Josh Birkholz
Posting on analytics, technology, visualizations, fundraising, and other unrelated things I find interesting like Doctor Who, sci fi wierdness, crazy new ideas, and interesting people.
Author of Fundraising Analytics
Principal at Bentz Whaley Flessner
Founder of the analytics group donorcast
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HAS EVERYONE SEEN THIS
NO
WELL THEN WATCH IT
#amymeetsabed -
This GameFly Commercial is too HILARIOUS!
A MUST WATCH!
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Game Of Thrones
i like games like this
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For awhile now “gamification” has largely existed as a buzz word…Tim Chang pointed out this weekend, although it’s important to avoid thinking of “gamification as the panacea,” it’s real, it’s moving beyond media…
Interest in analytics decreases when champagne is involved. (Fun with Google Insights)
Prospect research is not what it used to be. As campaigns continue to grow in size and scope, fundraising operations increasingly professionalize, and tools expand, the information-based support of major gift development also continues to evolve.
As a prospecting professional now in my 15th year, and one privileged to work alongside some of the most amazing prospecting professionals in the industry, including Bobbie Strand, Randy Bunney, Karen Greene, Diane Crane, Jennifer Cooper, Pamela Poland, Chris Cannon, Ali McLane, Rachel Schaefer, and Alex Oftelie, I’m privileged to have had a unique vantage point to see this evolution first hand.
In 1986, Emily Pfizenmaier Henderson stated in the book edited by Bobbie Strand, Prospect Research: A How-to Guide, the following description of prospect research:
A productive research system must keep research in perspective. It has only one purpose—to support the cultivation and solicitation effort. Unless prospects become donors, research will be in vain.
Surely prospect research saw its origin in the support of cultivation and solicitation. Organizations realized significant risk and costs in developing relationships and asking for gifts with limited information. And, information was difficult to attain. Prospect Research, as an industry, professionalized information acquisition and translated this information into capacity ratings, timing considerations, and supporting strategic information for cultivation.
Did this risk and need for information go away? Certainly not. However, the tools became more accessible, information is now easier to find, donor management systems were able to store and report gathered information, and additional needs now exist. The increase in campaign demands required a substantial investment in prospect identification volume. As Prospect Research demonstrated an increasing ability for proactive research, these programs were tasked with prospect identification.
The added focus of feeding the pipeline required Prospect Research to add new functionality and expertise. Peer review and news alerts were insufficient for achieving campaign prospecting requirements. Massive scale filtering and qualification efforts were necessary. In response, this adaptive field incorporated wealth screening for broad-scale capacity assessment, and predictive analytics for broad-scale likelihood assessment. To evaluate the effectiveness of identification efforts and to address the risk of names slipping through the cracks, Prospect Research also developed complex prospect management systems.
Today, these multi-faceted, integrated programs are even changing their names to Prospect Development. Prospect Development programs are characterized by distributed labor skilled in the following components:
- Predictive analytics and data acquisition for identifying prospects and large-scale data maintenance
- Prospect identification research geared towards efficient vetting of leads and feeding the discovery process
- Prospect management, which ushers leads from assignment to stewardship
- Prospect research to continue providing the important support of cultivation and solicitation, however more likely directly entering assessments into donor management systems to produce profiles instead of traditional, unfielded shadow Word documents
The Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement, or APRA, continues to evolve and advocate for this dynamic field. Their ability to adopt prospect management and analytics alongside prospect research demonstrates unique awareness of the changing requirements of our industry.
My firm, Bentz Whaley Flessner, an investor into prospecting thought-leadership from our beginnings in the early 1980s, continues to reside at the forefront of developing integrated prospect development programs. In fact, the most common request I get from fundraising executives today is, “Help us develop an integrated prospect development approach.” Organizations that systematically identify, qualify, maintain, and research their best prospects simply raise more money. And, they do it more efficiently.
What about that 1986 definition of prospect research? The same Bobbie Strand,
wisely penned this revised observation in 2008 (from A Kaleidoscope of Prospect Development):
Prospect specialists must understand the giving potential—not of one prospect, or a small group—but of the entire constituency in metrical terms. How many? How much? How often? When? Where? How? Numbers of everything, type of constituents, donor levels, percentages of participation…
…[to] sustain a steady program of prospect identification, research, and qualification of new and previous prospects to keep the pipeline flowing and the prospect pool robust.
