When the data is dirty...or isn't there.

Or, how to overcome a bad donor management system or none at all.

I'm always amazed when I discover that a non-profit has paid little to no attention to its data. Or doesn't understand that what is recorded in the donor database should match, to the penny, the deposits. Or that a list of email addresses does not warrant keeping in the database when there is no response to outreach. Or that having a system that supports data and donation capture via online forms is a must for modern non-profits - in ONE platform.

I'm spoiled. I spent a lot of years with sub-standard (I thought) data systems - multiple systems that didn't talk to one another - and a slew of cloud-based so-called platforms that didn't integrate with existing systems. Even in that scenario, the main donor management system had more functionality that I took for granted. Even when budgets were lean, there was a basic infrastructure and the ability to use the data captured to fundraise.

Whatever system is being used, the most important factor in being able to track your donors, constituents and supporters is data hygiene. It doesn't matter whether you are using spreadsheets, a CRM system, a fundraising system - the information must be correct, it must be current and it must be accurate.

So, what needs to happen to have "clean" data?

Donations recorded must directly correlate to deposits. I've seen transactions recorded that have no basis in reality, and duplicate transactions.

Keep records, take notes. Notations about solicitations, meetings, and prospect cultivation need to be kept - so the next person to review the donor or prospect's record will know a basic outline of what has happened with that supporter.

Have one data manager. Assigning data management to one person, or one group of people who work closely together, will go a long way in keeping your records clean.

Even when your data is clean, sometimes the system it is housed in doesn't do everything you need it to do. The more features and functionality that can be housed in a single system - data management, CRM, email marketing, web forms for donations and contacts, even web pages - the better. There are systems for every size of database and budget.

If you find yourself in the position to assess a data management system, here's some of what you should take into account.

What are the requirements, and what's just nice to have? Requirements are what you absolutely must have in order to conduct business now and for the next few years. If your nonprofit has walks, runs, or other events that support many people fundraising, then your data management system needs peer-to-peer functionality. So, what are your organization's requirements?

What other non-profits are using the system you are considering? Do the research on the other clients being served. Once you have decided on finalists, you will want to talk to the decision makers and users of those systems. What delights them about the system? What annoys them? Does it meet their needs?

Can the system provider do the conversion for you? This can be an important feature for non-profits with small (or no) staff resources. Many systems will charge a premium to perform this service, but it is negotiable.

Ultimately, your ability to steward the donors you have and accurately predict how many donors you need to acquire lies squarely with the health and hygiene of your data and how information about your donors is kept. Your database is the foundation upon which all else is built, so pay attention to your data!