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Database Management Essentials

Updated over a week ago

No matter its size, a well-managed database is an important tool in your fundraising arsenal. Clean, concise, and consistent data can mean constructive donor interactions, streamlined reporting, and meaningful record keeping versus bungled, embarrassing situations. In this class, learn some tools and strategies for managing your donor database.

In this article:

Why use a CRM?

  • Data Consolidation

  • Data Reporting

  • Targeted and Effective Fundraising

Establishing Policies and Procedures

  • Policies and Procedures Manual

  • Who is a part of the discussion?

  • Who has access to your database?

  • What training is required for different levels of access?

  • Development Calendar

    • Scheduling time

    • Annual database audit

Recurring Database Management

Weekly

First-Time Donor List

Bloomerang CRM lists the top five first-time donors you should call right on your Dashboard. To see a full list of new donors within the last seven weekdays, from the First-Time Donor Calls tile, click View full report. For more information, see First-Time Donor Calls Basics.

Financial Reports

To create a report of transactions from the previous week, follow these steps:

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Build a report from scratch.

  3. Select Transactions.

  4. Under Include, click Add filter, then search for and select Date. The date defaults to Last week.

  5. Click OK.

  6. Save this report.

The report will display results for the previous week whenever the report is run.

Acknowledgement Letters

To create a report of transactions from the previous week that have not been acknowledged yet, follow these steps:

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Build a report from scratch.

  3. Select Transactions.

  4. Under Include, click Add filter, then search for and select Date. The date defaults to Last week.

  5. Click OK.

  6. Click And, then search for and select Acknowledgement Status.

  7. From the dropdown, select No, then click OK.

  8. Save this report.

The report will display transactions from the previous week that have not been acknowledged yet. You can reference this report when you run your acknowledgement letters.

Monthly

Financial Reports

To create a report of transactions from the previous month, follow these steps:

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Build a report from scratch.

  3. Select Transactions.

  4. Under Include, click Add filter, then search for and select Date.

  5. Click Last week, and select Last month.

  6. Click OK.

  7. Save this report.

The report will display results for the previous month whenever the report is run.

Campaigns Progress Report

Create a report to track the progress of each active Campaign.

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Build a report from scratch.

  3. Select Transactions.

  4. Under Include, click Add filter, then search for and select Date.

  5. Click Last week, and select Last month.

  6. Click OK.

  7. Click And, then search for and select Campaign.

  8. Select a Campaign, then click OK.

  9. Consider adding columns for Raised Amount and Revenue Amount. Raised Amount will total donations, pledges, and recurring donation payments, while Revenue Amount will total donations, pledge payments, and recurring donation payments.

  10. Save this report.

You can export the report to Excel to send it to different board members, solicitors, or gifts officers who are working on specific campaigns and funds.

Funds Progress Report

Create a report to track the progress of each active Fund.

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Build a report from scratch.

  3. Select Transactions.

  4. Under Include, click Add filter, then search for and select Date.

  5. Click Last week, and select Last month.

  6. Click OK.

  7. Click And, then search for and select Campaign.

  8. Select a Campaign, then click OK.

  9. Consider adding columns for Raised Amount and Revenue Amount. Raised Amount will total donations, pledges, and recurring donation payments, while Revenue Amount will total donations, pledge payments, and recurring donation payments.

  10. Save this report.

You can export the report to Excel to send it to different board members, solicitors, or gifts officers who are working on specific campaigns and funds.

Appeals Progress Report

Create a report to track the progress of each active Appeal.

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Build a report from scratch.

  3. Select Transactions.

  4. Under Include, click Add filter, then search for and select Date.

  5. Click Last week, and select Last month.

  6. Click OK.

  7. Click And, then search for and select Campaign.

  8. Select a Campaign, then click OK.

  9. Consider adding columns for Raised Amount and Revenue Amount. Raised Amount will total donations, pledges, and recurring donation payments, while Revenue Amount will total donations, pledge payments, and recurring donation payments.

  10. Save this report.

Tasks

View a list of all active tasks from the Dashboard, or run a report of all tasks from the previous month regardless of status.

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Build a report from scratch.

  3. Select Tasks.

  4. Under Include, click Add filter, then search for and select Date.

  5. Click Last week, and select Last month.

  6. Click OK.

  7. You can group the report by Status to put together tasks that are active, complete, or archived.

  8. Save this report.

Semi-Annual

Financial Reports

To create a report of transactions for the last six months, follow these steps:

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Build a report from scratch.

