June 29, 2016 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Consultant Christopher Moy, who worked as a database administrator at both large and small nonprofits for many years, identifies common problems nonprofits encounter when tracking donor data and offers solutions.
- Underestimating processes
- Staff turnover
- Little or no training on using the system
- Poor system security
- Nonexistent database plan, or one that does not match fundraising strategy
- No dedicated “owner” of the database
There are three components to a donor-management system: technology, people, and process.
Technology is the software, and, of course, people use the software. Processes such as data entry, reporting, data quality, workflow, management, and maintenance govern how the technology and the people interact.
It is critical to outline and define processes when implementing a fundraising database. Overlooking or underestimating their importance can reduce your productivity. In the worst cases, unclear or nonexistent processes can cause users to stop using parts, or all, of the database.
Solution: Document your group’s processes in a user manual accessible to all employees who use the database.
Staff changes are inevitable. However, new users may alter the way information is put into and extracted from your fundraising database. New employees, or current staffers new to using the database, might not adopt existing practices for handling information, creating a greater possibility of data-entry errors.
Solution: Again, documentation is key. Detail your practices clearly in a manual and use it in training new database users.
Of course, there’s more to training new users than having a manual. Failure to invest in basic database training may result in staff members who do not understand data fields. When this occurs, data might be input improperly, and users might be unable to extract information from the database correctly or efficiently.
Solution: Send at least one staff person, preferably a designated database manager, to a training class. Have this person train others in-house. Use the training information provided by your software vendor and consult free online resources such as vendor forums and FAQs.
When too many people have access to a variety of database functions, it puts your database at risk for a host of problems. For example, if many people have permission to alter the codes that tie a record to an event, campaign, or project, they can create duplicate or unnecessary codes.
Codes can affect a large number of records, so changing them has big implications. Say, for example, that 500 people attended your annual gala. They are coded as such in the database. If someone deletes that code, the attendance list could be lost.
Similarly, widespread permission to delete records or gifts could lead to important information disappearing from your database.
Solution: Restrict the number of users who have permission to alter or delete codes and records and perform other high-risk data functions. For example, read-only access should suffice for executives, and an annual giving manager may need to edit records but not gifts.
Poor or insufficient planning can keep an organization from getting the most out of its database, or put it in the position of paying for services it doesn’t need.
For instance, your nonprofit may want to start a volunteer program, only to find it does not have a volunteer module in its database. Or, conversely, you could be paying $2,000 a year for access to an events module, even though you have not held an event for several years.
Solution: Assess your current use of your database and where you might want to scale in the months or years to come. Then, develop a technology plan that supports those goals, complements your fundraising strategy, and eliminates unnecessary costs.
When a nonprofit has no one to manage its database, information can be added in a variety of incorrect ways. Sometimes, information is added sporadically or not at all.
Solution: Designate a staff member as your database manager or administrator. He or she should oversee data entry, training, establishing and documenting procedures, and generating reports.
Christopher Moy is a consultant with Nonprofit Management Systems and a former nonprofit database administrator.
