BEWARE! – this tale is not for the faint of heart…
On a dark and stormy night, a fearless Development Director sat at her desk, stomach growling (cause what nonprofit leader has time to eat?), when suddenly—CRASH! Lightning struck the server room!
When the smoke cleared and the modem re-booted, three ghastly apparitions appeared, each more terrifying than the last…
The Ghost of Meetings Past
The first apparition glided through the office carrying a briefcase full of nightmares and shame.
This phantom haunts those who dare enter funder meetings unprepared, lacking the sacred knowledge of giving history.
“Whooooo gave what and when?” it wailed, rattling its chains of missed opportunities. “You sit there stuttering, starting to feel numb, while your funder asks ‘What did we fund?’”
The horror! The embarrassment! The perfectly good partnership dissolving into awkward silence because someone couldn’t be bothered to update the donor records.
The Phantom of Annual Appeals
The second ghost appeared clutching a stack of misprinted letters, each one more painfully awkward than the last. This spirit delights in tormenting those who send appeals without checking their data twice.
“Dear Mr. Johnson… or was it Jackson? Maybe Jameson?” it snickered. “You called them ‘Mary’ when their name is ‘Gary,’ sent it to Boston even though they live in Austin! Straight to the trash—what a shame, it seems like you think they’re all the same!”
Watch in horror as major donors turn into minor frustrations when you misspell their names or thank them for gifts they never gave. Nothing says “we value you” quite like “we have no idea who you are.”
The Wraith of Tax Season Future
The final phantom rose from a mountain of returned mail and IRS notices, its eyes glowing red with administrative rage.
“Beware!” it shrieked, “The tax letters you send with amounts that don’t match, with dates that are wrong, will come back with a catch! The IRS is watching, the donors are mad, and your audit trail makes this organization look oh so sad!”
This vindictive spirit feeds on inaccurate donation receipts, growing stronger with every incorrect tax letter that gets returned, disputed or even never sent.
But fear not, brave nonprofit Ghost Busters!
These ghosts can be banished with the simple magic of accurate data entry, regular database maintenance, and double-checking your records before you send anything out into the world.
Provide comprehensive training on data entry standards. Take advantage of the training opportunities and webinars your CRM has to offer. Don’t let the work pile up, causing you to rush, compromising accuracy. A day once a week dedicated strictly to database maintenance will keep you on pace. Lastly, it’s ok to ask your team to review your work.
Remember: A clean database is a happy database, and a happy database means happy donors, successful meetings, and peaceful sleep (without ghostly visitations).
Sweet dreams… if you can manage them.
Don’t let these database disasters haunt YOUR organization. Contact our team to learn about donor database best practices and keep your records squeaky clean!
