Donor data migration to a new CRM can be downright frustrating for some nonprofits. Planning is critical. More importantly, however, you need to prepare for the inevitable decisions you will have to make during the process. In this webinar, we will examine 10 decisions for which every nonprofit needs to be prepared in order to experience a successful transition to a new CRM. Learning Objectives: Understand the CRM data migration process. Identify the key decisions that will be made along the way. Discuss pros and cons of decision options. Take away from the event a sense of preparedness and control over your next data migration project. Be able to apply what you’ve learned to other data migration projects at your organization.

1. &
present
10 Decisions
you will face with any donor data migration
?

2. Our Agenda
Please participate in our online poll while we
get organized for today’s event.
1. Overview
2. Some ground rules
3. Data migration - the process, the plan
4. 10 unavoidable decisions
– And what to do about them
5. Takeaways and Q&A
2

3. Nonprofit Data Services
Founded in 2013 by professionals with 20+ years of technology and data experience with
Fortune 500 companies, the federal government, and nonprofits
Offices in Washington, DC and Seattle, WA metro areas
www.thirdsectorlabs.com
LEVEL 1:
ASSESSMENTS, CLEANING
LEVEL 2:
DATA MANAGEMENT,
ENRICHMENT, MIGRATION
LEVEL 3:
WAREHOUSING, MINING,
INTEGRATION
!
3
Gary Carr
President, Co-founder
gcarr@thirdsectorlabs.com
linkedin.com/in/gpfcarr

4. Let’s get started
4

5. No decision is
still a decision
10 Decisions
you will face in any donor data migration
5
Highly degradable
… just like people’s
lives
As in
“unavoidable”
There is always
risk when you
move something

6. Data confounds us … why?
Confound, kon-FOUND, (verb), to perplex or amaze
- to through into confusion
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.”
• Sherlock Holmes
!
“Data is the new oil.”
• Attributed to many people
!
!
“Data is not the new oil, but instead a new kind of resource entirely.”
• Jer Thorp, in a Harvard Business Review article
6

7. Here’s the heart of the problem …
“Personally, the NSA collecting data on me freaks me out. And I’m
from the generation that wants to put a GPS in their kids so I always
know where they are.”
• Joss Whedon, screenwriter, director
!
!
We are feeling overwhelmed …
!
Big data = big confusion …
!
What data do we need … and what can we ignore?
7

8. Answering this question …
!
“What donor data do we need …
and what can we ignore?”
!
!
... sums up the purpose of today’s webinar.
8

9. You are here today because …
1. You are in the midst of a CRM migration and you are
looking for insights
!
1. You have a CRM migration coming up
!
1. You have completed a CRM data migration recently and
you are still wrestling with some problems
!
1. Data inspires you!
– Then you must want a job with Third Sector Labs ☺
9

10. Let’s set some ground rules
“Never tear down a bridge before you
know why it was built. It may be your
only means of retreat.”
10
- Winning general
- Smart technologist

11. Our data migration ground rules
1. Your donor relationships depend on data – all of them. Therefore
you need your donor data to be as “complete” as possible.
!
2. “Complete” = what you will actually use.
!
3. Your shiny new CRM represents your fundraising future, NOT your
past.
!
4. Not making a decision is still making a decision.
!
5. All data migrations start with an understanding of the process, and
they require a plan.
11

12. The process and the plan
12

13. It’s data moving time
?
13

14. The technical process
… into there
14
We shove all of
that …
01010100110111000101011000
11001010101010101010000101
10110001111100101001010010

15. The technical process … really
1.
ANALY
SIS
2.
MAPPING
3.
DATA
EXTRACTI
ON
4.
CONFIGU
RE NEW
DATABAS
E
5.
CREATE
IMPORT
FILES
6.
IMPORT
15

16. The technical process … really … REALLY
1.
ANALYSI
S
2.
MAPPI
NG
3.
DATA
EXTRACTI
ON
4.
CONFIGU
RE NEW
DATABAS
E
5.
CREATE
IMPORT
FILES
6.
IMPORT
16
Clean now or later?
Parse now or later?
Run test file
Re-configure database
Test import results
Re-import
Test again
Clean, parse?
Archive

