In the digital age, organizations today have much greater access to track, measure and analyze progress toward their goals. Data can be analyzed to reveal patterns, trends and associations—especially relating to human behavior and interactions.
The amount of data is not what’s important, however. What matters is how organizations use the data. Measuring your performance is a key driver for growth and change. Organizations use these insights to help identify areas that are thriving as well as areas that need improvement.
For nonprofits, data can help reinforce your organization’s story and, in turn, motivate investors to contribute to your nonprofit’s efforts. Nonprofits can also benefit though transparency and cross-organization collaboration.
In this article, we will explore how you can use data in a meaningful way for your nonprofit organization. We’ll also share some ideas for celebrating key achievements with promotional products for nonprofits.
Define your data needs
From website analytics, email newsletter subscriptions, social media mentions, event registrations, volunteer participation, fundraising goals, membership rates, employee engagement and so much more, it’s important to track activities that directly relate to your organization’s specific goals and objectives.
Nonprofits can use this data to connect with donors in a more meaningful way and maximize fundraising efforts. Be sure to support the message you share with data to address your key stakeholders.
For example, if you’re looking to understand your customer experience programs, a focus group may be a great way to collect this information. Flexible by design, focus groups help teams capitalize on the ability to talk to their customers. Thank participants for their time with an imprinted bag or notebook set.
Decipher what the data means
Once you’ve defined what you want to measure, it’s important to turn that data into actionable insights. Monitoring results over time will help you identify key trends for what’s working and which areas could be improved.
There are numerous tools available to help you decipher your data. The 4imprint Blue Paper named 5 free Google tools for data-driven decision making offers great insights into these no-cost data tools that can be used to collect, analyze and discover actionable insights.
Celebrate success with promotional products for nonprofits
When focusing on areas for improvement, it is also important to celebrate “wins” with those who played a part. Reward team members for their hard work with small tokens of thanks. Don’t forget to celebrate with donors, too. A logo’d tote, cap or T-shirt shows donors the love while boosting awareness of your cause.
Data is critical to measuring your organization’s performance over time as well as the impact your efforts have on achieving goals and objectives. Collecting and understanding the outcomes of your data over time will keep your team focused. Data can also help tell a story about your organization that can be presented to your stakeholders.
Good luck! And remember to show thanks with promotional products for nonprofits.