  3. Select Transactions.

  4. Under Include, click Add filter, then search for and select Date.

    • To report on the last six months, click Last week, and select Previous number of days. Enter 183, then click OK. This will look at the previous number of days when the report is run.

    • To report on a specific time period, click During, and select Between. Enter the desired date range, then click OK. This will look at that specific date range regardless of when the report is run.

  5. Save this report.

The report will display results for the previous month whenever the report is run.

LYBUNT Report

To create a report of constituents who gave last fiscal year but not this fiscal year, follow these steps:

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Start from a template.

  3. Select LYBUNT.

  4. Click Constituents, then select Household.

  5. Edit filters or add columns, as needed, then save your report.

Note: This report references the fiscal year in your organization settings. To view of update your fiscal year settings, follow these instructions.

SYBUNT Report

To create a report of constituents who gave last fiscal year but not this fiscal year, follow these steps:

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Start from a template.

  3. Select SYBUNT.

  4. Click Constituents, then select Household.

  5. Edit filters or add columns, as needed, then save your report.

Note: This report references the fiscal year in your organization settings. To view of update your fiscal year settings, follow these instructions.

Custom Field Reports

To view a full list of your custom fields:

  1. Click Reports, then select the type of custom field you would like to review: Constituent, Transaction, Interaction, or Note.

  2. Edit, deactivate, or delete custom fields, as needed. For more information, see Edit Categories, Custom Fields, and Values.

To run a report on specific custom fields:

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Build a report from scratch.

  3. Select the type of report based on which custom fields you would like to review.

  4. Click Add Column, then search for and select a custom field.

  5. Add as many custom fields as you would like to see in the report.

This report will show which fields

  1. Under Include, click Add filter, then search for and select Date.

  2. Click Last week, and select Last month.

  3. Click OK.

  4. Save this report.

Annual

Full Database Audit

Doing a full database audit may seem a little like overkill with all of the other reporting that is being done, but the database audit overlaps with a lot of activities nonprofits already do on an annual basis, therefore, it is truly just a few extra steps.

Include the financial data you use for your annual report, but also include the total number of constituents in the database, the number of constituents with no activity on their records, and an accounting of all of your custom fields. Additionally, your team should analyze any available year over year data, as well as create recommendations for any changes in the upcoming year. View a sample template here.

Annual Financials

You can copy any of the previous financial reports and change the date range to look at your fiscal year or calendar year.

Annual Campaigns, Funds, and Appeals Reports; update plan

You can copy any of the previous Campaign, Fund, or Appeal reports and change the date range to look at your fiscal year or calendar year.

Total Constituents Report

If you are an administrator, you can view the total number of constituents that count toward your license on the Billing & License page, or you can create a report to see more information about the constituents:

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Build a report from scratch.

  3. Select Constituents.

  4. Click Constituents, and select Household.

  5. Save this report.

The report will display results for the previous month whenever the report is run.

No Activity Report

To view a full list of your custom fields:

  1. Click Reports.

  2. Click New, then Build a report from scratch.

  3. Select Constituents.

  4. Click Add filter, then search for and select Has Transactions.

  5. Click Has any, and select Has No, then click OK.

  6. Click And, then search for and select Has Interactions.

  7. Click Has any, and select Has No, then click OK.

  8. Click And, then search for and select Has Notes.

  9. Click Has any, and select Has No, then click OK.

  10. Click Constituents, and select Household.

  11. Save this report.

Audit Report

This is a numerical breakdown of everything used in your database.

Keeping track of the number of constituents in your database, along with the number of times each custom field has been used, the total revenue for the year, and a breakdown of every Campaign, Fund and Appeal is the foundation for development analytics.

When available, provide the last few years worth of like data (for example, your unrestricted fund) to compare how your organization is performing year over year.

Once your audit is complete, decide on what changes (if any) would improve your fundraising efforts for the upcoming year, and add these to the Recommendations section of the audit.

Audit Meeting

This meeting is where your team should present your database audit to all stakeholders. At this meeting:

  • Review the audit line by line

  • Discuss the recommendations section

  • Decide how to proceed on each recommendation

After the meeting, implement any changes, and deactivate all past Campaigns, Funds, and Appeals in the database.

Resources

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