Database Management: Everyone hates it. But everyone expects their database to act like it’s perfect when they’re ready to use it for reports or email marketing.
Nonprofit donor databases are the worst. Here’s an email I got from a client I’ll call Sam who’s trying to help a special cause he volunteers for: “‘The X Day School’s donor database is stuck in the mud with fundraising and interactive communication (name changed to protect the guilty). They use a program called ‘Acme Software’ (name changed to protect the innocent database software program). It’s a mess. They can’t afford a full bells and whistles fundraising database. So, I’m thinking, call Lori, and see what she recommends.”
Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, Sam, but my magic wand is already working overtime. Almost every nonprofit I’ve ever talked to or worked with has a screwed up database. But it’s usually not the software’s fault. It’s the users’. The unfortunate truth is, many organizations don’t value their data until it starts costing them money.
Typically nonprofit organizations have lots of turnover. And because everyone hates database management, the job gets delegated to the lowest level or newest volunteer. You know, the one who has good intentions, shows up, and the organization has no clue what to do with him, so they say, “I know! Clean up the database!”
But no one shows him how to use the software properly. There’s no money for software training. Which doesn’t matter, because the organization hasn’t ever adopted a proper database workflow anyway. The volunteer wants to do something, so he improvises. Then that volunteer leaves. His replacement comes in, and the whole process (or lack thereof) starts over again. Over time, the organization gets…stuck in the mud. No money to fix the problem, no time to prevent the problem and no clue how to dig out.
Nonprofits are certainly not the only organizations with this kind of database incompetence. It’s just more magnified in a nonprofit because there’s so much more turnover than in typical company. But as we like to say, no matter what kind of organization is coping with database disasters, “The fish stinks from the head down.”
Database incompetence can never change until leadership realizes that the organization’s database–its financial lifeblood–is the single most important asset they own. That means putting a paid, stable Database Administrator (please note capital letters–this is a real job) in charge and equipping this person with training and vision to do the job properly. Believe it or not, when you actually write a job description and interview someone for this position (even if it’s an internal hire), you find people who genuinely like to clean up disorganized messes. These people view the world differently from the majority of people who view database management as “grunt work” that’s beneath them. They take pleasure in:
- Moving “freelance” data entry information into proper data fields (or creating new data fields)
- Finding and combining duplicate records
- Filling in missing records
- Discovering contacts that have fallen off the company’s radar
- Documenting opt-out email addresses and flagging bounced emails so they can be cleaned up and their value reclaimed
- Streamlining a coding system for better database segmentation
But what about poor Sam and his desperate nonprofit’s incompetent database? What can he do right now to fix the organization’s stuck-in-the-mud database? Is it beyond redemption?
Here are 4 starter ideas, all of which have an element of torture to them. But remember that ounce of prevention, pound of cure formula? Assign that database administrator today to cure your company’s incompetent database management by:
- Exporting the data can into a spreadsheet
- Forming a “database committee,” and having everyone go thru the information record by record
- Paying someone to update ‘Acme Software’ with those changes. (If you don’t pay, and appoint a volunteer instead, this project will never be finished.)
- Getting the software trainer out to show the Database Administrator how to add new contacts to the database, track the money and potential revenue, code the donors properly (volunteer, board member, etc.) and do queries the right way for direct mail letters or email appeals.
All contact management software has limitations. But if an organization has already paid for its CRM software, it should try to work with it–the right way. If an organization is trying to manage its contacts off Excel spreadsheets or an Outlook address book, my recommendation is to get ACT! Software. It’s the least expensive, most user-friendly contact management software available. There are so many ACT! users (over 2 million worldwide) that it’s easy to find Certified ACT! Consultants to help you structure your database properly and help you keep your database maintained.
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