In this episode, Nancy and Sarah recognize that fundraising can be overwhelming. Many nonprofit leaders set out with the simple goal of raising more money, which makes it hard to prioritize what to do. In this episode, we provide some focus around four metrics that matter the most. These are numbers that are accessible with any form of database. Having these numbers in mind will help you and your board prioritize your work.
Questions to reflect on before you listen:
How do you prioritize fundraising efforts now?
Discussion questions:
- What resonated with you about this conversation? What would you like to take back to your organization?
- Which of these metrics– retention rate, new donors, returner rate or increase/decrease ratio– would be the most difficult for you to calculate? Why? What can you do about that?
- How can you explain the importance of these numbers to someone who isn’t a natural at fundraising?
Words of the Week: Measure
What does this word mean to you and your organization? What is most important for your organization to measure in the year ahead?