Set Your Non-Profit Up for Success Before the Season of Giving
As the giving season approaches, now is the perfect time for non-profits to ensure that their data is clean, accurate, and ready for the influx of donations and volunteer activity. Here are some key steps to take now to ensure your year-end reporting is seamless and your annual report highlights all your successes.
1. Standardize and Clean Up Data
Volunteer Data: Verify and update contact information, hours contributed, roles, and impact. Ensure all volunteer activities are accurately logged.
Donor Data: Review donor records for accuracy in contact information, donation amounts, and dates. Merge duplicates and update outdated information.
Committee & Board Member Data: Ensure all member information is up-to-date, including contact details, roles, and contributions.
Staff Data: Verify staff contact information and track hours and contributions accurately.
2. Ensure Fund Development Data Accuracy
Review grant applications, campaign results, and event donations to ensure all data is up-to-date and accurately reflects your financial activities.
Standardize entries for initiatives, funding sources, and expense categories to maintain consistency and clarity in your reports.
3. Implement a Standardized Data Entry Process
Take the time to standardize data entry across your organization. Consistent naming conventions and categories will facilitate accurate reporting and analysis.
Roll out the process with a quick 15-minute recorded training session. This ensures everyone understands the new standards and can refer back to the training as needed.
Follow up with your team via email, attaching the procedure document and the training video for future reference. This will keep everyone on the same page and maintain data accuracy.
4. Leverage Your CRM for Better Data Management
If you haven't migrated your data into a CRM, now is the time to do so. A CRM like Salesforce Nonprofit Starter Pack allows you to identify successes, track progress, and streamline reporting.
Integrate donor, volunteer, committee & board member, and staff data into your CRM to ensure all contributions and activities are accounted for.
Create dashboards and reports to track key metrics and prepare for year-end reporting with ease.
Setting yourself and your team up for success now will only benefit you in the long run. Don't miss a single metric to brag about to your constituents. Ensuring data accuracy and consistency will allow you to showcase your organization's impact effectively and efficiently.
Consider partnering with a CRM advocate to streamline your data review, clean-up, process creation, and onboarding. With their expertise, you can ensure that your team remains focused on what they do best—making a difference. A CRM advocate can help you leverage your CRM to its full potential, providing the support and guidance needed to maintain accurate and comprehensive data.
By preparing now, you'll be ready to showcase your nonprofit's impact and successes, ensuring that no metric goes unnoticed. Take this opportunity to set your organization up for success and make the most of the upcoming giving season.