17. Creating a plan
Actually, your data experts will
build the plan
!
You want to plan ahead and be
prepared … and ask better
questions.
!
Start with a checklist
!
Here’s one from the Third
Sector website.
http://3rdsectorlabs.com/resources/data-migration-
checklist/

18. Checklists

19. 10 unavoidable decisions
19

20. #1
Do we need data governance policies?
(by the way, what is “data governance?”)
20

21. Data governance
What’s that?

22. Correct answer
“Yes!”
!
Why?
!
Without policies and
standards, you won’t be able
to make the necessary
decisions to complete your
data migration.
!
There will be too many
unanswered questions.
22

23. Examples
1. Purpose
– For what purposes do we store donor / constituent data?
– What defines a “complete” donor record?
2. Processes
– What are our processes for data gathering / input?
– How frequently (and on what schedule) will we clean / update / enrich our
donor data?
3. Storage
– How long do we store old records?
– When does a prospect stop being a prospect and just become ‘bad data’?
– How many instances of an address or phone # or email do we store?
4. Security
– What are our data security standards?
5. Other … compliance? Systems integration?
23

24. #2
How many years of donor data do we
migrate?
24

25. Wrong answer
The data hoarder
in us all says:
!
“Bring it all!”
25

26. Correct answer
(Answering a question
with a question)
!
When was the last time
you logged into your CRM
and studied donors or
gifts older than 3 years?
“Start with 3 years”
!
Justify anything else with
specific use cases … not fear
of losing data
!
Archive the rest
26

27. #3
What about lapsed donors – do import
them too?
27

28. Hint
• This is a communications / fundraising problem.
• NOT a data problem
28
????

29. Correct answer: “It depends”
Option A:
“Segment your lapsed
donors upon import.”
• For newer, retention-based
CRMS like Bloomerang
Why?
You need a separate
outreach strategy for
lapsed donors:
- 2 or 3 communications
- New messaging,
targeted
- Anyone responding goes
into the new CRM
- Purge non-respondents
29

30. Correct answer: “It depends”
Option B:
“Do not import lapsed
donors.”
• If you can use your old system
• To manage the targeted
outreach campaign mentioned
on the previous slide
Why?
The majority of your
lapsed donors are probably
lost
- Don’t muck up your new
CRM engine with a bunch
of gunk
- Only bring over the
lapsed donors that you
re-engage
30

31. #4
What about data that we can’t / don’t
import?
31

32. Wrong answer
• “Keep trying … there’s
got to be a way to get it
all in there.”
!
• “But it all fits in the old
system!”
32

33. Correct answer
Why?
• Legacy data may be poorly
formatted
• Corrupt
• Doesn’t fit new CRM data
structure
• Doesn’t fit with new data
governance policies
• You want to be able to get
to it later … if you need it
33
“Archive it.”
!
• No, not in an actual file
cabinet …
• Microsoft Excel, Access …
something simple

34. #5
We have a couple of ad hoc text fields
with lots of notes – what do we do
about them?
34

35. Wrong answer
“We need text fields in
our new CRM database.”
!
“You never know when
we may need the
flexibility.”
L Name F Name Gift Notes
Abrams Sally $500 Born 3/4/74
Married, Dave
One child, Cindy
Michigan State
David Randel $250 Has vacation home
in Florida
Wife, Cheryl
Subscriber to
Forresta Jacque 4/17 – spoke about
giving; made
pledge
5/14 – followed up
Nevers Alicia $50 Only send emails;
do not direct mail
35

36. Correct answer
“Save it, and
parse it …
later”
Why?
• Don’t let a parsing project
interfere with a data
migration … it will slow
you down.
• The text data needs
analysis.
• The parsing potential
needs to be assessed
against your CRM
database.
36

