Auctions are one of the ultimate donor data management challenges. You’ve got IRS regulations, specialized software requiring data integration, and event data tracking. In this post, we’ll focus on IRS rules that impact donated items, auction purchases, and event ticket donations.

Your data entry process documentation is one of your most important data hygiene tools. Good documentation helps ensure that information is entered accurately, thoroughly and consistently. It’s a buffer against staff turnover, and the first step toward process improvement.

You’ve implemented your fundraising metrics. How do you make sure they are working? Check out these six questions to identify what’s working, what needs adjustment and some things to consider when making tweaks to your metrics. And if you don’t have metrics yet, read through to identify some pitfalls to avoid during your design phase.

Cleaning up your data will not only yield better database screening results, but it’ll also help with overall donor relations and reporting. So get ready, we’ve got some sure-fire best practices coming your way!

Increasingly, there are tons of specialized software tools that nonprofits use in addition to their primary donor database, like auction, email or volunteer management software. Are you trying to decide whether to adopt a third-party tool and get it to play nicely with your donor database? Read on for some tips to make your software play nicely.

Do you get a lot of mail returned when you send out a solicitation or cultivation mailing? If you aren’t doing regular NCOA (National Change of Address) screening, then you’re missing an important and inexpensive data hygiene tool. NCOA helps you to update addresses for people who have moved so you can keep in touch with your donors.

Do you feel like you are reinventing the wheel every time you analyze your fundraising performance or pull a solicitation list? Are you concerned that you are getting inconsistent results? Then you need a standard list of go-to reports to keep you on track and make your operations easier.

A great database manager can be the difference between amazing data processes and analytics that make your fundraising easier, and a nightmare of bad data, inaccurate reports, and inconsistent processes. When you are looking for someone to manage your organization’s donor data, here are five attributes you should seek.

Are you ready to implement or improve prospect management in your fundraising office? If 3 or more of these 5 things are true, it’s time to think about your prospect management system.