What Do You Track?

In an earlier post, Tracking is More Than a Name, I mentioned the importance of tracking donor information. That’s just a quick snapshot of some of the key areas we are keeping track. I’d love to hear your feedback regarding what your organization tracks.

There is some information that is important for every organization to track. Below are some of these key pieces of data.

• Name
• Email/Phone Number
• Partner/Spouse (relationship with spouse – divorced, married, etc.)
• Alive or deceased
• Mailing Address
• Giving History

The larger your database, the harder it becomes to keep information relevant and accurate. Be diligent about fixing return mail. I know of some organizations where they have a staff member who regularly reads the obituaries.

Other tremendously helpful data that we are keeping include the following:

• Donor Rating: This is often created by the organization based on conversations that you’ve had with that donor and individuals who know them. This helps segment and keep track of donors in your database.
• Last/Next Action: Having the ability to track an action plan with a donor is invaluable and extremely helpful to keep everyone on the same page and to keep track of your cultivation plans from year to year. As you begin to do more 1-to-1 cultivations and solicitations, it is helpful to use your database to help you track your upcoming engagements.