July 2008 - Posts
The little differences between us keep life interesting and can often inspire us to break into roller-dancing. Okay, maybe the latter part's not true, but they do keep our minds alert by presenting us with fun communication challenges.
I recently befriended a German who decided to come States' side for the summer. His English is definitely strong, but I find about a third of our communication is accomplished through hand gestures. It's like a mini game of charades each time we get together...probably amusing to outside observers, and we enjoy the 
moments when we finally understand what the other is trying to say.
Unfortunately, differences in communication are rarely welcomed when it comes to reporting. If I'm trying to figure out how much we raised from our "tomahto" sale, and you keep talking about tomatoes, our "ah ha" moment may not come about, leaving us both frustrated and wondering why we didn't just stick with green beans instead.
The same communication chasm can happen in The Raiser's Edge if your reports display fund IDs, but you (or members of your organization) know them only by their full descriptions. You might as well be looking at them in a foreign language, but, sadly, the reports are unable to bridge the gap with hand gestures--that may be a new feature in version 8. 
So what's the solution? It varies a bit depending on which report you're running, but in either case, you can easily clear up potential confusion (BB452882):
If the report has a Columns tab, move Fund Description (or Fund ID, if you prefer) to the Selected Columns frame. Problem solved.
In reports that do not have a Columns tab (or in versions prior to 7.70):
- Select Tools, User Options.
- On the Records tab, select Funds in the left frame.
- In the Fund format drop-down, select Fund Description in place of Fund ID (or vice versa).
The same steps apply for campaigns and appeals if you want to choose a format that matches your communication style. Likewise, if you modify the format in User Options, the change will take effect in other parts of the program like Batch, Export, and Quick Find (BB33116).
Periodically, you may want to mix it up just to keep people on their toes. Besides, a little game of charades is always fun. 
Actions are the bridge between the sterile environment of your database and the messy world of human interaction. Depending on how many constituents you have, the size of your organization, and how tenaciously you document the telephone calls, meetings, lunch appointments, follow-up calls, letters, and other ways that you engage constituents, you can have quite a lot of balls in the air at one time.
While wallpapering your work area with post-its listing everything you need to keep track of is a viable option, The Raiser's Edge has an easier alternative: the Tickler Report (BB70833). This is handy as a to-do list to print for either a solicitor or notified user.
The Tickler Report keeps track of who is responsible for each action in The Raiser's Edge. This report can be organized based on either the solicitors or database users assigned to each action. The report also provides constituent/contact names, action start and end times, action types, the status of each action type, action priorities, and action progress. You can also include notes recorded on the Attributes/ Notes tab in the action record.
To run the report, select the Tickler Report in Action Reports. The General tab allows you to filter your actions by date range, priority (high, normal, low), progress (completed and not completed), and source (constituent, appeals, and events). Additional options are available on the Filters tab; filter by fields including action category, action type, action status, solicitor, and notified user. To determine if your report will be broken down by assigned solicitor or notified user, go to the Format tab, highlight Details on the left, and mark the option for one or the other.
The Tickler Report's scope can be as broad as the database (no filters), or you can focus on something as specific as one solicitor's high priority actions for this month that have not been completed. Additionally, you can include optional fields such as phone numbers, action notes, and action attributes in the report, giving you all the information you need at your fingertips.
The answer to the Brain Buster in this month's edition of The User's Edge is $55. The formula Robert Hernandez concocted was that he would give $5 for every letter in the fund name. That's how he came to give $35 to the Library Fund (7 letters), $40 to the Building Fund (8 letters), $30 to the Annual Fund (6 letters), and $50 to the Membership Fund (10 letters). Since the Acquisition Fund has 11 letters, Robert's gift was $55.
An important aspect of non-profits is to identify giving trends, and the Comparisons and Summaries report is an easy way to track this data.
This report can output data in two different ways: The Comparison option compares two time periods, and the Summary option displays data for up to five time periods. Both report types include the variance, or difference, in giving between the time periods as either a percentage or a dollar amount.
One of the features of this report is the ability to base it on a selected field. There are a number of available fields to choose from, including constituent and gift fields. A common field to base this report on is constituency code. Running the report on this field will allow you to see how your organization’s donations break down by donor constituency code. If you see a decline in donations from donors with the constituency code of Board Member, you may decide to send an appeal to these constituents.
