifts, foundation giving patterns, FEC filings, SEC databases, high-net-worth donor records, and more.

Setting up automated workflows across these platforms helps your team capture available revenue with minimal effort. For the best results, you’ll want to schedule regular system audits and ongoing staff trainings to ensure your records stay clean, improve overall engagement, and maximize donor satisfaction.

Establishing a Sustainable, Data-Driven Segmentation Workflow

Donor segmentation is a continuous fundraising practice rather than a one-time project. Establishing a standardized, data-driven workflow ensures your donor outreach stays personalized, effective, and scalable over time.

Follow these key steps to build and sustain a high-performing segmentation workflow:

Step 1: Prioritize Data Hygiene and Employer Enrichment

Clean records form the foundation of successful donor segmentation. Reliable data prevents wasted staff time and ensures your communications reach the right audience.

Audit Database Records: Schedule regular database audits to remove duplicate records, validate email addresses, and update outdated contact information.
Run Employer Enrichment: Enrich donor profiles at least twice a year. Updating missing employment data, job titles, and corporate affiliations unlocks valuable workplace giving opportunities like matching gifts, volunteer grants, and payroll giving.
Verify High-Value Contacts: Verify key employer and wealth details for major gift prospects and board candidates before launching major fundraising campaigns.

Step 2: Define Clear Criteria and Standardize CRM Tagging

Consistent data entry standards make list generation fast and accurate across your entire development team.

Establish Core Data Criteria: Define segmentation tags based on donor capacity scores, giving frequency, recency, volunteer activity, and employer match eligibility.
Standardize CRM Tags: Train all database users to apply defined tags consistently so your CRM remains a reliable source of truth.

Step 3: Launch Targeted Campaigns and Test Outreach Messaging

Use your segmented lists to deliver tailored appeals, then track how different supporter groups respond.

Deliver Custom Engagement Plans: Send personalized appeals tailored to each segment. For example, invite executives to corporate sponsorship opportunities while sending match-eligible donors direct portal links.
Run A/B Tests: Experiment with different message angles, calls to action, and communication channels to identify what drives the highest conversion rates.
Refine Models Based on Results: Analyze campaign performance metrics to refine your segment definitions and optimize future appeals.

Step 4: Foster Cross-Departmental Collaboration and Training

Segmentation works best when every team member understands its strategic value and daily application.

Align Development Teams: Train staff across fundraising, marketing, and volunteer management on how donor segments function and how to use them in daily outreach.
Hold Quarterly Alignment Reviews: Schedule quarterly review sessions to evaluate campaign performance, realign on organizational priorities, and share key donor insights.
Invest in Ongoing Learning: Encourage team members to attend industry workshops and training sessions to stay current on prospect research best practices.

Step 5: Benchmark Outcomes and Collect Donor Feedback

Continuous optimization keeps your fundraising strategy relevant and aligned with donor expectations.

Benchmark Performance: Compare your retention and engagement metrics against industry standards to uncover opportunities for innovation.
Gather Supporter Input: Use donor surveys and open communication channels to learn what content and giving methods your supporters value most.
Maintain Strict Data Ethics: Train your team on privacy compliance and maintain transparent opt-in procedures. Protecting donor data builds long-term trust and safeguards your reputation.

When you turn segmentation into a standardized, repeatable workflow, your nonprofit builds a strong foundation for long-term fundraising growth. Combining continuous data hygiene, clear tagging criteria, and targeted workplace giving outreach allows your team to deepen supporter relationships over time. By evaluating your results and refining your strategy regularly, you can unlock hidden corporate revenue, increase donor retention, and scale your organization’s mission impact.

Final Thoughts & What’s Next?

Smart donor segmentation is essential for nonprofits seeking to build stronger relationships, unlock new funding, and achieve lasting results. With accurate and continually updated data, thoughtful use of employment and wealth indicators, personalized communication, and a commitment to ongoing improvement, your organization can turn segmentation into a powerful driver of fundraising success.

Take actionable steps to…

Maintain data hygiene
Deepen donor profiles
Align segments with fundraising goals
Foster learning throughout your team

As your segmentation strategies grow more sophisticated, you’ll find new opportunities to connect with supporters, encourage larger gifts, and increase overall impact. For ongoing success, make donor segmentation an integral, continually evolving part of your organization’s development strategy, and let it guide your most important fundraising efforts.

Learn how a data append can help power your organization’s prospect research strategy! Click here to get a quote from NPOInfo.

Turning Event Data Into Actionable Fundraising Insights: 7 Tips

October 21, 2025/in Data Management, Donor Management /by NPOInfo

Every fundraising event generates valuable data, such as attendee registration rates, average donation amounts, sponsor engagement metrics, and post-event donor conversion statistics.

However, successful fundraising teams don’t just collect data; they analyze this data to personalize future outreach and donation asks. This means using event-specific metrics—like who clicked through a post-event survey or who bid on a silent auction item—to segment your lists with greater precision. By understanding these individual motivations, you can move away from mass communication and instead ensure that every follow-up email, annual appeal, or volunteer opportunity is tailored to a donor’s demonstrated interest, significantly increasing both engagement and long-term retention.

In this post, you’ll learn how to turn your event data into actionable insights that help your organization raise more funds, deepen donor relationships, and improve future event performance.

Benefits of Collecting Nonprofit Event Data

Collecting event data is important, but knowing how to interpret and apply it is where the real transformation happens. When you approach your fundraising strategy with a data-driven mindset, you can make decisions rooted in facts rather than assumptions.

When you use event data strategically, you can:

Personalize donor outreach by recognizing interests and giving behaviors
Improve event ROI by focusing on what drives engagement and donations
Strengthen relationships with supporters through more relevant follow-ups
Forecast future revenue by identifying trends in donor participation

In short, the more you understand your event data, the more effectively you can turn engagement into long-term fundraising success.