Prospect Research certainly is not what it used to be. It is so much more.
Principal, Bentz Whaley Flessner
I hope to see all my West Coast Friends in a couple weeks. You know you want to enjoy some techie-fundraising goodness! All the cool people will be there. Justin. Katrina. Me. And, I look so good in the video image below…
We’ll be in Seattle on 5/23, San Francisco on 5/24, and Anaheim on 5/25 talking about social media that leads to real fundraising results and the latest in analytics for fundraising. Hope to see you there! (to sign up, click on the above link by city and date)
Q&A with Fundraising Expert, Joshua Birkholz, on the Benefits of Predictive Analytics
In today’s tough fundraising environment, knowing how to use your wealth of prospect and donor data is essential in saving time, money and resources, and generating more revenue.
Joshua Birkholz, fundraising expert and author of the book, Fundraising Analytics, talked to us about redefining fundraising and the impact predictive analytics can have in helping nonprofits succeed in funding their important missions. Birkholz will also be participating in IBM’s webinar on Wednesday, May 9 at 1:00 pm ET, Successful Fundraising: Using Analytics to Gain Donor Insight.
Birkholz, an admitted IBM SPSS predictive analytics champion, says he’s been riding the analytics wave since helping build a fundraising solution for the University of Minnesota focused on major donors in 2002.
Fundraising today, according to Birkholz, whether in healthcare, higher education, social service or environmental has changed considerably. It has become a higher touch, more focused conversation with donors as they are now investing in the mission, longevity and impact of an organization.
Q&A with Fundraising Expert, Joshua Birkholz, on the Benefits of Predictive Analytics
In today’s tough fundraising environment, knowing how to use your wealth of prospect and donor data is essential in saving time, money and resources, and generating more revenue.
Joshua Birkholz, fundraising expert and author of the book, Fundraising Analytics, talked to us about redefining fundraising and the impact predictive analytics can have in helping nonprofits succeed in funding their important missions. Birkholz will also be participating in IBM’s webinar on Wednesday, May 9 at 1:00 pm ET, Successful Fundraising: Using Analytics to Gain Donor Insight.
Birkholz, an admitted IBM SPSS predictive analytics champion, says he’s been riding the analytics wave since helping build a fundraising solution for the University of Minnesota focused on major donors in 2002.
Fundraising today, according to Birkholz, whether in healthcare, higher education, social service or environmental has changed considerably. It has become a higher touch, more focused conversation with donors as they are now investing in the mission, longevity and impact of an organization.
I hope to see you tomorrow!
Making the jump to lightspeed is reckless without checking the navicomputer. Jumping into a campaign without coordinates can be equally perilous. What data is truly relevant to effective campaigning? Join Josh Birkholz, author of the top-selling nonprofit book,Fundraising Analytics: Using Data to Guide Strategy as he guides you through the sea of information to your campaign destination.
In this webinar, participants will learn:
- Why quantitative analysis is a strategic difference-maker in campaign preparation
- Examples of measurements in areas of giving trends, production yields, engagement, and goal forecasting
- How in-house analytics capacity is within reach for most major gift fundraising programs
Josh Birkholz
I’m looking forward to seeing you all at my webinar today.
Description:
Author of AFP Fund Development Series book, Fundraising Analytics: Using Data to Guide Strategy, Joshua Birkholz will show you how to turn your nonprofit’s organizational data, with an appropriate focus on donors, into actionable knowledge. The result? A vibrant, donor-centered organization that makes maximum use of data to review the unique diversity of its donors.
In this session:
- Have a summary understanding of the field of predictive analytics
- Discover new ways to improve fundraising through data-driven strategies
- Re-imagine approaches to prospect development and major gift planning
Target Audience
People with some experience in fundraising. Organizations with major gift programs. Prospect researchers, advancement services, database managers, major gift officers, etc.
About the Presenter:
Joshua M. Birkholz is a principal at the international fundraising consulting firm, Bentz Whaley Flessner, where he oversees specialty consulting services. Josh is founder of the BWF analytics division, DonorCast and the author of the sought-after book, Fundraising Analytics: Using Data to Guide Strategy.
