In our March presentation, Output is Everything! we discussed the various types of output nonprofits typically require and the levels of detail required to get the right output to the right people at the right time. This follow-up session will focus on entering the data effectively to generate the output. Takeaways: A list of dos and don’ts for data entry staff Tips for getting the most from your fundraising software Data maintenance to keep things clean

1. Preparing Data for Effective Output
Cheri Weissman
April 16, 2013
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2. Protecting and Preserving the www.cjwconsulting.com
Institutional Memories of
Nonprofits Since 1993 (866) 598-0430
info@cjwconsulting.com
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3. Affordable collaborative data
management in the cloud.
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4. Today’s Speaker & Host
Cheri Weissman
President
CJW Consulting & Services, Inc.
Assisting with chat questions:
Jamie Maloney, Nonprofit Webinars
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5. Presented by
Cheri Weissman
CJW Consulting & Services, Inc.
8331 Central Ave.
Morton Grove, IL 60053
866/598-0430
cheri@cjwconsulting.com

6.  When it comes right down to it, the only thing
that really matters when working with
fundraising software is OUTPUT.
 Reports have to be reliable and understood
 Solicitations and invitations have to be sent to the
right people
 Giving has to reflect what people are giving to and
what prompted them to give
 Volunteers have to be appropriately recognized and
acknowledged

7.  BREAK IT DOWN!
 ALWAYS consider output before you input data!
 Don’t enter data unless you know it is RELIABLE
 Don’t try to make one area of data do more than it
can do
 Visualize information and focus on splitting
information into natural categories
 Document standards and maintain them

8.  Consistency is key!
 Avoid using one field for multiple purposes
 Avoid redundancies
 Avoid user-defined fields if possible
 Create internal policies for key data points
 Clearly define terms/expectations
 Document data entry standard
 Keep tables clean and lean

9.  Name Example
 My full name is Cheryl J. Weissman
 If you want to be able to use my first name when
writing to me, the first name field must contain Cheryl
and nothing else
 If you want to address me as Ms. Weissman, a Prefix or
Title field must be populated accurately
 If you record my first name as Cheryl J., that’s what is
going to go on the letter
 But wait! Do I have a nickname? Yes, I go by Cheri
 Do I have a spouse? Yes, his name is Larry D. Muffett.
 The same issues apply to Larry as they do to me.
 How do you address both of us?

10.  Name fields available?
 First Name
 Middle Name
 Last Name
 Suffix
 Prefix (or Title)
 Nickname
 Maiden Name
 Addressee
 Salutation

11.  Addresses
 Standards are needed here
 All addresses should be entered using the same standards
 One address line or multiple?
 Are you using directional abbreviations (N., S., etc.) or spelling them out?
 Are you using abbreviations for various street types? (St., Ave., Blvd., etc.)
 Phone Numbers
 All phone numbers should have a consistent format
 Email Addresses
 Double check to ensure that you have not mistyped or used the
wrong extension (.com instead of .org, for example)
 To Whom Do You Mail
 Just me?
 Just Larry?
 Both of us?

12.  Where has the donor designated that the money
should go? (fund or account)
 General operating or Annual can be used if the donor does not
specify a designation
 What prompted the donor to make this gift
(appeal)
 What did you send out that moved them to give?
 If you want to group your gifts by designation or
appeal, you will need an additional code
 Beyond this, what about:
 Which thank you letter will you send?
 How did they pay (check, credit card, etc.)
 Other gift info (payroll deduction, United Way, CFC, etc.)
 How much detail will you need to effectively steward your
donors?

13.  Contact records/Actions/Activity
 If your software has a capability like this, you’re
likely ahead of the game
 If not, you may need external documents
 Relationships
 If you want to track the ways that people are
connected to one another, you need enough detail so
that the relationships can be used.
 If you see the name Ellen Weissman as a relationship
on my record, with no other information, the name
itself is useless to you

14.  Board Members
 Most organizations create a Board Roster, showing
their home and business contact information, dates
of service, perhaps the name of an assistant, etc.
 Staff
 If you want staff to give, you will need lists of
current and former staff and update your records on
a regular basis.
 Volunteers
 If you want to ask volunteers to give, you will need
to know which volunteers are current, which came
for a day and were never seen again, etc.

15.  Board Members
 Name info
 Business Address/phone/email/assistant
 Home Address/phone/email
 Board term
 Staff
 Name info
 Position/Department
 Office email
 Start and/or end dates
 Volunteers
 If you want to ask volunteers to give, you will need to
know which volunteers are current, which came for a day
and were never seen again, etc.

16.  Business Information
 Do you have people in your database who own or
are positioned highly in their business?
 Linking the business information to the person can
help you reach out to either or both
 Education History
 If you are working at an educational institution,
education history is going to matter, particularly as it
relates to your institution
 Grad year
 Major
 Activities/interests while attending

17.  Special Events
 Who’s coming?
 Who’s sitting with whom?
 What’s everybody eating?
 Who’s sponsoring whom?
 Who’s bringing guests?
 Who’s speaking at the event?
 Who’s paid?
 Who still owes?

18.  Depends on the capabilities of your software
 Work with the software’s features
 Store data in ways that will allow you to get the output
you need
 This requires a knowledge of WHERE and HOW data is
stored in your application
 Store data outside of your application only when
absolutely necessary
 If data is maintained outside of application, be sure that
there is some kind of link between data sets
 A common ID number used to link data from different
sources is mandatory

19.  Consistency is key!
 Avoid using one field for multiple purposes
 Avoid redundancies
 Avoid user-defined fields if possible
 Create internal policies for key data points
 Clearly define terms/expectations
 Document data entry standard
 Keep tables clean and lean

20.  Create manual/external tracking mechanisms
that lend themselves to effective data entry
 Call reports
 Research forms
 Create a clear method for turning information
into data
 Staff responsibilities
 Oversight
 Documentation

21.  Regular Data Entry Reviews by staff person
 Ongoing Data Entry Training
 Documentation
 Review Of System Tables
 Regular Reporting Schedules

22.  Contact me!
 Cheri Weissman
 866/598-0430
 cheri@cjwconsulting.com

23. Find listings for our current season
of webinars and register at:
NonprofitWebinars.com
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