Essential Event Data to Track

Before you can turn event data into fundraising insights, you need to make sure you’re capturing the right information. Every detail, from who attends your events to how they engage, can reveal valuable clues about your supporters’ motivations and preferences. By being intentional about what you track and how you collect it, you’ll build a foundation for more strategic fundraising decisions.

Key Metrics to Track

Not all data points carry the same weight. Focus on metrics that connect directly to your fundraising goals and supporter engagement:

Attendee demographics: Understand who your participants are, including member status, donor history, and geographic location.
Registration and ticket data: Track how attendees found your event, when they registered, and what ticket types they purchased.
Engagement data: Capture session attendance, booth visits, or activity participation to see where interest is strongest.
Donation data: Record when and how attendees give—before, during, or after the event—to identify giving patterns.
Survey responses: Post-event feedback offers context that pure numbers can’t, helping you understand sentiment and satisfaction.

7 Tips to Turn Data Into Fundraising Action

Collecting and analyzing event data is only valuable if you act on it. The real power lies in transforming those insights into concrete steps that strengthen donor relationships, increase contributions, and improve future events. Here are seven practical ways to put your data to work.

Tip 1: Personalize Donor Follow-Ups

Use event engagement data to make your post-event communication more meaningful. For example, if a supporter attended a specific session or activity, reference it in your thank-you message or follow-up appeal. This small touch shows you’re paying attention and makes donors feel seen and valued.

Tip 2: Identify and Nurture High-Value Prospects

Look for patterns in your event data that reveal your strongest fundraising leads. Attendees who participate in multiple events, engage with sponsors, or consistently respond to surveys are often prime candidates for higher giving levels. Use this insight to create a targeted cultivation plan that nurtures these prospects over time.

Tip 3: Optimize Future Event Strategies

Your event metrics tell you what works and what doesn’t. If data shows that one type of activity consistently drives donations or engagement, make it a centerpiece of your next event. Conversely, phase out underperforming sessions or formats. Over time, this approach increases event ROI and ensures every decision is supported by evidence.

Tip 4: Align Fundraising Goals With Attendee Interests

Review participation trends to understand what motivates your audience. If younger attendees engage more with digital donation tools or interactive campaigns, adjust your fundraising approach to match. Aligning your appeals with proven behaviors increases response rates and helps you reach donors where they’re most active.

Tip 5: Strengthen Sponsor and Partner Relationships

Your event data can also provide value to sponsors and partners. Share engagement metrics such as booth visits, session attendance, or impressions to demonstrate ROI and build trust. When sponsors see the measurable impact of their investment, they’re more likely to renew or increase support for future events.

Tip 6: Create Real-Time Engagement Opportunities

Leverage live event analytics to make quick, informed decisions. For instance, if you notice a surge in attendance for a particular session, consider promoting related fundraising appeals in real time. Data dashboards or mobile event apps can help your team respond dynamically.

Tip 7: Measure and Communicate Impact

Once the event is over, UpMetrics recommends compiling your findings into a visual report or dashboard that highlights key outcomes, such as donations raised, engagement rates, and supporter growth. Share these insights with your board, staff, and donors to show transparency and reinforce your organization’s impact. Demonstrating measurable success builds trust and encourages continued giving.

When you transform your event data into actionable insights, you move from reactive to proactive fundraising. Each data point becomes an opportunity—to connect, improve, and grow your mission-driven impact.

Your events generate more than just attendance numbers; they reveal what inspires people to give and engage. When you turn that data into action, every event becomes an opportunity to strengthen relationships, increase donations, and grow your mission.

Start using your event data strategically, and you’ll not only improve your next fundraiser, you’ll build a smarter, more sustainable path toward lasting impact.

How to Make Data-Driven Decisions at Your Pet Store

August 18, 2025/in Data Management /by NPOInfo

Imagine this: Your pet store takes the leap to stock up on a new premium dog food you think will fly off the shelves. Weeks later, it’s barely moved, resulting in a poor investment that cuts into your bottom line.

Situations like these are all too common for pet store owners who rely on instinct and intuition to make decisions. As you grow your business, it becomes more and more important to make decisions based on data.

Organizations from all types of industries follow this best practice—for instance, nonprofits use donor data to improve fundraising, restaurants track order trends and peak hours to optimize staffing, and healthcare clinics track treatment outcomes to identify the most effective care practices.

By tapping into the numbers behind your pet store, you can make smarter decisions that help you grow your business’s profitability. Let’s break down how you can use data to your pet store’s advantage.

Identify Your Key Metrics

Before you start making decisions, you need to know what data points to track. There are thousands of potential metrics you can track, but not all of them will be useful in informing your decisions.

Start by determining your current business priorities. Are you trying to boost profitability, improve customer retention, or streamline inventory? Are you trying to do all three, or maybe something else entirely? From there, you can select core metrics to track to help you make smarter decisions in these areas.

Generally, pet businesses track metrics in the following categories, which we’ll cover later on in this guide:

Inventory
Marketing
Customer data
Staffing

Many small businesses get excited about using data and start tracking many different data points. However, this can quickly overwhelm smaller organizations. Instead, select a focused set of key metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) and build your strategy around them to keep the data-tracking process manageable and impactful.

Additionally, consider investing in a software solution built for pet stores to track data properly. In addition to fulfilling other needs, such as inventory management or point of sale (POS), these tools can automate data collection, track data trends over time, and even generate reports that quickly summarize key findings, making it easier than ever for you to make smarter decisions and grow your business.

Use Data to Optimize Inventory

Managing inventory effectively is a balancing act, and tracking the corresponding metrics only makes it easier. If you’ve ever been in a situation where a customer wants to purchase an item you don’t have in stock or had too many items that weren’t selling, these data points can greatly improve your inventory management practices.

