Happy New Year! I hope you had a moment to pat yourself on the back after a busy and successful end-of-calendar year. But there’s never REALLY down time in fundraising, is there? Now that the checks have been deposited, thank you notes have been sent and reports have been run, it’s time to refocus and regroup.
January is a great time to take a look at your database and perform a few important audits.
- Missing fields: we all have it – it’s just a matter of finding it. Do you have missing fields? Sometimes constituents are added without a gender. Maybe you have a few missing zip codes here and there. This one is simple – choose the field you think may have missing data and build a query around this field being “blank.” Then you will know if you have a handful of records that need to be updated or a larger project at hand.
- Donation data: it’s always good to have checks and balances of donation processing to improve accuracy. Now is a good time to take a look and think about your data. Are your codes for donation giving you the power that you need to report? Have you developed new programs that don’t quite fit into your code structure? Take inventory and see what works and what might be missing.
- Contact info: did you receive a pile of undeliverable mail from your year-end appeal? Or maybe a handful of bounce-backs from your email solicitation? Make sure to check and update these records in your constituent database and any other services you use such as your digital marketing platforms. Taking these small steps will reduce your costs in sending mail that will never reach its intended target!
- Codes/Attributes: just like donation data, now is a perfect time to reflect on what codes and attributes are most useful to you. And more importantly, are they working? Are there new pieces of information you’d like to see or see in a different way? Maybe you just started a new series of events and want to track attendance or perhaps you just began utilizing prospect research and want to track your findings. Look at the big picture and see how these details can aid your overall goals. Then come up with a plan for it!
What are some other ways you plan to audit your data? If you have ideas but need help implementing, reach me at brittany@hillcrestadvancement.com!