Most people approach fundraising software as if the most important aspect is getting the data into the system. This is less than half the story. Your data is only as good as the output it enables you to create. If you can't generate output, your data is not working.

1. The Tao of Data
Cheri Weissman
March 6, 2012
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2. Protecting and Preserving the www.cjwconsulting.com
Institutional Memories of
Nonprofits Since 1993 (866) 598-0430
info@cjwconsulting.com
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3. Affordable collaborative data
management in the cloud.
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4. Today’s Speaker & Host
Cheryl J Weissman
President
CJW Consulting & Services, Inc.
Assisting with chat questions:
April Hunt, Nonprofit Webinars
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5. The Tao of Data Management
The care, feeding and productive use of
information
Presented by
Cheri Weissman
8331 Central Avenue
Morton Grove, IL 60053
866/598-0430
www.cjwconsulting.com

6. CJW Consulting & Services, Inc.
Earning the trust of the nonprofit community since 1993
You are not here merely to make a living.
You are here in order to enable the
world to live more amply, with greater
vision, with a finer spirit of hope and
achievement. You are here to enrich
the world, and you impoverish yourself
if you forget the errand.
Woodrow Wilson

7. CJW Focus
Our work is about memory: We help organizations create,
maintain and use data as institutional memory.
Elie Wiesel said, “Forgetting means the end of civilization, the
end of culture, the end of generosity, the end of compassion, the
end of humanity.”
Nonprofits work to protect and preserve culture, compassion,
humanity. Nonprofits rely on generosity.
We cannot forget.

8. What should data do for me?
 Serve as your Institutional Memory
 In an ideal world, you want ONE location that
everyone has access to as the “Go To” spot to find
any piece of information about any constituent.
 You cannot rely on data scattered in numerous
places
 Common access to data allows for “one version of
the truth”

9. Pivotal Reality
 Your data entry choices, along with the
capabilities of the software, will have a
major impact on your ability to define
groups or segments
 Your ability to define groups or
segments, along with the capabilities of
the software, will have a major impact
on your ability to output information

10. What’s data really about?
 One Word: OUTPUT
 Solicitations
 Board reports
 Volunteer applications
 Moves management tracking
 Volunteer schedules
 Event response reports
 Prospect profiles

11. EXAMPLE
 You are responsible for creating and
maintaining a roster for the board of
directors, which must include
 Name of board member
 Business and home address/phone/email
 Name of board member’s assistant and
phone/email
 Date member joined board
 Committees on which member serves

12. EXAMPLE
 You are asked to design a financial report
that lists donors of $1000 or more to the
annual fund. Information needed:
 Name/address/phone of donor
 Date, amount, type and payment method of gift(s)
 Designation identified by donor (where the money
can be spent)

13. What’s data really about?
 Two Words: DEFINING GROUPS
 Who gets solicited
 Who gets invited to an event
 Which volunteers can do the job
 Who CANNOT be contacted

14. EXAMPLE
 You are generating a mailing list for an
annual fund appeal. You want to be able to
include the following segments:
 Major donors
 Current annual fund donors
 Board, Staff and Volunteers
 Donors of the verge of lapsing
 Attendees at a recent event

15. How do I get there?
 Focus on quality input (entering data)
 Define and document data entry
standards
 Implement processes for regular data
checks
 Get staff the resources they need
 Training
 Cheat sheets

16. Pitfalls To Avoid
 Entering data needed for output that can’t
be exported correctly
 Entering data for the sake of entering data
 Every piece of information recorded should be
relevant, necessary in some way, accurate and
current
 Experimentation with data in your live
database
 Insufficient communication

17. Pitfalls To Avoid
 Creating data values that do not serve your
output needs
 Ignoring output formats/procedures when
entering data
 Inconsistent data entry
 Multiple-use fields
 Failure to document data
entry/management processes!

18. Data Management Standards
 How are names entered
 Address standards
 Addressee/Salutation values
 Gift entry
 Output procedures
 Mailings
 Reports

19. How do I start?
 If you have individual documents that
cover specific functions or policies
 Collect all such documents into one folder
 Print out each document
 Review carefully for accuracy and
effectiveness
 Organize and compile information into one
document
 Add necessary information

20. How do I start?
 If you are starting from scratch
 Steps
 Write Overview
 List any Prerequisites
 Describe the Steps in intimate detail

21. Describe the steps
 Using a precise, step-by-step approach, walk your
reader through the process. Make sure your reader
can reproduce your intended result by following your
exact steps. Make the learning process efficient by
supplying samples or details as necessary.
 Always write for the lowest common
denominator – the person who knows
nothing!
 Use examples

22. Describing the steps
 Remember – write for the person
who knows nothing!
 Walk through a process yourself
 Write down everything you do
 Keystrokes
 Menus accessed and selections made
 Decisions made
 Document the process
 Test yourself – repeat using your
documentation

23. Inform the user
 Documenting steps and keystrokes is enough
for certain types of users. Keep in mind,
however, that some readers will assimilate
information better if they see it in context.
 Provide reasons for things being done as
they are
 Remember that you are documenting
standards, not just data entry

24. Don’t make it a treasure hunt
 Documentation is more likely to be used
if it is easy to use. It is usually more
effective to repeat information rather
than to compel readers to hunt for it
 For example, if you are documenting
standards for address entry, copy the
standards wherever in the documentation
address entry is included.

25. Organize!
 Create a natural flow for the content
 Include a Table of Contents and
Appendix
 Glossary of terms can also be useful

26. Know when to say when
 Sometimes the hardest part about
documenting something is knowing
when enough has been said. Too much
explanation can cause the reader to
lose focus.

27. Resources
 Software manual
 Can help clarify
 Fills in blanks
 TechSoup
 Google
 Searching for “how to write software
documentation” returned over 6 million hits

28. CJW Contact Information
 Office Phone 866/598-0430
 www.cjwconsulting.com
 cheri@cjwconsulting.com
 Please contact me to:
 Receive sample copies of documentation
 Address any questions not answered today

29. Find listings for our current season
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