Here are a few metrics to track:

Product sell-through rates: This metric shows how quickly a product sells after arriving in your store. Products with high sell-through rates can inform future restocks, whereas products with low sell-through rates may need to be discounted or phased out.
Stock-out frequency: This metric indicates how often items are unavailable for customers. If this metric is high, that means your pet store isn’t meeting its customers’ demand. Generally, this metric applies most to seasonal items, such as flea and tick treatments or heated beds.
Dead stock: This metric identifies unsold inventory over a set time period, such as 90 days. Holding onto inventory for a long time has a high opportunity cost, as storing those products takes up space that could have gone to a product with a higher sell-through rate.
Inventory turnover ratio: This metric refers to how often you sell and replace inventory within a specific time period. A healthy turnover rate means your capital isn’t tied up in excess stock.
Carrying cost of inventory: This metric measures the cost of storing and managing your unsold inventory. The expenses are usually related to storage, labor, insurance, obsolescence, and cost of capital. Your pet store may want to reconsider stocking items with a particularly high carrying cost.
Lead time: This metric tracks how long it takes to restock items, which is essential for when you’re planning to order inventory. Ideally, you want to minimize stockouts, so knowing how long products take to arrive at your store informs how far in advance you need to order new stock.
Shrinkage rate: This metric measures inventory loss due to damage, theft, or errors. With this information, you can make loss prevention decisions, such as requiring additional staff training, reviewing vendor and delivery processes, or updating store policy.

With these metrics, you can stock your store with the most profitable items, decide on shelf space allocation per product, and predict and prepare for seasonal spikes. For optimal pet store inventory management, pair data tracking with automated alerts from your POS or inventory system.

Make Smarter Marketing Choices

You know that having tons of exciting products is only one element of running a profitable small business. You must pair enticing offerings with a successful outreach strategy that promotes these products, connects your store to customers, and encourages them to visit your brick-and-mortar or e-commerce store. Bolster your marketing strategy by tracking the following metrics:

Customer acquisition cost: This metric measures the average cost of acquiring a customer for your pet store. It informs how expensive your marketing efforts are and can help you assess if certain channels are worthwhile for your business.
Conversion rate: This metric tracks the percentage of marketing message recipients who take a desired action. For your customers, this will likely be making a purchase. This data point gives you a sweeping overview of how effective your marketing messaging is.
Referral source: This metric indicates where customers are navigating from to find your pet store website, such as through Google, Yelp, email, or social media. You can use this information to determine your most and least effective marketing channels.
Coupon/discount redemption rates: This metric shows the effectiveness of your promotions and incentives. If your traffic is high, yet your sales and coupon or discount redemption rate are low, you may need to brainstorm other ways to entice customers to make a purchase.

These metrics help you pinpoint key changes to your marketing strategy that will improve your success. For instance, you might take an omnichannel marketing approach, determine the best days or times to send promotions, or focus on reducing the cost of your marketing efforts.

You may also segment your audience to ensure your marketing messages resonate with each individual. Store customer demographic data and create audience groups based on shared characteristics. Then, send messages that are tailored and personalized to each group. For example, dog owners won’t be interested in your 15% discount on cat food, but they might leap at the opportunity to buy the new leashes you just stocked.

Improve Customer Retention Through Loyalty Insights

Acquiring a new customer can cost five to seven times more than retaining an existing one, which is why your pet store needs to prioritize turning one-time buyers into repeat customers. Increase retention by tracking the following metrics:

Customer retention rate: This metric indicates the percentage of customers who continue to shop at your store over a certain time period. Most business owners measure it annually, but you can also measure it monthly.
Customer lifetime value: This metric shows the total projected revenue a customer will generate over their relationship with your store. If this value is low, then you may need to explore customer retention strategies and ways to encourage them to upgrade their purchases.
Purchase frequency: This metric measures how often customers shop at your store. If this metric is low, you may need to investigate what’s preventing customers from making more purchases. However, you can also expect some natural variance here. For instance, an owner of a small dog will purchase pet food much less frequently than the owner of a large dog.
Average order value: This metric tracks the average amount of money customers spend per visit or order at your pet store. This information allows you to identify groups of high-value customers you can target with your marketing efforts. You can also use this metric to track your upselling success.

Depending on how well your pet store is already retaining customers, you may consider implementing retention-specific strategies. One of the best ways to do that is by establishing a loyalty program, which incentivizes customers to continue spending money at your pet store through perks like discounts and point redemptions.

According to eTailPet, the top pet store POS systems come with features that make managing your loyalty program easier. For instance, you can implement a simple points-based system, where customers earn points for each purchase that they can redeem for discounts or free products. Your POS system can track these points on your behalf and even enable point redemptions for customers shopping online, taking the pain of management entirely out of the equation.

Enhance Staffing and Hiring

Data can help smaller pet businesses make informed staffing decisions, such as ensuring they are never overstaffed and hiring the right talent for their open positions. Tracking the right metrics can help you keep staff members organized and your operations running smoothly. For example, you can use data to:

Analyze peak hours and days to adjust staffing schedules for better efficiency.
Track sales or upsell data per employee to inform training and recognition.
Use past performance data to define the roles or experience needed for new hires.
Monitor employee satisfaction to anticipate turnover or disengagement before it affects performance.

If you determine that you need to hire new employees based on your key metrics, JazzHR recommends investing in a small business hiring platform. Your team is your store’s frontline, which is why staffing and hiring decisions should be just as data-driven as other operational choices. A dedicated hiring platform allows you to manage complex recruiting datasets, reduce human error, and create comprehensive reports that enable you to choose the best candidate for the job.

Transitioning to a data-driven approach doesn’t mean you have to overhaul your business or invest in expensive software (though a dedicated solution can greatly help the process). It simply means using the information you already possess to make smarter, more informed decisions. Start small, stay consistent, and let the numbers lead the way to a stronger, more successful pet store.

The title of the blog post, Using Donor Data to Improve Fundraising Campaigns

Using Donor Data to Improve Fundraising Campaigns: 3 Tips

May 9, 2025/in Data Management, Donor Management /by NPOInfo

Your donor data isn’t just a collection of numbers—it’s a treasure trove of insights that can strengthen your organization’s operations in various ways, especially when it comes to your fundraising strategy.

By identifying patterns and trends in your donors’ demographics, capacity to give, donation patterns, and communication preferences, you can more effectively tailor your campaigns to engage your donors and reach your goals.

