DATABASE

ESSENTIALS

© 2012 The Balanced Act, LLC

Presented By:Gina Witz, PrincipalThe Balanced Act

DATABASE ESSENTIALS

DATABASE ESSENTIALS° Quarterback

° Taller than 6’

° Most starts behind the 20 yard line

° Left handed but throws with right° 3rd Round Draft

° First born Son Has 5 Older sisters

° Double consonants in last name° No gall bladder

BINGO!!!

DATABASE ESSENTIALS

GIGOGarbage In = Garbage

Out

DATABASE ESSENTIALS

Hold your

breath…

DIVE IN!Be prepared!

DATABASE ESSENTIALS

° Kitchen Appliance

° Has multiple racks

° Stainless Steel

° Shows no fingerprints

° Double Doors

° Easy to use, pretty to look at

DATABASE ESSENTIALS

Establishing a database in a process not an

event.

DATABASE ESSENTIALS

Evaluate Current Systems

- What works well? - What needs to work better? - What should we track that we can’t? - Is there a bunch of useless/outdated data? - How do we get what we need?

DATABASE ESSENTIALS

Ask for referrals and support - What system do you use? - Can you recommend a consultant? - What should we be aware of when selecting a new system? - Does your database easily provide reports, is it easy to use and maintain?

DATABASE ESSENTIALS

Clients

Donors

Volunteers

Case Management

Events Committe

es

DATABASE ESSENTIALS

Determine the data you wantthe database to track

#’s

DatesDollars

NumbersRelationships

DATABASE ESSENTIALSWill the database be large enough with room for growth

Will you use a consultant or staff to develop database

Customized or off-the-shelf software

What will the initial and ongoing costs be

DATABASE ESSENTIALS

Who will manage the data

How will we use the data

How can we evaluate the effectiveness of the system

DATABASE ESSENTIALS

Gina Witz, PrincipalThe Balanced Act, LLC

303-520-2155gina@thebalancedact.com