37. What is parsing?
1. Analyze fields
2. Look for opportunities to
break data into multiple
fields
3. Export to suitable tool …
(Excel often works)
4. Separate the data in a
new file
5. Map the new fields to the
database
6. Re-import data in the new
file format
L Name F Name Gift Notes
Abrams Sally $500 Born 3/4/74
Married, Dave
One child, Cindy
Michigan State
David Randel $250 Has vacation home
in Florida
Wife, Cheryl
Subscriber to
Forresta Jacque 4/17 – spoke about
giving; made
pledge
5/14 – followed up
Nevers Alicia $50 Only send emails;
do not direct mail
37

38. The result
L Name F Name Gift D.O.B. Spouse Children Alma
Mater
Subscri
ber
Comm
Choice
Soft
Credit
Notes
Abrams Sally $500
3/4/74
Dave Cindy Michigan
State
All Dave
Smith
David Randel $250 Cheryl Yes All Has vacation
home in Florida
Forresta Jacque All 4/17 – spoke
about giving;
made pledge
5/14 –
Nevers Alicia $50 Email
38
Ground rule reminder:
!
“Complete” = what you will
use

39. #6
When should our data be cleaned,
before or after the data migration?
39

40. When was the last time
you cleaned your donor
Data hygiene polling data
data?
0.53
0.04
0.29
0.13
3 months
6 months
12 months
Not sure
40
*Data from TSL 2014 webinar attendees

41. Correct answer: “It depends”
Rule of thumb:
“Before migration.”
Why?
Only bring over clean data:
- Apply data governance
- Normalize
- De-dupe
- Purge
!
Post import:
- Append
- Parse
41

42. Correct answer: “It depends”
Exception to the rule:
“After migration.”
Why?
• If the plan calls for it
!
• If too many records are
co-mingled in a larger
database … uncertainty
about record ownership
!
• If there is migration
urgency
42

43. #7
We are three months into our data
migration project and we just figured
out that some data fields won’t translate
to the new CRM. What do we do now?
43

44. We feel this way, but …
44

45. This is not uncommon
1. This usually occurs after analysis, data mapping, CRM
configuration and initial testing is underway.
2. Then … Ah-ha!!
3. Some fields in the new CRM are not interpreting data
the way you expected .
4. How do you know?
– Reports look wrong
– Data seems missing
– Donor profiles appear incomplete
45

46. What to do
1. Stop the imports
2. Identify data gaps and mistakes
3. Re-map
– This can be tedious
4. Re-configure the new CRM database
– Do you need new or custom fields?
5. Create new test files
– Does the problem lie with the test file itself?
6. Then re-run your test imports
46

47. But be open minded
!
• If you can’t figure out a way for the new CRM to
accommodate the old data, you probably don’t need it
… and you were trying to hold onto it for the wrong
reasons.
47
Ground rule reminder:
!
The new CRM represents
your future, not your past!
• Is the real issue that the old
database is suffering from bad
data management practices
that the new CRM won’t
tolerate?

48. #8
We can’t agree on what data to keep
and what to purge. Can’t we just bring
it all over to the new CRM and decide
later?
48

49. Correct answer
“No!”
!
Why?
• You are stuck on one or
more data governance
policies that you don’t
want to follow.
!
• Work through the problem.
!
• Remember: archiving data
is your piece of mind.
49
Ground rule reminder:
!
No decision IS a decision

50. #9
Once the migration is completed – and
our data is rock solid – who should be
responsible for maintaining data quality?
50

51. Potential answers
1. Tech team or dba (database
administrator)
2. Marketing / communications
3. Fundraising
4. Consultant
51
(Just don’t expect this
level of enthusiasm)

52. Correct answer
!
“Any of them”
Why?
• All are good choices
• Depends on your org
structure
!
What is necessary:
1. Accountability
2. Budget
3. Manage data quality on
its own schedule
52

53. What do we know about data quality?
“If your data isn’t getter better, it’s getting worse”
-- TSL data scientist
!
!
“What? Harumph! Why?”
-- audience

54. Data DEGRADES!
Cause #1: your organization
– Lack of data entry standards
– Unskilled data entry workers
– Common mistakes
– Record fragmentation
Cause #2: the technology
– Multiple, disparate systems
– System upgrades
– Integration, processing errors
– Sheer volume of data
Cause #3: those darned donors … life!
This guy is not the problem
– Change in address … every 5 to 7 years
– Change in jobs … 9 to 11 jobs in a lifetime
– Family / life event … divorce rate, birth of children, death … what else?

