What Worked, What Didn't: Evaluating Your Fundraising

Your fall fundraising campaign is done; you've taken your holiday break. Now, pat yourself on the back, take a deep breath, and schedule time to analyze what worked and what didn't.

Here are some things to scrutinize:

• Total amount raised: Did it increase, decrease or remain the same? How does it compare to the past five years? Did you meet your goal?
• Number of donors: Ditto.
• Donation amounts: How many folks increased their donations? How many decreased or remained the same? A gift chart is a helpful aid to visualize your results; it should look like a pyramid, with larger numbers of small donors at the bottom, big donors at the top.
• Donor retention rate: What percentage of last year's donors gave again? The average rate is around 50%. Did you do better or worse? Any ideas why?
• New donors: Were you successful in cultivating new donors? Did their numbers/dollars exceed those who did not return?
• Lapsed donors: Did you do a specific appeal to lapsed donors? Did lapsed donors return? 
• Ways of giving: Are folks giving online, or by check? Through your website or Facebook or email appeals forwarded by Board members? Do you have a monthly giving program (if not, you should), and is it growing? How much was unrestricted (i.e. available to fund ongoing operating expenses)?
• Appeal response: Which appeals raised the most money? Look at emails, letters, phone calls. Consider timing - did you get a better response around Thanksgiving or at year's end? Consider messaging - was there a particular email that delivered? Did folks respond more to photos and/or videos? What was the content of the words/visuals that evoked the best response?
• Thank you letters: Were thank you letters (or emails or postcards) sent out to every donor, whether for $5 or $1,000? Were they sent within ten days of receipt?
• Donor demographics: Do your donors represent a diverse mix of ethnicity, age, geography, and economic backgrounds?Are your volunteers making contributions?
• Staff report card: Did everyone on staff contribute in some capacity, whether by making asks or designing emails or sending out thank you letters?
• Board report card:  Did every Board member make a donation that was significant for them? Did your Board members make all their asks? Who got more responses? Take some time to talk with those who were successful, find out what worked for them, and have them share their insights with your Board.

Next, analyze this information in brainstorming sessions with both your staff and your Board. After that, document everything. Be sure to add any information you have gathered about significant donors to your database including how much and when they gave, whether they wish to remain anonymous, specific comments they made, and who solicited their donations. Finally, use this information to create your 2018 fundraising calendar and plan.

And then you start all over again, older and hopefully wiser, raising the money you need to continue your good work in this new year.