Fundraising Data Excitement

Early on in my fundraising data training and consulting career I realized not everyone is as into data as I am. What to do? I had to find a way to make it exciting, not to mention educational and enjoyable.

Here are some things I learned. Perhaps they'll help you share the fundraising data love.

• Find the fun and embrace the play.
• Harness humor. Don't take yourself too seriously.
• Data enjoyment or excitement can come from simply knowing fundraising data is helping your organization carry out its mission.
• What excites you about your work with data? When you're excited about it your whole team will get excited. Excitement is infectious.
• Share successes. Everyone loves a success story. Share some recent work you are proud of and how you came to a deeper understanding of your organization's data because of it.
• Keep an open mind. Not everyone is going to have the same ideas about how to enter, manage, and use your organization's data as you. Be open to hearing the ideas of your teammates and find the points at which your ideas intersect with theirs.

How can you help get the rest of your team more excited about your organization's fundraising data? Do any of the above resonate with you?