Fundraising Analytics: Using Data to Guide Strategy (The AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series) [Hardcover]

Joshua M. Birkholz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2008 | ISBN-10: 047016557X | ISBN-13: 978-0470165577 | Edition: 1

Fundraising Analytics: Using Data to Guide Strategy Fundraising Analytics shows you how to turn your nonprofit?s organizational data?with an appropriate focus on donors?into actionable knowledge. The result? A vibrant, donor-centered nonprofit organization that makes maximum use of data to reveal the unique diversity of its donors. It provides step-by-step instructions for understanding your constituents, developing metrics to gauge and guide your success, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"….is a gift to the massess..a lens into the world of the sophisticated fundraising operations that pump the big bucks into major institutions. Written by Joshua Birkholz, the book's subtitle is 'Using Data to Guide Strategy" and that's what the book delivers." (CharityChannel.com, June 6, 2008)

From the Inside Flap

Fundraising Analytics

"As long as your focus remains on the donor, your data-driven strategies will evolve to benefit your organization. To be guided by data means to be guided by donors. Donors are the remarkable coefficients in high-results equations. If you plug them into your formula, your results will be extraordinary."
—From Fundraising Analytics

Today's successful nonprofits use information as a resource implemented in their organizational culture and realize that having an authentic vision for analytics is the key to successful fundraising. Fund-raising Analytics shows nonprofit executive directors, fundraising managers, directors of development, planned giving officers, and consultants how to turn their organizational data—with an appropriate focus on donors—into actionable knowledge. The result? A vibrant, donor-centered nonprofit organization that makes maximum use of data to reveal the unique diversity of its donors.

Written by Joshua Birkholz, a leading practitioner and creative thinker in the world of analytics and philanthropy, to help nonprofits recognize the opportunities provided by fundraising analytics, this innovative book explores how analytics can be optimally used to drive success in fund-raising. It provides step-by-step instructions for conducting analysis in-house, with invaluable advice on how to:

• Understand your constituents

• Identify potential prospects for major and planned giving

• Develop campaign planning including capacity analysis and pyramid design

• Build a data-driven prospect management system

• Develop metrics to gauge and guide your success

• Select data for mining

• Broaden your support base

• Build a model to predict giving at your organization

Organizations are seeing remarkable results through development of sophisticated systems for understanding their customers and using data to guide strategy. Part of the Wiley/AFP Fund Development Series, Fundraising Analytics is an easy-to-use, relevant book that can be used by all development officers with a vision towards deepening connection with donors and increasing nonprofit fundraising.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047016557X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470165577
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.9 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A much needed book for nonprofit fundraisers to use when they want to get better at their job. Twothumbsup!, April 13, 2008

By 

Jeff Lippincott "JLIPPIN" (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fundraising Analytics: Using Data to Guide Strategy (The AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series) (Hardcover)

I loved this book. I have not read another book like it regarding nonprofit fundraising. It strikes me as kind of odd that one has not been previously written. But now one has! Awesome. Use it to establish a data-driven approach to fundraising in your nonprofit organization. There are 9 chapters in this book as follows:

1. Overview of fundraising analytics
2. Understanding your constituents
3. Analytics and prospects
4. Analytics and campaign planning
5. Data-driven prospect management
6. Annual giving analytics
7. Selecting data for mining
8. Descriptive analysis: Basic statistics and scoring models
9. Regression analysis

So much of fundraising involves building a database of donors. Then building relationships with the donors who want to get more involved with the organization. But how does a fundraiser funnel that database of donors into a filter so the donors with the commitment, connection, and capacity can be fully hosed down? The answer: fundraising analytics.

This book covers it all when it comes to fundraising analytics. And what it doesn't tell you can be easily dreamed up by the reader as she reads along. I particularly enjoyed the first Appendix entitled "Final Thoughts on Fundraising Analytics." However, I think it should have been included as a conclusion in the main body of the book. And the glossary included as an appendix was good, too. 5 stars!

PS. Don't expect to learn what tools or computer programs one should use to make all this analysis happen. But that is best saved for another book that I don't think has been written.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fundraising Analytics: Using Data to Guide Strategy, October 5, 2010

By 

Fundraising Training Director - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Fundraising Analytics: Using Data to Guide Strategy (The AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series) (Hardcover)

This topic is typically one that draws statisticians to theory based best practices. Joshua M. Birkholz has provided a broad based analysis on how fundriaisng trainers, fundraisers, managers and advocates can use analytics to ensure donor-centered fundraising success. His content and sequence is akin to a self-directed learning resource. Excellent examples and case studies.

4.0 out of 5 stars The best there is, June 3, 2009

By 

D. C. Dreger "D.C. Dreger, ACFRE" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fundraising Analytics: Using Data to Guide Strategy (The AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series) (Hardcover)

There are just some things that we should read, and Josh's book is one of them. It's not sexy, but it sure is satisfying to understand how to dig the ore out of the goldmine that is your database.