In this guide, we’ll explore three expert tips for using donor data to improve your fundraising campaigns. Let’s begin.

1. Prepare your data to be useful.

To make the best decisions possible about leveling up your fundraising strategy, your donor data needs to be organized and accurate. Here are some ways you can improve your nonprofit’s data hygiene:

Identify where all of your data lives. Your donor information may be sitting in several different solutions, such as your constituent relationship management platform (CRM), fundraising platform, or email marketing tool. Note where all of your information is, and then implement integrations between your tools to ensure you can access everything in one place. You can also set up a data warehouse to collect, process, and organize data from these different sources. Note that even if you have a well-integrated technology stack, you should still identify the ultimate source of truth for your data. In most cases, that will likely be your CRM.

Clean up your existing data. Remove duplicate entries, correct errors (such as misspelled names or incorrect email or home addresses), and update outdated information.

Supplement existing data if needed. As you review your donor information, you may discover gaps that would be useful to fill ahead of your next fundraising push. In these cases, it may be appropriate to conduct a data append. Data appends can help you access donors’ phone numbers, email addresses, geographic data, and more so that you have a fuller picture of who they are and how to connect with them.

Standardize data formats. Consistency in formatting allows you to process and analyze your donor data more easily. Ensure your formatting is the same across the board for all phone numbers, addresses, and donor names.

Prioritizing data hygiene will allow you to hone in on patterns and trends in your data and focus on key metrics useful in a fundraising context. This means you may need to conduct a big one-time cleanup if you haven’t for a while. However, you should also implement robust processes to ensure that once your data is organized and accurate, it stays that way as you collect more.

2. Embrace donor segmentation.

Donor segmentation is the process of dividing your donors into groups based on shared characteristics. Using donor data, you can segment your donor community in various ways, such as by location, engagement level, giving capacity, or communication preferences.

Segmentation allows you to tailor your campaign outreach to donors at scale. For example, you can divide your donors by donor type, such as first-time donors, major donors, and recurring donors. You can then design different messaging for those groups.

Here’s what this might look like in practice:

First-Time Donors: As these donors haven’t committed to giving your organization further support, focus your messaging on building relationships that will lead to future donations and engagement. Send personalized thank yous for their first donations and invite them to stay involved through events and volunteering. When the timing is right, suggest smaller, additional gifts to your next campaign.

Recurring Donors: These donors are familiar with your organization and provide regular support. Provide frequent updates on your nonprofit’s goals and achievements, and invite them to level up their giving for your campaign through sustainer upgrades.

Major Donors: Since these donors give your nonprofit its largest gifts, they deserve the most personalized experiences with your organization and its campaigns. Ensure that all communications have a high level of personalization, and when donors give to your campaign, report back on the long-term impact of those contributions. Also, offer these donors special recognition opportunities, like naming rights for programs or spaces, personalized invitations to events, and possible speaking opportunities.

In an ideal world, you would design perfectly personalized fundraising outreach for every donor who supports your organization. But with a donor community of thousands, that’s just not possible.

Segmentation allows you to achieve a realistic and effective level of personalization for your donors, saving you time and resources while also still helping each donor feel seen and valued by your organization.

3. Analyze trends and patterns in donations.

A major part of planning a successful fundraising campaign is setting realistic and ambitious fundraising goals and designing careful fundraising asks that will help you achieve those goals. The best way to do this is to turn to your data, analyze the trends and patterns you see in donations, and make data-driven decisions.

Here are some effective strategies for doing so:

Look at past donation frequency and amounts. How often do donors give to your cause, and at what levels? Go further by connecting these numbers to your supporters’ behavior. For instance, you may find that donations increase after certain types of outreach This insight may prompt you to replicate successful strategies for future campaigns.

Identify your current donor retention rate. Your donor retention rate is the percentage of donors who continue to support your mission over time. To increase your retention rate from campaign to campaign, focus on first-time donors. Nurture relationships with them by engaging in thoughtful follow-up to increase the likelihood of them becoming long-term supporters.

Analyze donor lifetime value (LTV). LTV allows you to calculate the revenue potential a donor holds for your organization. To find it, multiply the average length of time as a donor by their average donation amount. Multiply the resulting number by the average donation frequency. You can calculate LTV for different donor groups to better understand who to prioritize during your next campaign. For instance, you might notice that donors who made their first donation at an event have a higher LTV than donors who gave their first donation online. Consider using custom reporting or custom dashboards to help your organization visualize this information.

Monitor overall campaign effectiveness. Keep an eye on donation data before, during, and after your campaigns to identify which strategies generate the most donations. You might notice that certain fundraising approaches or communication channels yield the best return on investment (ROI), which can help you as you design future campaigns.

Pinpoint if/how donors have taken advantage of corporate giving opportunities. Many of your donors likely work for employers with corporate giving programs, which can provide additional value to your organization’s campaigns with little effort from individual donors themselves. Check out your donor data to see if your supporters are taking advantage of matching gift or volunteer grant programs. Then, boost the likelihood they participate by actively promoting corporate giving opportunities in your marketing materials.

Watch for seasonal patterns. Many organizations notice that there are peak times during the year when they pull in more donations than usual. For example, an educational institution may see that donations pick up in the fall after dipping in the summer. Understanding seasonal patterns allows you to plan your campaigns around peak times so that you appeal to donors when they’re most likely to give.

Your organization doesn’t always have to reinvent the wheel to see better fundraising results. In fact, experimenting with new strategies for each campaign may send a message that your organization is inconsistent.

Instead, by studying your donor data, you can do more of what is already working. Review your donation data and campaign results regularly to stay up to date on what is driving great results.

Your donor data holds the key to understanding your community of supporters and improving your operations, especially your fundraising work. As you manage your data effectively, embrace the process of donor segmentation, and analyze giving trends and patterns, you’ll be prepared to make thoughtful improvements to your strategy that boost your fundraising revenue.

The title of the article next to a photo of a man using a laptop.

