Could An "Ad-hoc Reporting Universe" Help Your Organization Raise More Money?

By Mark Connors - Vice President, Amergent

In this day and age, almost all nonprofit organizations maintain their prospect/donor/member data in some type of computerized database system. These systems come in a variety of "flavors" and, for the most part, fundraisers typically feel that their systems do a decent job "storing" donor demographic and gift information, and managing the day-to-day processes. However, time and again we hear them lament that these same systems, many which have been used for years, aren't capable of providing the "in depth" reporting, analysis, segmentation strategies and campaign management necessary for a development professional to properly analyze and manage their programs.

These concerns have become even more pronounced as many organization's are being negatively impacted by the current economy and fundraising climate. Faced with lackluster results, fundraising professionals, now more than ever, are looking more closely at what is happening in their programs, and trying to learn more about the various segments and trends in their donor data. Unfortunately, many are finding that they are unable to get the answers they need – even though the data necessary to provide the answers is in their database! This is where an "Ad-hoc Reporting Universe" can help.

How would this type of solution help my organization?
The short answer is that this type of solution gives the fundraising professional a set of "information management tools" that provide the means to access and understand the critical information that is "hidden" within an organization's fundraising data. By using these tools to draw out and report on the important information from the organization's database, the fundraising professional can be much more effective in planning and managing ongoing fundraising activities.
This type of solution provides users with the ability to sit at their computer and with a few clicks of the mouse:

• Have a complete overview of the number of donors, gifts and income to current active campaigns along with response rates, cost per dollar raised, average gift, net income, etc.
• Compare campaign results to the same campaign during the same period of time last year.
• Look at how current results are tracking against the budget.
• Review donation results to see how many donors are giving at requested levels, how many are upgrading, downgrading, etc.
• Review acquisition results by list source.
• Create a completely new report format with calculations in a matter of minutes.
• Turn a data based report into an easy-to-understand graph.
• Develop the strategy for a special appeal using graphical "drag and drop" tools to map out the communication strategy.
• Perform "what if" segmentation strategy to determine potential target audiences based on various criteria with instantaneous counts.
• And much, much more…

And, all of this is accomplished by the fundraising/marketing professional without technical or programmer assistance!

How does it work?
There are several different technology options when it comes to Ad-hoc Reporting Universes. For the purpose of this discussion we'll focus on Amergent's Ad-Hoc Reporting Solution which makes use of powerful technology including: Microsoft SQL Server™ database, SQL Reporting Services, and Amergent’s Powerful Campaign Management Tools. The software and client's ad-hoc reporting universe reside on computers maintained in Amergent's computer center and are accessed by authorized users 24-hours-a-day/7 days-a-week using secure internet technology.

As a web-based solution, it is extremely easy for users to interact with the solution. A standard group of reports is refreshed automatically each time a new data file is received from the client. These reports are then "published" to a private website that is accessible only to the appropriate development and/or executive staff from the nonprofit organization. Authorized users access the reports using their web browser to point to the private and secure website where they can view the updated reports and use the toolset to create and run custom reports, perform "what if" segmentation scenarios, and plan/model future campaigns.

Summary
This type of solution provides organizations with the most sophisticated reporting and campaign management tools available today without the expense and difficulty of having the organization replace its existing operational and fundraising database solutions.

If your organization has a database solution that is not providing you with the capabilities you need in the area of reporting, analysis, campaign planning or segmentation strategy, then an Ad-Hoc Reporting Universe might be an excellent addition to your technology toolset. Contact us today to learn more.