Post on 15-Aug-2015
Using Dashboards to Engage Your Board
& Staff
Lori L. Jacobwith, President/Founder Ignited Fundraising
About Lori
Lori L. JacobwithIgnited Fundraisingwww.IgnitedFundraising.com
• 25 + years as Master storyteller, fundraising culture change expert, trainer & coach.
• Recognized as one of the top 30 most Effective Fundraising Consultants in the US. by The Giving Show on the Wall Street Network
• Since 2001 has helped nonprofit organizations raise nearly $300 million from individual donors. And counting.
LJacobwith
@LJacobwith
Your Reality?
� It’s a struggle to get others to say: "Yes! I'll help with donor engagement tasks."
� Board members and staff look away when you ask for help at meetings.
� Eyes glaze over when your team, especially board members, review financial spreadsheets and donor lists.
One of the most powerful ways to build an energetic and helpful team is to create a clear picture for them, so they can easily see what
needs to be done.
Quick Question
What is one thing you’d like to learn about USING dashboards and visual displays?
What We Will Cover Today
1. What are visual displays &dashboards & what should they do?
2. Common mistakes designing graphs & dashboards
3. Categories of nonprofit dashboards
4. Using dashboards to cause action
5. Sample financial dashboards
6. What will YOU include in your dashboards?
Visual Displays
Visual Displays
Worksheet for Today
What Actions Do You Want Board & Staff to Take?
Make a list…
On your worksheet
Actions for Board & Staff?
Make your list…On your worksheet
How do you CURRENTLY use Dashboards?
I. What Are Dashboards & What Should They Do?
“…a visual display of the most important information needed to achieve one or more objectives, consolidated and arranged on a single screen so the information can be monitored at a glance.”
~ Stephen Few, March 2004 edition of Intelligent Enterprise magazine
Fact: You are visually wired.
• Fifty percent of your brain is involved with visual processing, and you can get the sense of a visual scene in less than one-tenth of a second.
• You remember 80% of what you see,
• 20% of what you read,
• 10% of what you hear,
• Color visuals increase the willingness to read by 80%.
Dashboard Fact
• I. What Are Dashboards?
Why Dashboards?
� Bring Attention to Priorities
� Monitor Performance
� Create Accountability
� Simplify Complex Information
� Motivate Action
• I. What Are Dashboards?
Bad Use of Excel
• I. What Are Dashboards?
Creates Bad Visual Displays
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Gifts Since Startup
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Gifts >1000 -Last
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Gifts 500-999-Last
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Gifts 250-499 -
Last 3 Years
Gifts < 249 - Last 3
Years
Gifts in the Last 3 Years
• I. What Are Dashboards?
Is This Any Better?
• I. What Are Dashboards?
Better Data To Share
II. Common Mistakes Designing Graphs & Dashboards
• II. Common Mistakes
A. Data Doesn’t Fit on One Screen & B. Too Much Det ail
• II. Common Mistakes
C. Inadequate Context for the Data
� When?
� How much is left to raise?
� How much time to reach goal?
• II. Common Mistakes
Some Context for the Data
� Unclear when.
� Unclear much is left to raise.
� Unclear how much time left to reach goal.
• II. Common Mistakes
Better Context for the Data
� Shows when.
� Shows how much is left to raise.
� Shows amount of time left to reach goal.
• I. Common Mistakes
D. Indirect Display of Data/Measures
~ Stephen Few, Dashboard Whitepaper, 2006
• I. Common Mistakes
D. Indirect Display of Data/Measures
~ Stephen Few, Dashboard Whitepaper, 2006
~ Stephen Few, Dashboard Whitepaper, 2006
• II. Common Mistakes
E. Inappropriate Display of Data
• II. Common Mistakes
Appropriate Display of Data
• II. Common Mistakes
F. Poor or Unappealing Design
• II. Common Mistakes
Poor or Unappealing Design
Primary Goals of Dashboards or Visual Displays
A Story Well Told?
A Story Well Told?
A Story Well Told
III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
A. Business Intelligence
B. Status
C. Accountability
D. Tracking
III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
A. Business Intelligence
• III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Business Intelligence
http://www.imamuseum.org/
June 2015
Mid 2014
• Business Intelligence
B. Status Dashboards
• III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Status Dashboards
Image Source: Mashable Blog: Is Give2ogether a Google Analytics for Philanthropy
Programs, Fundraising, Volunteer Recruitment…
Lori’s People: Clients, email subscribers, etc.
• III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Status Dashboard
Image Source: RoomToRead.org/OurPrograms
III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
C. Accountability Dashboards
“Accountability…Being held responsible for one's actions…
.