Top Nonprofit Cloud Tools That Drive Data-Backed Decisions

July 17, 2024/in Data Management, Donor Management /by NPOInfo

Nonprofit Cloud offers an enormous breadth and depth of specialized tools for nonprofits and grantmaking organizations. Built on Salesforce core, It leverages the power of Salesforce CRM to help nonprofits effectively manage and analyze data.

As Fíonta explains, Nonprofit Cloud is ideal for measuring your impact, tracking program progress, and generating reports and visuals communicating your success to key stakeholders. Its tools allow nonprofits to forecast trends and campaign performance, providing the insights needed to make data-driven decisions.

We’ll explore some of the top ways Nonprofit Cloud helps nonprofits track and analyze data effectively. Let’s begin.

Benefits of Using Nonprofit Cloud Tools

Double the Donation’s guide to data collection highlights some of the key benefits of leveraging donor and campaign data, such as:

Providing an accurate impact measurement
Helping organizations effectively allocate resources
Promoting informed decision-making rather than guessing

Nonprofit Cloud empowers your organization to reap these benefits by managing each core part of your operations, including fundraising, program management, and case management.

Top Nonprofit Cloud Tools

The following tools and features are designed to help nonprofits easily and accurately track data, keep data clean and organized, and quickly gain useful insights that inspire wise decisions.

Fundraising Tools

The Nonprofit Cloud for Fundraising module unites fundraising teams on a single platform, offering purpose-built tools your team can use to strengthen donor relationships, improve efficiency, analyze data, and more. The module includes apps tailored to different roles, including fundraising strategy, donor engagement, philanthropy and partnerships, and general fundraising operations.

When it comes to fundraising data, these tools simplify and enhance tracking and analysis:

Flexible gift entry: Nonprofit Cloud offers your organization the flexibility to accurately track various types of donations. Enter standard one-time gifts made by individuals or set up recurring gift tracking. Your team can also create a batch to enter a large number of gifts at once, saving time and reducing the chance of human error.
Source codes: Source codes are unique codes included in specific links. The source code is activated when a supporter or participant clicks one of these links. Your team can then track campaign performance, understand donors’ communication preferences, calculate ROI, and personalize future communications. As a part of the Salesforce Summer ‘24 release, you can manage outreach source codes using the campaign flow in Marketing Cloud Growth Edition.
Custom donor scores: Build custom scores for your donors based on recency, frequency, and monetary (RFM) values. These scores provide a cumulative, at-a-glance RFM score for each donor. Donor scores can be viewed on the donor’s profile along with demographic data and other key insights to quickly gauge the supporter’s affinity and responsiveness to a certain cause or campaign.

These flexible tools ensure that your data reflects your nonprofit’s unique needs and practices, enhancing your data’s accuracy and clarity.

Program Management Tools

Nonprofit Cloud for Programs helps nonprofits plan, deliver, and track their programs. This module improves participant experiences, streamlines staff workflows, and yields the insights needed to improve offerings.

Some of the tools that offer these insights are:

Participant profiles: If your nonprofit works with individuals, you likely set goals for participants, assign them to programs, disburse benefits, and manage tasks related to that individual. These details and notes from your sessions are stored within a single participant profile. This gives anyone working with the participant a detailed overview of their history with your nonprofit, goals, and progress so your staff can make the best choices for that individual.
Program Management Home Page: This out-of-the-box home page is another product of the recent Summer ‘24 release. It is designed to give your team a comprehensive overview of your nonprofit’s program delivery and allow staff to monitor the status of your programs closely. From this single page, you can quickly assess whether programs are on track to meet organizational goals, get a simple overview of your programs and benefits, and track new referrals.
Cohort objects and fields: Group your program participants together using the new Program Cohort object. Then, move those participants through the program together and easily compare cohorts or measure an individual’s progress against their cohort. Nonprofit programs can vary widely and have unique needs, and this method of data collection helps your staff account for those needs and idiosyncrasies.

Managing programs is demanding and has many moving parts. Nonprofit Cloud’s unified platform provides comprehensive overviews of your programs’ health, promoting informed decision-making that drives long-term success.

Case Management Tools

Nonprofit Cloud for Case Management is housed within the Program Management module and emphasizes providing better participant outcomes. This solution remedies heavy case manager workloads, disjointed systems, and barriers to transparent communication and collaboration across your teams.

Additionally, Nonprofit Cloud’s case management tools offer the following features for enhanced data collection and management:

Easy, streamlined note-taking: Allow staff to quickly capture detailed notes from sessions with participants. Populate notes with additional information like attendance records, timestamps, and supporting documents for the most comprehensive records possible. These notes can be shared with other case managers, making participant transition simple and keeping data consolidated.
Dynamic assessments: Use these assessments during intake to ensure staff ask new participants the most relevant questions. Additionally, staff can easily add necessary documents to the assessment and allow participants to navigate the process at their own pace. This ensures the participant’s intake is efficient and pleasant and organizes all necessary information in a single location.
Adaptable data tracking: Your staff will use the Case object to plan care for the participant. Cases can span across multiple programs, and staff can loop in multiple individuals, such as caretakers or other team members at your organization. This flexible tool can conform to any program structure, making it easy to record and report your progress.

Accurate data collection is critical for case management. It influences quality of care, resource allocation, and long-term planning for your programs. In the context of fields like healthcare, your data collection methods must be secure and ethical to comply with regulations.

Other Salesforce Tools and Features

Remember to stay cognizant of and try out other options within Salesforce. With Nonprofit Cloud, your organization can access common features for Industries, apps from the AppExchange, and tools belonging to other Industry Clouds. These solutions can extend Nonprofit Cloud’s capabilities to assist with data hygiene, security, and efficiency.

Consider looking beyond Salesforce for additional assistance for larger organizations or those with very complex needs. Working with a Salesforce tech consultant can help you implement the solution, clean up and migrate data, and maximize your investment in this powerful CRM. If needed, research other services that can enhance your data quality to drive more accurate insights, like appending missing information or enriching your first-party data with third-party, market-level insights.

