Board Data Dashboard Cheat Sheet

 
 

So which data points are boards most interested in? We’ll start with the obvious and work our way down:  

  • Dollars raised, by activity and category, to date compared to last year 

  • Trends, year over year, going back over 5 years  

  • Number of donors in giving categories (small, medium, large, and major) 

  • Average gift in those categories  

  • Numbers of planned gifts and amounts raised from estate gifts 

  • Number of event sponsors, trends over the years 

  • Average years repeat sponsors support 

  • Donor cultivation data – visits, contacts, and stewardship 

  • Donor pipeline data  

  • Board participation numbers – event attendance, personal giving  

  • New donor data 

  • Acquisition list conversion rates  

  • Donor retention data and re-engagement data 

  • Appeal timing data 

  • Board referral data – friends and expanding circles of donors  

Each board is different, and based on your board and their interests, you might be collecting and reporting out – telling a story – using different data. Whichever data you’re tracking, remember that the data is not the full story. The story is the story. And the data is there to support, confirm, or maybe even move it in a whole different direction.  

Amanda Irwin