"I didn’t really understand how data could sit within a fundraising role. At first I joined the programme thinking ‘It would be great to use Excel a bit more’ – but after going through the training, it’s amazing what I can now do for my team and the wider organisation”.
Before joining the Corndel Data-Driven Professional programme, Emma Liney, a community fundraiser at Claire House Hospice, didn't see the value of data to her fundraising role.
She's not alone in this view - a recent survey of 50 finance and revenue professionals in UK charities and not-for-profits found that almost half (47%) of charity revenue leakage can be traced back to problems with data.
Lack of oversight along with poor processes, governance and controls were found to have contributed to revenue leakage of £835m per year.
However, after completing the programme, Emma realised just how valuable her newfound data skills have been in helping her achieve her fundraising targets:
"Now we make decisions based on analysing results and data. Being able to make data-based decisions for care, for fundraising, and all sorts of areas across the organisation has such a big impact.”
It's a common issue in UK charities - but one that can be solved.
There’s no doubt that data analysis can help charities improve their performance and fundraising. But let’s take a deeper dive into this whole concept. Data analysis is more than presenting numbers to management.
You will need an in-depth understanding to record, analyse and dissect data. This will help you present your findings in a digestible format. Your data is only of value if you can place it in context and interpret it properly.
For a charity, it begins with understanding its objectives and purpose. According to the Harvard Business Review,
“Data is useless without the skills to analyse it.”
If your employees lack the skills to analyse the data, it can be meaningless.
Unfortunately, organisations lack the necessary data skills and perhaps this explains why most organisations fail to become data-driven.
You might think that outsourcing data analysis can help. But you’ll quickly lose touchpoints and relationships with your supporters. Touchpoints help you build long-term relationships with your donors and outsourcing will undoubtedly weaken the ties.
The result? You’ll lose your loyal donors.
The solution is to upskill charity employees in data analysis skills. Data analysis is imperative for your charity to:
Increase fundraising
Evaluate, interpret and share data in a productive way
Boost overall sector efficiency
