How to manage donor data
- Author: Creative Australia
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Giving programs need good data
The success of your giving program depends on good audience, participant and donor data. Keeping accurate records of your donors and donations helps you:
- personalise engagement
- identify giving patterns
- track each donor’s giving and support over time
- choose the best strategies to guide donors toward deeper support.
How to develop a giving program
Not sure what a giving program is? Read this guide first.
What donor information to record
Useful donor data includes:
- personal details, such as name, address, phone number, email
- preferred mode of contact
- past giving history, including amounts and dates
- current pledge amount and due date
- the total amount of giving to date
- giving area – where they directed support, such as general donation, for a program, a bequest
- recognition level – tier of support in your public communication
- any other relevant notes, such as family, career or giving capacity
- actions, such as your planned next steps or meeting date.
How to record donor information
Where and how you record donor information depends on your situation and the complexity of your giving program. Whatever system you use, keep information accurate, up to date and secure.
For small amounts of data
If you're managing a small amount of donor information, a secure document may be enough. For example, an Excel spreadsheet that is securely stored on a company’s internal systems.
For larger amounts of data
As your donor base grows, or more people become involved in managing donor relationships, you may need a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. CRM systems can help you track donor interactions and coordinate your giving program.
Legal and ethical considerations
You need to collect, store and use donor information and data carefully. Legal and ethical considerations include privacy, consent, security, access and length of time you keep the data.
Understand your legal obligations +
Use the ACNC’s guide on managing people’s information and data to understand your responsibilities and legal obligations.
Ethical considerations for philanthropy
Protect your reputation by considering ethics before you accept a gift.
