Managing and organizing your donor data might feel like a daunting task, even for small nonprofits. Understanding what to do with your donor data once you’ve collected and organized it can be even more intimidating!
No matter how long you’ve been raising funds and managing donors, you’re probably already using donor management software — or you know you need to move beyond old-fashioned spreadsheets for a more practical approach.
Your donor management platform should help you spend less time searching for data and more time building relationships to improve donor retention. Whether you’ve been using a platform for years or are just getting started, this guide will help you make the most of your donor database.
What Is Donor Management Software?
Donor management software houses information about your donors and supporters, including volunteers, advocates, event attendees, and board members. Sometimes called a nonprofit CRM, it lets you document and report on supporter data.
From basic demographics to wealth and income data, corporate matching opportunities, and engagement history, the data you can track and act on is invaluable. Many donor management platforms integrate with other software you may use, including fundraising and communications tools like ThankView.
Examples of Donor Management Platforms
EverTrue
EverTrue is a comprehensive donor intelligence platform that helps nonprofits identify top prospects, engage donors effectively, and measure fundraising performance. Their suite of products includes Signal, DonorSearch, Clarity, Pledgemine, ODDER, Balance, Impact, and ThankView.
With EverTrue and ThankView together, organizations can deliver targeted messaging, automated workflows, and meaningful donor stewardship at scale.
Source: EverTrue product overview
Bloomerang
Bloomerang is a nonprofit CRM and donor management platform that centralizes supporter data, gives you insights into donor engagement and giving history, includes marketing and segmentation tools, customizable dashboards, automated outreach, and reporting, and helps nonprofits strengthen relationships and boost fundraising outcomes.
DonorPerfect
DonorPerfect is a comprehensive nonprofit CRM that consolidates donor and volunteer data into a single database, provides customizable reporting and engagement tracking, supports integrated payment and pledge management, and enables organizations to manage and deepen donor relationships with automation and insightful analytics.
Virtuous
Pros: Virtuous is a purpose-built nonprofit CRM that helps organizations manage donor relationships with data-driven insights, offering AI-powered donor intelligence, automated outreach, segmentation, reporting dashboards, and more, all designed to enable personalized, omnichannel communication and streamlined fundraising workflows.
Source: Virtuous
Organizing Donor Data
If your donor data exists in bits and pieces across platforms or spreadsheets, it can be difficult to consolidate everything needed for decision-making. Most donor management platforms integrate with other tools, such as volunteer management, email marketing, or giving platforms.
Centralizing your data ensures anyone on your team can access the information they need. Staffing changes and unplanned absences are easier to navigate when all donor information is stored in one place.
Capturing the Right Data
High-quality data is essential for effective donor communication and marketing. Collecting the right details allows you to build stronger relationships over time.
Data to track includes:
- General details: Name, mailing address, email, phone number, optional info like gender, age, marital status.
- Donation details: Dates, type, and amount of contributions.
- Employer info: Helps identify matching gift opportunities and segment communications.
- Social media handles: Useful for identifying advocates and ambassadors.
- Preferences: Communication methods and addressing preferences.
- Interactions: Notes on prior communications to personalize engagement.
- Events attended: Helps plan future events and targeted asks.
Managing Your Data Strategically
Segment Your Donor Base
Segment donors based on engagement length, giving history, preferred communication, and other factors. This allows for personalized outreach, such as sending custom online donation forms to digital donors instead of traditional mail.
Identify Opportunities for Matching Gifts
Over 18 million people work for companies with matching gift programs. Use employment information in your database to ensure donors know how to participate and double their impact.
Use Data to Plan Fundraisers and Events
Analyze attendance and donation trends to plan events, set realistic goals, and replicate what has worked in past campaigns.
Make the Right Ask
Look at donor histories to make strategic ask amounts. For example, a consistent $250 annual donor could be asked for $300, while a small recurring donor might need a more modest ask.
Making the Most of Your Donor Management Tools
The right software helps you increase donor engagement while saving time. Look for platforms that integrate with the tools you already use, such as donation management, volunteer tracking, and accounting software.
If you want to take donor management to the next level and deliver personalized video messages at scale, book a demo with the EverTrue team today!