How Do You Gather and Use Anecdotal Data in Creating a Development Assessment and Fundraising Strategy?
Welcome to article three in a five article series on the Importance of Data Assessments in a COVID Economy. In the coming months, I’ll continue to share insights and tips on the different phases of an assessment and how to use one to create a data-driven, actionable strategic plan for your nonprofit. If you haven’t already, catch up by reading the first article in this series, “The Development Assessment and why it’s vital to fundraising planning.”
In the last blog, we discussed the importance of donor data in a development assessment. Now, it’s time to turn our attention to the other half of our data pool – anecdotal data from your stakeholders.
Anecdotal data is a hugely important component of your data assessment. It’s a collection of feedback from your organization’s constituents and is an excellent way to quickly identify their perception of the strengths and weaknesses of your organization. More importantly, it can help you identify how those strengths and weaknesses are impacting – both positively and negatively – your relationships with your stakeholders and, by extension, your ability to raise money.
Anecdotal data has the power to unlock actionable insight
When conducted thoroughly, the insights gained through stakeholder feedback have the power to help you transform not only your ability to fundraise but your organization’s connection to your donors. For example, often donors want more information on how their donations are being used and the impact their support makes. There can be a great deal of clarity among staff members on the mission and impact an organization makes, but often that clarity is not communicated well to donors. Without hearing more from you, donors can begin to feel that your nonprofit “only ever asks them for money.” Since your team is working tirelessly to implement programs and serve its clients, you might be unaware that the donors feel uninformed - until you ask them.
Despite the importance of gathering anecdotal data, I’ve seen a number of nonprofits skip this step. Why? Because it’s personal. Conducting anecdotal research means sitting down with a colleague or donor, face-to-face, and asking them to tell you what your organization is doing well and where there’s room for improvement. These aren’t always easy conversations to have.
These types of conversations, though, are why anecdotal data is so powerful. It provides a level of insight that can’t be captured in a survey or on a spreadsheet. In my experience, constructive feedback like this is often the key that unlocks a door leading to real organizational growth.
Start by getting the right stakeholders in the room
When you’re conducting anecdotal research, identifying and interviewing the right stakeholders is perhaps the most important step. You can’t expect to collect quality data and draw meaningful conclusions in your development assessment if you don’t have the right people in the room.
Getting your hands on quality data starts by identifying one or two representatives from each of the key areas of your nonprofit. For most organizations, this means interviewing stakeholders from each of the following roles:
Board members
Donors
Staff
Volunteers
Funders
Sponsors
Community leaders
When you’re deciding which individual stakeholders to invite, look first for individuals who are involved enough in the organization to provide real feedback. For instance, a volunteer who only works a few hours a month may not be as valuable to the assessment as the volunteer who puts in lots of hours and supports multiple areas within the organization.
Specifically, when inviting donors, sponsors or other external stakeholders, look for people with a wide array of perspectives. You’ll want to interview both a large donor and a small donor. Invite sponsors, both large and small, from multiple events or fundraisers. Try to maintain a healthy balance to avoid leading the data in one particular direction.
Invite your stakeholders to share their insights
Most people are more than willing to share their thoughts when asked. When you schedule interviews, a little genuine flattery can go a long way. Emphasize the value the stakeholder’s thoughts and advice will bring to the organization. Chances are they’ll be happy to have been asked and say ‘yes.’
Here’s a sample interview request that you can use when reaching out to your stakeholders.
Superstar Nonprofit is seeking the opinions and perceptions of community members and friends regarding its programs. We are writing to request your help – we need your advice and counsel. Would you be willing to set aside one hour of your time in the coming weeks to be interviewed by someone from our organization? (Interviewer) will ask your opinion on a number of issues related to Superstar Nonprofit and the ways we can best serve the community, including our donors.
Your responses will be kept strictly anonymous.
This meeting will not be solicitations for funds. We are simply seeking your input and guidance. We will follow up with you in the next week or two in the hopes of scheduling a convenient time for you to be interviewed.
Thank you for considering this request. Your input is very important to this process!
Conduct the interviews
There’s an art to conducting your stakeholder interviews. As the interviewer, you have two primary responsibilities.
1. Leave emotions out of it.
The only way to conduct an unbiased interview is to remove your emotion from the equation. Be neutral and listen intently.
Also, be aware of your organization’s dynamic. If there’s a stakeholder who you feel may not give you a truly unbiased response, ask a board member to conduct that interview. It’s okay to delegate here, especially if it’s in the best interest of the organization. Avoiding these internal biases and potential conflicts between colleagues are two of the primary reasons my role as a consultant in conducting interviews provides brings a particularly neutral perspective.
Regardless of who plays the role of interviewer, it’s important to recognize that there’s a time and a place for everything. If an interviewee makes a comment you don’t agree with, the interview is not the place to argue or push back.
2. Ask the right questions.
Before you begin the interview, have your questions ready to go. Ask questions that give you deeper insight into the stakeholder’s perception of the organization. Each question should be designed to help you draw conclusions about the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in your fundraising strategy.
Here’s a list of sample interview questions to get you started.
Superstar Nonprofit has many different programs. Which programs are most important to you? Why?
How would you characterize Superstar Nonprofit’s reputation in the community?
What are some of Superstar Nonprofit’s strengths and weaknesses?
How would you characterize Superstar Nonprofit’s treatment of you as a donor?
Connect the dots
Once you complete each interview, it’s time to dig into the findings and begin connecting the dots. Start to compile the data by identifying common themes and group them together to be analyzed further. You’ll probably be surprised at how quickly and clearly common themes arise.
The importance of removing your emotions from the interview process is just as critical during your analysis. If you notice patterns in your data that make you uncomfortable, your natural reaction may be to get defensive or minimize the importance of the feedback. If this starts to happen, remember your responsibility to the donor assessment process. Your unbiased eye is one of the most critical aspects of your effort to create a clear and actionable fundraising plan to move your organization forward.
Once you’ve collected and organized your anecdotal data, focus on the 3-5 themes that have the biggest influence over your ability to fundraise. Include the theme regardless of whether it’s a positive or negative influence.
As you evaluate your anecdotal data alongside your existing donor data, you’ll start to see the beginnings of an action plan coming together.
Getting your hands on quality anecdotal data is a big undertaking. But, it’s also an incredibly exciting part of the assessment process. As you begin to pair the insights you’ve heard from colleagues and donors with the donor data you’ve collected, a clearer picture of what the future holds for your organization will soon start to emerge.
As a bonus, I always find that when you interview your stakeholders you end up having really meaningful conversations. And, those conversations end up reaffirming the dedication to the mission that brought you together in the first place. Strengthening these connections with stakeholders will help you get everyone more invested in the development assessment process and eager to use the findings to grow the organization.
In the next article, we’re going to take a look at all of the data you’ve collected and use it to develop your action plan.
Stay tuned and happy interviewing!