The What & Hows of Fundraising Data: Post 1

Out of all the questions we must regularly ask ourselves about our nonprofit fundraising data management practices, the what and the hows are the most important.

Let's start with the first question - what should we be collecting?

Most of us nonprofit data folks know the important fundraising data we need to collect to create meaningful connections to our donors and prospects, but let's review.

It is mission critical to collect:

• Basic information such as name, age, email address, marital status, workplace, and location.
• Additional personal information such as hobbies, interests and habits.
• Previous engagement with our nonprofit including donations (recurring, one-time, major), event attendance, and participation in specific campaigns.
• Involvement in other nonprofits, including volunteer work and contributions.
• Business ties, like current employment, work history, and other public affiliations.
• Political giving and SEC transactions, which can be helpful with prospect research.

So, that's the what to collect. Next week we'll begin exploring the hows of nonprofit fundraising data.