55. Data quality “BIG THREE”
Three necessary ingredients:
!
1. Accountability
!
2. Budget
!
3. Schedule
– (separate from fundraising and
communication deadlines)
55

56. #10
Do we need a data consultant to
complete our CRM migration, or can we
just rely on our new vendor?
56

57. At the risk of sounding self-serving …
“Probably”
!
(unless you have in-house staffing
with time on their hands)
Why?
!
• You need one or more
resources who can:
– Extract legacy data
– Clean, normalize and purge
– Create import files for the
new CRM
– Create post-migration
archives
57

58. Remember the technical process?
1.
ANALYSI
S
2.
MAPPI
NG
3.
DATA
EXTRACTI
ON
4.
CONFIGU
RE NEW
DATABAS
E
5.
CREATE
IMPORT
FILES
6.
IMPORT
58
Clean now or later?
Parse now or later?
Run test file
Re-configure database
Test import results
Re-import
Test again
Clean, parse?
Archive
Who is doing
this work?

59. CRM vendor tech resources
• Want to receive a clean data set
• Configure the CRM database
• Import the clean data
• Get done as quickly as possible
!
Advice: Be sure to review a plan - including roles and
responsibilities - with your new vendor.
59
Ground rule reminder:
!
Data migrations require
a plan

60. Desired outcome of making these
unavoidable decisions
60

61. There are many
1. Future focused, ready to go
2. Clean data
3. No wasted money on per-record SaaS costs
4. No wasted time due to bad data clogging up systems,
exports, etc.
5. Better donor relationships
6. Improved fundraising results
61

62. Remember … even with a new CRM
garbage in, garbage out

63. In conclusion
63

64. Take-aways
1. Understand the CRM data migration process
2. Identify the key decisions that will be made along the
way
3. Understand your options, but make your decisions
4. Have a sense of preparedness and control over your
next data migration project

65. How we can help
Data basics
• Assessments, hygiene, management
!
Data intermediates
• Migrations, integrations, security
!
Data advanced
• Warehousing, mining, analytics,
integrations
65
Gary Carr
President, Co-founder
ThirdSectorLabs.com
gcarr@thirdsectorlabs.com
linkedin.com/in/gpfcarr

66. For your time and attendance …
and …
a special thanks to our host
66
Thank you!

67. We’d like to hear from you!
Please submit your questions…
67
Q & A

68. Extra slides for now
68

69. Suggested poll questions
1. Is it easier or more difficult to execute a fundraising campaign
today than 5 or 10 years ago?
– Easier
– More difficult
– About the same
2. How many technology systems are you using to execute the
campaign?
– 1 – 2
– 3 – 5
– 6+
3. Who is responsible for maintaining data quality in your
organization?
– Database / tech staff
– Marketing or fundraising staff
– Well call a consultant
– Not sure

70. The technical process … really
1. ANALYSIS 2. MAPPING 3. DATA
EXTRACTION
4. Clean now
or later?
5. Parse now
or later?
6. NEW
DATABASE
CONFIGURATI
ON
7. Test file
8. Re-configure
database
9. CREATE
DATA IMPORT
FILES
10. IMPORT 11. Test 12. Re-import
13. Test
14. Remaining
cleaning,
parsing
15. Create
archives
70
Steps most
people focus
on

71. Data quality vs. data degradation
“Data degrades”
!
• What does that mean?

72. Who is making sure you break down silos …
72

73. To achieve one complete view?
73
Aha!
Here she is!