What to Do When Your Donor Data Is a Disaster
Michelle Eisenberg, Consultant
March 2010

You’ve walked into a new job and everyone is complaining that the database is a mess. Or maybe you’ve switched to a new software and the data transfer was mishandled – so it’s impossible to pull lists, do mailings, get any fundraising done. Your first instinct may be to drop everything and do a big data cleanup, but there are ways to keep your fundraising going while repairs are under way. Here are some suggestions for triaging your situation and moving beyond “Bad Data Paralysis.”

• Keep moving on top prospects. With any luck, you know who your top prospects are. If there are no leftover spreadsheets from committee meetings, find an old donor list lying around – the people at the top of the list should still be your best prospects! Start keeping records of your contact with these constituents and where they are in the pipeline; you can input this information into the database later, when you’re more confident in your system. You will get the biggest bang for your buck with these potential donors, so keep your energy there.
• Put aside what is bad, salvage what is good. Later, you can get to a place where more of your data is of good quality, but right now make sure you have total giving; largest gift amount and the date; most recent gift amount and the date; and clean addressees/salutations for your top prospects, Board members and any other VIP constituents.
• Mind your members. One area where you should make a more immediate effort at reconstruction is membership data – good addresses, membership levels and expiration dates – so you can maintain your renewals program.
• Make friends with Finance. You should make it a priority to reconcile your current receivables and open grants with your Finance department. Collecting pledges and meeting reporting deadlines will keep money flowing in.
• Simplify your segmentation. You may have done an elaborate data sort for appeal mailings in the past, but this time around, keep it simple. Mail to those who have given in the last 24-36 months and avoid customization that could create a bad impression if based on bad data. It’s better to have a mailing without a tailored ask than no mailing at all.

Next month, we will share strategies for prioritizing your data cleanup.

Schultz & Williams is a national consulting firm based in Philadelphia; providing management, fundraising and marketing consulting for nonprofit organizations, along with full-service direct marketing, database and creative/production services.