3 Communication Strategies to Simplify Direct Mail Data Pulls for Fundraisers

 As a data person I dread direct mail data pulls.

It was a spring direct mail segmentation project that propelled me out of working directly with data on a day-to-day basis and into fundraising operations strategy. That's how frustrating they are.

For data folks these projects are the epitome of fussy, details related to data.

Who to include? Who to exclude? What are the exceptions?

How is lifetime giving calculated? Cash only? What about soft credits? And where do events like golf tournaments, galas and third-party fundraisers fit into giving calculations?

Oh, and let’s not forget in memory gits – to include or not include?

Finally, there is the reality that the data lacks integrity and completeness. Filtering and extracting the data is one thing. Dealing with inconsistent formatting, missing data points and outdated information is a whole other project.

What’s a fundraiser to do? You can’t not conduct direct mail campaigns.

There is one under appreciated component to making these projects easier that I don't think folks fully appreciate: communication.

Whenever completing a data pull it feels like there a million and one little details to consider. The data person doesn’t always feel like they have the decision-making authority to decide. And the fundraiser probably doesn’t realize that when they ask certain questions there are multiple ways to consider the question and each way offers a different response.

Here are three #tinygains communication tools to use to help make direct mail data pulls easier for everyone:

Document, document, document
Database administrators, before you begin any data pull, document in detail the criteria of inclusions and exclusions.

It will make things much easier when it comes time to complete the queries and exports.

It also helps address the inevitable question ‘Why is so and so donor not on the list?’ or ‘How did individual A, B and C get included in this category?’. Documented criteria ensure you can answer with authority and confidence.

Plus, we all know that the next time a direct mail or donor listing data pull request is made, the fundraiser is probably going to say ‘Use the same criteria as last time’. Documentation means you won’t have to be start from hazy recollections.

Ask detailed questions

In my experience, fundraisers tend to offer vague criteria.

For example, I’ve been asked: ‘Please only include donors from the last three years.’

Seems simple enough, until you dig a bit. Are those fiscal years or calendar years? What about folks who made a pledge but haven’t given yet? What about board or committee members? Does this include foundations, corporations and government funding? Or only individuals?

Suddenly this simple request isn’t so simple. Without robust dialogue, there are a number of guesses, and each wrong guess results in redoing the data pull. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the patience for that.

Ask very specific questions. Fundraisers don’t know what they don’t know.

For giving calculations, some examples include:

-        How do we handle soft credits? Think about donor advised funds, private foundations, gifts from corporations, or donations made by each individual spouse.

-        What about various gift types such as gift in kind, pledge or stock? Personally, I like to use a cash only calculation and exclude gift in kind for direct mail data pulls.

-        What events, campaigns or other fundraising vehicles do we include or exclude (e.g. in memory, event registration, auction purchases, etc.). Ideally, give the fundraiser a list that they can indicate what should or shouldn’t be included.

-        Is there a minimum or maximum gift amount we need to consider?

-        What about gifts from third party entities like Benevity, United Way, Canada Help or Go Fund Me?

Provide fundraisers with some specific examples for each question, so they can give thoughtful answers. I will sometimes offer common scenarios for consideration to help the fundraiser articulate what they believe should be included or excluded.

I like to write out all my questions in a document, share it with the fundraisers in advance and then set up a meeting to review each question and answer in detail. This way, the database administrator and fundraiser are co-creating the criteria together.

Communicate Deadlines

So often, I’ve seen well meaning colleagues make a data request and not indicate when they need the requested data.

For whatever reason, people are shy about either asking co-workers when they need the request completed or with telling them when it can be completed.

One easy #tinygain is to communicate in your request when you need the data pull completed; considering what other work the person may have. I like to indicate a deadline and then ask the question: ‘Is that deadline reasonable given your current workload?’.

Rather than asking, I will inform the requestor when the data pull will be completed. I’ll frame the statement as such: ‘I’m happy to complete this request. Given the parameters, I can have it finished and forwarded to you by end of day on [the date]. Does that work with your schedule?’.

Both scenarios provide the opportunity to share additional information that can help prioritize work.

Communication is the key to a successful direct mail data pull. It won’t magically resolve your data integrity issues. Nor will it uncover in advance unique or subtle challenges. But it will go a long way to minimizing frustration with a team-oriented focus.