• III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Accountability = Success
1. Establishing clear expectations;
2. Preparing people to meet those expectations with needed training and support;
3. Monitoring performance , and
4. Attaching consequences to the results
~ Source: London, M., & London, M. (2007). First-time leaders of small groups: how to create high-performing committees, task forces, clubs, and boards. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons
• III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Four Necessary Ingredients for Holding People Accou ntable
Fundraising Committee Activity 2014
What’s Missing From This
Dashboard?
= Mtg Attendance
= Table Hosts Recruited
= Thank You Calls
= Greeter at Events
= Guests to Tours
= Donor Event Attendance
Image Source: MNCSU website
Accountability Dashboard
Updated Accountability Dashboard � Aligned with Strategic Framework � Focuses on performance trends & goals for
improvement � More comprehensive set of measures
• III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Determining Measures
• Strategic Planning Discussion
• Governance Committee
• Fund Development Staff & Committee
• Program Staff & Committee
• Where else?
III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
D. Tracking Dashboards
http://sxsw14.netvibesbusiness.com/#Welcome
http://www.netvibes.com/ljacobwith#Blogs_I_Follow/
• III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Tracking Dashboards
Discussion
1. What fundraising metrics do you feel are important to track?
2. What metrics do you feel are important to track for board engagement?
3. What program metrics do you feel are important to track?
IV. Using Dashboards to Cause Others To Take Action
• III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Encouraging Action
Image Source: RoomToRead.org/OurPrograms
• IV. Using Dashboards to Cause Action
Board Dashboards & Data Updates
Source: Blue Avocado A Nonprofit Dashboard & Signal Light for Boards
• IV. Using Dashboards to Cause Action
Board Dashboards & Data Updates
Source: Blue Avocado A Nonprofit Dashboard & Signal Light for Boards
Your Organization Name HereGovernance Scorecard Page 1
Your Organization Name HereGovernance Scorecard Page 2
What would YOU add?
Donor Data Updates
Donor Data Updates
Donor Data Updates
• IV. Using Dashboards to Cause Action
Campaign Updates
• IV. Using Dashboards to Cause Action
Donor Data Updates
http://bit.ly/HowToCalculateDonorRetentionInExcel
Easy “How -To” video on YouTube
V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Image Source: http://beyondfinancialsconsulting.com/
• Cash
• Net Assets
• Debt
• Working Capital
Over the Past/Present/Future
• V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Key Financial Information
• V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Key Financial Information
• V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Financials Should Tell A Story
Source: Nancy Lee, Nonprofit Consultant
• V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Financials Should Tell A Story
Source: Nancy Lee, Nonprofit Consultant
• V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Financials Should Tell A Story
Source: Nancy Lee, Nonprofit Consultant
List them on your worksheet
Additional Ways YOU Could Use Dashboards?
Additional Ways You COULD Use Dashboards
� Attendance at board meetings
� Meals served, bed nights, other program updates?
� # of fundraising asks v. gifts received
� # of students receiving a scholarship
� # of thank you calls by board members
VII. What Will YOU Include In a Dashboard?
• What To Include In a Dashboard
Agency Priorities
1. Program & financial drivers
2. What will move you forward
3. What will hold you back
4. Changes
5. Actions that need to be encouraged
Creating Your Action Plan
• IV. Creating An Action Plan
Your Action Plan
Write and Share:
1. What is one dashboard you’ll create after today?
2. What is YOUR next step?
3. What surprised you today?
Staying Connected
Lori L. JacobwithIgnited Fundraising
Fundraising Culture Change Expert & Master
Storyteller
ENews : http://bit.ly/voa-enews
LJacobwith
@LJacobwith
Fire Starters Blog:www.ignitedfundraising.com/blog
Books
Free Resources http://bit.ly/voafreeresources
What Gets Measured is What Gets Done
Additional Resources
• http://www.ignitedfundraising.com/accountability-success/
• http://bit.ly/HowToCalculateDonorRetentionInExcel
• http://annkemery.com/portfolio/dataviz-for-philanthropists/
• http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/getting-beyond-nonprofit-performance-assessment-with-data/
• http://blog.kurtosys.com/storytelling-data-visualization/
• http://forums.techsoup.org/cs/community/b/tsblog/archive/2015/06/9/how-to-visually-show-your-impact-to-funders-with-silk.aspx
• https://www.silk.co/ - free for Nonprofits
• IV. Creating An Action Plan
Using Dashboards to Engage Your Board
& Staff
Thank You!