Collecting, managing, and cleaning your nonprofit’s data is key. After all, if your database is flawed or biased, the insights you glean from it will be, too. Nonprofit Cloud offers powerful, flexible tools that revolutionize how your nonprofit records and analyzes data about your donors, campaigns, and programs.

How to Use Previous Auction Data to Inform Your Strategy

July 7, 2024/in Data Management /by NPOInfo

Data is the secret weapon for unlocking success in fundraising events, from large nonprofit auction galas to online school auctions. And, with auction software that supports in-depth data reporting and visualization, your school can easily inform your auction strategy with past data.

In this guide, we’ll discuss three important areas of auction data and how you can use this information to boost your school’s fundraising results.

Audience Data

The success of your fundraising auction depends on how well you can appeal to your supporter base. Therefore, it is critical to plan according to your audience’s specific needs, interests, and preferences. Start by analyzing your attendees from previous years, paying close attention to the following categories:

Demographics: Understanding your target audience’s average age, gender, geographic location, and family status will give you insight into how to best structure your event and market it. For example, you might note that families in your community with preschool age children come to your auctions less frequently. To help these families, you might explore options for making your auction more family-oriented, such as hosting it earlier in the day or partnering with the local high school to offer babysitting services.
Previous engagement: Look into your audience’s previous event attendance and volunteer experience to get an idea of their familiarity with your school. As most of your guests will likely be the parents and family members of your students, consider how you can show off a different side of your school, such as by asking the school jazz band to perform or using student art projects as decorations.
Donation history: To set optimal fundraising goals, research your audience’s frequency and recency of donations. Additionally, pinpoint their average donation amount to set reasonable fundraising expectations. Your school can also take your community’s average tax bracket into account to ensure you set reasonable prices for auction items.
Interests and hobbies: What sort of activities or events does your audience enjoy? Use social media appending services to understand what types of auction items would appeal to your supporters. You can also get your students to help as kids often have more insight into their parents’ hobbies and interests.

With a clear picture of your audience, your school can improve its decision-making and put together an auction that maximizes attendance and engagement.

Auction Item Data

From gift baskets to sports memorabilia to concert tickets, how do you know which auction items will generate the most interest, bidding activity, and profitability? One very effective approach is to look at data from previous auctions.

Take special note of these pricing metrics from previous years’ bidding process:

Starting bids: In addition to researching market value, your school should pay attention to the starting bid amounts that generated interest and adjust your beginning price points accordingly.
Minimum bid increments: Typically, bid increments are set at 10% or 15% of an item’s fair market value (FMV), but if a similar item from last year performed better than expected, you might consider lowering the increment to closer to 10% FMV for this year’s auction to incite competitive bidding.
Buy-it-now data: For particularly high-value items like a weekend getaway you might offer a buy-it-now option. Buy-it-now options can ensure you will receive at least a certain high amount for these prizes. However, keep in mind that a bidding war may drive up the price even beyond your buy-it-now option. Refer to your past data to see how these types of items performed and whether a buy-it-now option has the potential to earn your school more.

Prior to your event, arrange a time to meet in person as a group with your high-impact school donors. List out auction items that your school is considering procuring and ask them which ones are most appealing or if they have any other suggestions. Thank supporters for their time and recommendations, and then update your item data with their choices.

Event Data

Your school can learn more about how engaging your past auctions were by collecting and assessing the following event data points:

Total funds raised: Don’t just focus on the number, focus on where in your auction the funds came from. Evaluate and track your silent auction, your live auction, special appeal, and raffles or games separately. When looking at your special appeal, note whether your school was raising funds for a specific initiative, since that can have a significant impact on participation at your auction.
Attendance: How has attendance been trending? Again, the absolute numbers are interesting, but you also want to break them down. Divide the participants of each of your past three or four events into tiers based on how much they contributed to the event’s success. Then, examine the attendance record of each tier.
Return on investment (ROI): Were your most successful auctions the most elaborate ones? Look at what your school spent money on in the past. Maybe you had live music for a few years, then stopped; was there a significant impact on the amount you raised?

Based on your school’s previous auction performance, you might identify new ways to save on event costs and generate more revenue going forward. For example, you might decide to focus on finding corporate partners to procure more one-of-a-kind, enticing auction items to engage attendees at your next event without straining your budget.

Bonus: Improving Your Auction Strategy

With past auction data at your disposal, your school can start brainstorming ways to improve your auction strategy. SchoolAuction.net’s silent auction guide shares these tried-and-true tips for boosting your auction success:

Promote your auction on a variety of communication channels to attract as many guests as possible.
Incorporate countdown clocks and text notifications to increase engagement.
Provide a self-check-out option to make your auction experience more convenient.

Finally, an effective and important way to invest in the success of future auctions is to make sure you thank guests after every auction. NXUnite by Nexus Marketing recommends retaining your donors by following up promptly about the impact of their contributions, so they know exactly how they made a difference in your school’s success.

Data is the key to informing your auction planning process. Reference previous audience, auction items, and campaign data points to discover your baseline metrics. From there, you can supplement your data with new insights to refine your strategy.

Remember to follow data hygiene best practices, such as standardizing data inputs and scheduling regular data back-ups to keep your auction information accurate, reliable, and useful in the long term.

Association Event Tools and How to Leverage Their Data

July 6, 2024/in Data Management /by Contributor

Association events are essential for providing value to members but are also often costly investments. This can put pressure on your team as they try to balance your budget while still creating an engaging experience for your members.

That’s why your trade or professional association should leverage the right event management tools to boost attendance, maximize engagement, streamline operations, and make the most of each event.

We’ve identified essential association event software solutions and what features to look for in each tool. Make sure that you come prepared with these tools for your next event:

What is an Engagement Infrastructure?
Event Management Software
An Event Platform
Membership Data Software

Ready to supercharge your in-person, hybrid, or virtual association events? We’ll explore top solutions and practices for making the most of them, from practicing good data hygiene to ensuring you choose the right vendor for your needs.