To get started, click Reports from the main menu of The Raiser's Edge. Under Reports, select Demographic and Statistical. Open a new Comparisons and Summaries Report. On the General tab, you can click the Include button to pull in select records from a query. You will also have the options on this tab to specify how you would like to designate Soft Credits and Matching Gifts. Mark the checkboxes to indicate whether the report will include or exclude records that are inactive, deceased or have no valid address. You can also specify to run the Comparison or Summary version of the report.
Next, click on the Fields tab. To report on the variance by constituency code, select Constituency code as the Field to use (include selected field values if desired).
Click Columns on the left side of the Fields tab to add or remove columns from the report. You can include columns such as number of donors, total given, and average given per donor. (BB137578)
If you want to be more specific about which gifts you are comparing, include selected records on the Filters tab. If you are filtering on selected constituency codes on the Filters tab, take a moment to review Knowledgebase solution BB4821, which explains constituency code hierarchy.
The Gift Types tab allows you to include or exclude specific gift types from the report. A commonly misunderstood option on the Gift Types tab is the option to ‘Use gift balance instead of gift amount’ and 'Calculate gift balance based on date range, campaign, fund, and appeal.’ These options affect how pledges are calculated. If you use gift balance instead of gift amount, the pledge balance will show, rather than the original amount of the pledge. You will most likely want to include pledge payment in the report if this option is marked. If you choose the second option, the balance of the pledge will be determined by the date range on the General tab and campaigns, funds and appeals you may have selected on the Filters tab. For more information about these options, review BB10957.
The Summaries option in this report allows you to compare up to 5 different date ranges. You can use the ‘Autofill Dates’ feature on the Report Periods tab to save yourself from having to enter each date range manually.
Since our sample report breaks down giving by constituency code, it may be helpful to include a graph for a visual interpretation of this breakdown. Graph settings are on the Graph tab. You have the option to include a graph within the report, or use the graph only. There are a number of options for different graph types and columns to include in your graph.
The final step of this report is setting up the Format. You can customize the report by adding headers or footers, and changing the report title. There is an option on this tab that will greatly impact your results if you are basing the report on constituency code. If you click Detail on the left side of the Format tab, you will see two check boxes on the right:
- Include constituent for the Primary field value
- Include constituent for all field values
This option will determine what happens when a constituent has more than one constituency code. If you only want the constituent to be included under the first valid code found, mark the first option. If you would like the constituent to be included for each valid constituency code on their record, choose the second option. One thing to keep in mind with the second option is that the constituent's gifts will be listed multiple times.
The Comparisons and Summaries Report is an incredibly useful report that has countless possibilities. We have only begun to scratch the surface of its capabilities.
Occasionally, I audition for local theater productions. Though shows are fun, auditions always make me nervous. Like most actors, I dread hearing these six little words: "Don't call us; we'll call you." (which basically mean, "You call that acting?") 
When I was in college, I worked part-time for our annual fund. Speaking with alumni wasn't bad, but occasionally we had to call parents of current students. Considering the high cost of tuition, asking for more money didn't go so well. The six words were shortened to three ("Stop calling me"), but the tone of voice was pretty much the same, and it wasn't a very pleasant experience. 
So what do these reflections on rejection have to do with The Raiser's Edge? Glad you asked. It's hard to run a nonprofit without the support of donors, but in order to obtain donations, you have to solicit prospective givers. Hopefully most people will respond well, but there will be some who close the door. The question is whether the door is completely shut and bolted or if they leave it open a crack, indicative of possible future donations.
As you manage your database, you may find it helpful to distinguish donors' levels of responsiveness using solicit codes. For instance, you may need to differentiate between someone who asks not to be contacted as opposed to someone who just wants to be contacted less frequently, someone who is anti-mail but is okay with receiving a call, or someone who seems like she's just having a bad day and needs a chance to refresh before you put your feelers out.
Solicit codes are conveniently located on the Bio1 tab of constituent records for quick reference. They also serve as an easy way to filter mailings and queries in order to include or exclude constituents accordingly.
By recording prospective donors' initial responses, you can adjust your approach to suit their requests. Respecting their preferences may help you budge the door open wider and shed your organization in a more positive light. Who knows? In time, you may even be able to code them with the "Call me any time!" solicit code.