The basics of connecting your digital donor data

Connected data is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days in the marketing world. Everyone is looking to use data to drive a better user experience that keeps people coming back for more.

For nonprofits, this means understanding donor behavior, creating more relevant messaging, and continuing to analyze and optimize along the way. Smarter campaigns lead to stronger relationships with donors. Connecting the data within your donor experience will help ensure your insights are actionable.

I’ve written before about the importance of measurement and messaging in digital channels. It’s a constant cycle of making tweaks and updates to understand what’s working and to deliver the right message to donors.

The path to a more mature digital fundraising program starts with proper tracking through connected data. With a better understanding of your donors, you can then take action—beyond just reporting.

In a perfect world, every nonprofit would have digital platforms that integrate seamlessly and share data with their CRM. The reality is that there are many challenges along that crusade for the “Holy Grail,” and most organizations aren’t able to achieve this easily.

But there are two other approaches you can take to connect your digital data. And the best part is that you can begin to implement these approaches right away.

I’m talking about UTM tagging and hidden fields. If you’d like to learn more about these tactics, how to set them up and what you can do with them, I recommend watching my recent webinar above.

And if you're curious about what donors want when it comes to nonprofits' use of their data, I recommend our research paper, "Donors and data: Where do we draw the line?"