What is an Engagement Infrastructure?

Associations don’t just need tools to host their events, but also to announce them, promote them, and continue conversations long after each event wraps up.

When assessing a platform with engagement infrastructure, look for the following features:

- Community feed. A community feed allows your members to connect with one another and provides a place for your association to announce and promote events. After the event wraps up, your team and members can keep conversations going.
- Event hosting. The platform should have basic video conferencing software for hosting virtual events. Plus, even if you have other event hosting tools, your platform should still have event scheduling tools so members can RSVP and stay updated with all event details.
- Marketing automation. Before your event, your chosen platform should be able to send alerts to RSVPed members to remind them. Schedule these reminders to go out 1 week, 1 day, and 1 hour before the event.
- Sponsorship promotions. Look for member engagement platforms that open the door to non-dues revenue opportunities, like sponsorships. For example, our favorite platform, Tradewing, allows associations to promote sponsors through a visible but non-obtrusive tab during events.

Engagement Analytics. Insights from engagement analytics show which touchpoints generate the most and least engagement, as well as each member’s level of participation. This information helps you make informed decisions about which engagements to keep and which to drop, keeping your members connected and maintaining retention.

Mobile experience. The modern association member is always on the go, which is why it’s essential that your platform has a mobile experience. This feature allows your members to learn and connect with the community anytime, anywhere.

Knowledge-sharing. Ensure that engagement infrastructure is built on your knowledge-sharing mechanisms by providing members with a space to learn collaboratively. A good platform should have a dedicated resource hub so that members can store and publish multimedia content and participate in discussion forums.

For trade and professional associations on a budget, Tradewing can double as an engagement infrastructure-based community platform and your virtual event software. Compared to subscriptions for services like Zoom, you might find an all-in-one platform like Tradewing to be the most cost-effective option.

Event Management Software

Event management software refers to a broad set of tools that help associations plan, promote, and manage events. This software facilitates every step of the event lifecycle, from multichannel marketing to post-event reports. Plus, these systems improve the event experience for organizers and attendees alike by eliminating tedious registration and setup processes.

That being said, some event management systems are more comprehensive than others. If you’re looking for an all-in-one platform to manage the creation and execution of your events, a few top features to keep an eye out for the following features include:

The ability to plan and manage all event formats—virtual, hybrid, and in-person
Easy-to-use, mobile-optimized forms to streamline registration
Ticketing and QR code or barcode scanning capabilities
Seamless data integration with your association management software (AMS)
Reports on event and attendee data
Management capabilities for vendors, sponsors, speakers, and exhibitors

When assessing event management software, be aware that many top providers cater to a range of audiences and may not have association-specific features. Narrow your search to vendors used to working with associations and have the resources you need to host your unique networking events, new member welcome meetings, conferences, online courses, and other events.

An Event Platform

In addition to an event management software, your association should also invest in an online event platform. This platform is where all attendees gather and enjoy everything your association offers.

While there are plenty of free conferencing apps with basic streaming and discussion features, a dedicated event platform gives your association the power to connect with virtual attendees, encourage greater member engagement, and facilitate networking and community-building.

Many professional and trade associations have a significant number of members who join solely to network. As such, hosting only a handful of in-person events a year isn’t optimal, nor are virtual events where attendees are passive.

Ensure your members get the most out of your event experience by seeking out an event platform that offers:

Live chat and reaction features
Polls, highlighted questions, and other interaction features
Virtual community and committee creation features
Viewable attendee profiles
Chat and video invitation capabilities

These tools aren’t only important for virtual attendees; they also help in-person attendees use their mobile devices to connect with others and enjoy a fuller, multifaceted event experience by enabling them to interact with online participants.

Membership Data Software and Resources

Events offer associations an opportunity to connect with their members. If done correctly, your association can encourage members to move to higher membership tiers, purchase add-ons, or increase their value by engaging in other activities. However, this is only possible with high-quality membership data management.

Having software to manage your memberships enables your association to constantly learn about your members and enhance your event follow-up. When members first join your association, ask them to create detailed profiles. While they should be able to pick and choose which of this information is private, your association will have access to essential details you can leverage to improve your communications.

Using membership management software is the best way for your association to keep detailed records of your event so that you always know how to contact your members afterward.

Unsure what data you should be targeting? We recommend focusing on the essential data, such as:

Preferred name
Age
Email address
Phone number
Physical address
Employment status and employer
Educational background

You can ask for other information relevant to your association’s specific industry or about members’ interests and hobbies. While this may seem intensive, members are more likely to give out this information when completing their profiles since these details will help them network with other members.

Data Appends

If your association lacks member data or you fear your members’ information is outdated, you can ask members to take a second to update their profiles. If this proves ineffective, your emails are bouncing, or your physical invitations are being returned to sender, that might be a sign to kick your data collection practices up a notch with a data append.

Data append is the process of pulling data from external sources to fill gaps in your database and ensure you have up-to-date records of your members. Appending your data also encourages strong event turnout. For example, if you are planning a webinar, data appending can fill in missing contact information in your attendee list so that everyone receives an invitation. Appending services such as those NPOInfo offers empower you to maintain contact with your members.

To secure an append, conduct the following steps:

Select a Provider. Pick a trusted data vendor that specializes in the specific type of data you need (e.g., B2B contacts, consumer demographics, financial data). Check accuracy rates, master database size, and data-handling practices. These should all be satisfactory.
Transfer Member Data. After choosing a vendor, you will export your clean dataset (usually as a CSV or Excel file) and send it to the vendor. Since databases contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII), this transfer must be conducted securely, such as via an encrypted SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) server or a secure API connection.
Vendor Performs Data Append. The vendor compares your dataset against their master database using match keys. You will decide with the vendor beforehand how strict the matching criteria can be. When the vendor finds a match based on the agreed-upon criteria, the vendor’s system extracts the requested missing information and adds it to a new column in your file.
Data Delivery. The vendor returns the appended data, typically alongside a “Match Report” that details the match rate and the number of new data points added. Ensure the columns map correctly to your original dataset and upload the newly appended data to your CRM.

