Numbers and Narrative

In your nonprofit's donor database, behind every number is a narrative and behind every narrative there is a number. Or at least there should be.

There are two types of data you should be paying equal amounts of attention to as you go about the good work of fundraising in support of your mission - quantitative and qualitative.

Quantitative data are the number of gifts you solicited, the total amount of those gifts, and the total of each individual gift. The number of donors you have. The goals you've set as a team. Just for a few examples.

Qualitative data are the notes, actions, steps, tasks that tell the story of the gift a donor gave - the reason they gave, bits of conversation, the tone of the visit, and the insights communicated to name just a few.

Qualitative data can also come in the form of the collective story of a group of donors and how they helped build a new performing arts building, fund a special initiative, or step up in an emergency.

These two types of data, when leveraged together, are powerful tools in helping you reach your goals and strategize for future fundraising efforts.

The successful data management team makes sure both are available to fundraisers. The successful fundraiser is one who blends both into their asks AND updates qualitative data (the narrative) as it is written.