Formats Available: CD-ROM (Win), Webinar, Webinar + CD, Download, Webinar + Download
Original Program Date: April 24, 2012
On-Demand Release Date: April 25, 2012
This was an impressive effort. Nice job FSU! And Nice job Justin Ware, social fundraiser extraordinaire!
Find out more about social media services at Bentz Whaley Flessner.
7 steps to rolling-out effective performance management plans at your nonprofit.
Do performance metrics actually change behavior? Part 3 of 3
In the third installment of my thoughts on performance metrics in nonprofit fundraising, I hope to present an approach to implementation. As we discussed, an understanding of the interests and drivers for each staff member is requisite for establishing a system of motivating them. And, the data only serves to motivate independent of human intervention in cases of peer input, aligning self-interest, and fun - none of which are really mutually exclusive.
Ideas are only as good as your ability to make them happen. I’ve worked with many organizations to transform their operational approach to fundraising. These systems all start with great ideas. Those that succeed, followed a process for implementation. There is no perfect process, but any process is better than no process. Where to start? I’ve found these 7 steps remarkably and consistently present among succeeding organizations.
Task Force of Early Champions.
Identify those precious individuals who understand the need for a new approach and will rally their friends. Assemble them into a task force. Even if they are only somewhat on board, the involvement with the task force will likely strengthen their adoption. Ideally, pursue a cross-functional team. I recommend a member of leadership, 1-2 major gift officers, a prospect researcher or management specialist, and a report writer / IT representative.
Project planning
The task force should be responsible for assembling the initial project plan. Some of the success-factor steps below should be part of the plan. But the tactical elements I won’t address, such as system coding, report writing, documentation, and materials, should also be included. As with all plans, it is important to assign responsibility for steps, set timelines, and establish a regular meeting schedule or communication to keep on task.
Communication (Group and Personal)
Whenever you roll-out new responsibilities to your organization, you must anticipate ambiguity of understanding by the recipients. Whether willfully or otherwise, staff will not understand or will not believe this is real without evidence. Regular communication to each individual is necessary. But, it is even more critical to communicate with the group. Knowing ones peers receive the same message is the start to implementing peer input as a behavior driver.
Ongoing Feedback Loop
Through the interpersonal and group communication process, you should learn the personal drivers of each gift officer or staff member. As a manager, this is your responsibility nevertheless. So, at this point in the process, it is time to consider those self-interests, peer delivery mechanisms, and fun challenges to tie-in to your performance process. Feed the competitive performers with contests to work in the stadium box for a big game, to attend a premier event, win a new GPS for donor calls, or even a cash bonus. Post a large report in the break room for all to see. Set individualized targets with progress towards goals on the dashboard or periodic reports. The idea is to deliver data tied to peer inputs, self-interests, and/or fund with regularity and consistency.
Transparency
Nothing kills trust faster than secrets. Nothing kills organizational performance faster than lack of trust. Don’t change the rules. Don’t keep secrets. Apart from donor intentions and privacy, there is no need for secrets in fundraising. When people make mistakes, talk openly about them. Showing your forgiving side will propel an innovative spirit among your team. Be open about how performance or lack thereof makes you feel. When things work, celebrate. When they don’t, be honest.
Really Listen (Actually Consider Feedback)
Most leaders are afraid to really listen. We might assume that feedback reflects a dislike or disapproval of us and our abilities. We might also assume that feedback is just excuses for nonperformance. But, sometimes feedback is just feedback. Our team has a perspective we may not see. Whether input is constructive or otherwise, it is your responsibility to really listen and find out. If the feedback is constructive, actually consider it. You will build trust with your team. And, you might fast-track right past employee compliance to the prized stage of employee engagement; where employees actually perform, not because they have to, but because they choose to perform.
Thank Adopters Publicly
Nonprofits will have entire strategies for thanking donors. If you don’t, you have issues more serious than employee performance. Normally, these donor relations strategies will consist of acknowledgement, recognition, and stewardship of gifts. When your employees choose to perform, it is a remarkable behavior worth acknowledging. Thank these employees publicly; so all might see your appreciation. Tell the employee what it means to you and what it means to the organization. You should be good at thanking donors. Try to be that good with your team.
I hope my musings on performance management provide you with some value. If not, I sincerely apologize for wasting your time. Please drop me a note or give me some feedback. I read every note and try to soak it in.
Josh Birkholz