Some associations choose separate vendors for member engagement, virtual events, registration, and member management. While this approach can work, it often creates duplicate data and additional administrative overhead. Unified engagement infrastructure helps associations reduce complexity by bringing these experiences together in a single platform.

Regardless of whether you’re hosting a virtual networking fair or an in-person awards ceremony, you can improve your events by using the right software to power the planning, management, and hosting processes.

By leveraging the software platforms we’ve highlighted, you can increase member engagement, leverage your data, enhance the value of your membership program, and reduce stress on your event organizing team.

The right association event tools don’t just help you host successful events, they also help you strengthen member engagement, improve retention, and uncover valuable insights that support long-term growth.

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How Your School Can Leverage Donation Tracking: 4 Data Tips

July 2, 2024/in Data Management, Donor Management /by NPOInfo

As a school, charitable gifts from parents, students’ families, and other members of the community are what help you offer the best, most enriching educational experiences possible. This funding helps make things like fun field trips and school-wide events and celebrations possible.

But, are you doing all you can to secure as much funding as possible? In addition to choosing fundraising ideas that align with your audience’s preferences and promoting your campaigns, accurately tracking data can help make your fundraisers successful.

In this guide, we’ll explore a few tips your school can use to accurately track donations and gain insights to boost revenue.

Use the right fundraising software.

A key part of fundraising is accepting as many payment methods as possible, giving your supporters the flexibility and convenience to choose what works best for them. However, this can quickly become complicated from a financial and data-tracking standpoint.

For example, how can you consolidate data from multiple sources like the donation form embedded on your school website, third-party payment apps, and more? The answer is to select specialized school fundraising software that will track and aggregate your donation data.

Solutions like 99Pledges offer reports that reveal highlights like total donations and number of participants as well as more granular, line-by-line details about individual donors. In addition to these reports, 99Pledges’ guide to kids’ fundraising ideas recommends using this fundraising tool because it:

Leverages digital fundraising, helping organizations offer more flexibility to how donors give.
Can expand your school’s fundraising potential by reaching geographically remote donors.
Allows for a lot of flexibility and creativity when choosing a fundraising idea.

Combined, these benefits mean that your school can launch creative, successful campaigns all while keeping a handle on its fundraising data.

Consider data appends.

Once you have the right solution in place and start seeing your donor data roll in, you might notice some gaps in the information. While you’ll be able to see basic details about donors, like their name and preferred giving method, you may not be privy to other information without performing a data append.

Data appending simply adds new information to your database, either by correcting and updating your existing file or supplementing it with information from external sources. Some of the most common types of data appends include:

Contact information appends: Collect donors’ contact information, including phone numbers, email addresses, and home addresses.
Employer appends: Learn who your donors’ employers are. This can be particularly helpful for securing matching gifts and other corporate gifts from their employers.
Demographic information appends: Append information like donors’ age, gender, income, marital status, and more to build more targeted communication strategies.
Social media appends: Update and add information about donors’ social media usage. Then, you can use this information to learn more about them through their profiles, engage them via their preferred platform, and invite them to follow you.

So, what would using data appends look like for your school? Let’s say your school’s baseball team needs to fundraise to travel to an out-of-state baseball camp, and you decide to perform demographic and employer data appends. The former helps you choose the perfect baseball fundraising idea to excite and engage your target audience. The latter identifies donors who work for companies with matching gift programs so you can remind them to apply for a matched gift.

The best way to safely enrich your data—and keep it clean and organized—is to work with a professional service. Research and meet with candidates before selecting one to ensure you choose the right option for your school.

Keep data clean and organized.

“Garbage in, garbage out,” is a commonly used phrase in the computer science world that sums up the impact of using low-quality data. In other words, if your data is flawed, outdated, or poor quality, any insights or output from that data will be too.

Proper data management and data hygiene practices can keep the garbage out of your database. Frequently audit your donation data to resolve issues like:

Duplicated entries for the same donor or donation
Incomplete information about donations
Outdated information (e.g., a donor moves and their address has changed)
Data formats not being standardized

Once you’ve corrected these issues, you can use your clean, accurate donation data in many ways. For example, use your average daily donation amount to make accurate predictions about whether you’ll reach your fundraising goal—and, if you’re not on track, make an effort to course correct. Or, follow Double the Donation’s advice and gamify the process by using a fundraising thermometer to publicly track your progress toward the goal.

Set up automated processes.

Finally, use your fundraising software and donation data to take some of the repetitive fundraising tasks off your plate. Automation can streamline repetitive, rote tasks like sending:

Donation receipts: These receipts are legally required for any cash gifts over $250, making them a pain point for many schools. However, automation ensures that donors receive accurate receipts immediately following their donation. Make sure the receipts include key information such as the donor’s name, the amount they donated, and whether the donor received anything in return for their gift.
Reminders to pay pledged donations: With pledged donations, donors pledge to give a certain amount at a later date. For example, you might hold a walk-a-thon and collect pledges based on how far participants walk. Automated reminders can prompt donors to donate the pledged amount or simply remind them that you’ll be billing the donation to them.
Thank-you messages: Cultivate long-term relationships with donors by sending them heartfelt thank-you messages. Choose an action, in this case donating, that will trigger a thank-you message within 24 to 72 hours. Don’t forget to make these messages genuine, personalized, and authentic. Greet the donor by name, mention their specific gift, and tell them how their individual donation will make a difference at your school.

When using automation, always remember to balance efficiency and convenience for your fundraising team with personalization. The last thing you want is for your school’s communications to feel cold or robotic.

While tracking your donations may seem like a minor step you could skip over, it’s critical to successful fundraising. To truly understand and efficiently engage with your supporters, make sure to choose a tool that will do the heavy lifting for you. Then, you’ll have easy access to data that reveals who your school’s supporters are, their giving habits and motivations, and ways to inspire them to give again and again.