By Stacey Segal, COO Have you ever found yourself lost in a sea of acronyms, wondering if you stumbled into a tech jargon vortex? It's no wonder we feel like we're swimming in alphabet soup! In the digital era, nonprofit organizations use more advanced technologies to enhance their operations, expand their reach, and maximize their social impact. Among these tools, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Customer Data Platforms (CDP), Master Data Management (MDM), and Data Quality Management (DQM) stand out among the acronyms that can transform the way nonprofits operate. In this blog post, we'll explore how nonprofit organizations can effectively leverage these technologies to drive positive change and achieve their goals. Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI encompasses the replication of human intelligence processes by machines, particularly computer systems. Nonprofits can employ AI in various capacities to streamline operations and improve decision-making processes. For example, AI-powered chatbots can offer immediate support to donors and stakeholders. Additionally, AI can enable predictive analytics to anticipate donation trends, identify potential donors, and personalize communication strategies. Nonprofits may have security concerns regarding adopting and implementing Artificial AI solutions. Some of these concerns might include: Data Privacy: Nonprofits often deal with sensitive donor information and beneficiary data. Implementing AI systems may involve collecting and analyzing large volumes of data, raising concerns about data privacy and compliance with GDPR, CPRA, or HIPAA regulations. Bias and Fairness: AI algorithms are susceptible to bias, which can lead to unintended discriminatory outcomes, particularly in decision-making processes. Nonprofits will need to evaluate and mitigate bias in AI models carefully. Ethical Use of Data: Nonprofits must consider the ethical implications of using AI technologies, particularly in data collection, analysis, and decision-making. Concerns exist about the responsible and ethical use of data, including potential misuse or unintended consequences. Compliance Requirements:  Nonprofits operating in some sectors or countries need to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations governing the use of AI. This includes understanding data protection laws, industry-specific regulations, and ethical AI development and deployment guidelines. Machine Learning (ML): ML, a subset of AI, involves developing algorithms that enable computers to learn from data and make predictions or decisions. Nonprofit organizations can utilize ML algorithms to analyze extensive datasets, such as donor demographics and behaviors, to optimize fundraising campaigns and tailor engagement efforts. ML can also play a role in program evaluation and impact assessment, empowering nonprofits to measure and enhance the effectiveness of their initiatives. Some of the considerations nonprofits may consider when adopting ML technologies include: Cost and Resource Constraints: ML projects can be resource-intensive in time, money, and infrastructure requirements. Technical Complexity and Expertise: Implementing ML technology requires specialized skills and expertise in data science, statistics, and programming. Nonprofits may need more resources or technical capabilities to effectively develop, deploy, and maintain ML models. This could lead to more costs and investment in off-the-shelf technologies and partnerships with providers focused on the nonprofit sector. Customer Data Platforms (CDP): A CDP is a centralized system for collecting, organizing, and analyzing customer data from diverse sources to create a unified view of individual donors or constituents. Nonprofits can leverage CDPs to gain deeper insights into their supporters, understand their interactions across various channels, and deliver personalized experiences. By segmenting donors based on interests and engagement levels, nonprofits can craft targeted fundraising appeals and communication strategies tailored to specific audiences. Master Data Management (MDM): MDM involves processes, governance, policies, standards, and tools consistently defining and managing critical data assets across an organization's technology. MDM ensures the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of data related to donors, beneficiaries, programs, etc. By establishing a single source of truth through MDM practices, nonprofits can eliminate data silos, minimize errors, and enhance data quality. MDM and CDP are complementary technologies that provide a comprehensive view of customer data and enable organizations to manage and leverage data effectively. Many organizations ask, "Do I really need an MDM or a CDP solution or both?" Why might an organization select one or the other, or both? If your organization deals with complex data structures and diverse data sources, MDM can help ensure consistency, accuracy, and reliability across critical data entities such as donors, programs, or projects. On the other hand, if you primarily focus on managing donor data and require insights for marketing and engagement purposes, a CDP may suffice. Some of the reasons this question is asked include: Integration Challenges: Nonprofits may rely on disparate systems and databases to store and manage data, making achieving a unified view of critical data assets difficult. MDM solutions require seamless integration with existing systems and data sources, which can be complex and time-consuming, particularly in organizations with legacy IT infrastructure. Data Governance Issues: MDM initiatives often involve establishing data governance policies, standards, and procedures to ensure data quality, consistency, and compliance. For a host of reasons, some nonprofits may struggle with defining clear governance frameworks or enforcing data management policies across the organization, leading to challenges in maintaining data integrity and reliability. Resistance to Change: Implementing MDM may require changes to existing data management processes, systems, and organizational structures. Nonprofits may encounter resistance from staff or stakeholders who are comfortable with the status quo or are reluctant to adapt to new technologies and workflows. Data Quality Management (DQM): DQM tools aid organizations in ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of their data. They encompass features for data profiling, cleansing, enrichment, and monitoring to uphold high data quality standards. Nonprofits can leverage DQM tools to enhance the quality of their donor data, improve reporting accuracy, and adhere to industry requirements. Ultimately, DQM may be the key to successful AI, ML, etc. Because, after all, bad data is bad data and may result in bad outcomes. Some of the reasons a nonprofit organization may want to use DQM include: Enhanced Decision Making: High-quality data enables nonprofits to make informed, data-driven decisions. Improved Operational Efficiency: Poor data quality can lead to inefficiencies and errors in nonprofit operations. Implementing DQM practices helps streamline processes, reduce manual interventions, and minimize data rework by ensuring that data is clean, standardized, and readily accessible when needed. Cost Savings: Poor data quality can result in costly errors, rework, and missed opportunities for nonprofits. Investing in DQM helps minimize the financial implications of data inaccuracies by reducing the time and resources spent on data correction, reconciliation, and remediation. AI, ML, CDP, MDM, and DQM offer nonprofit organizations unprecedented opportunities to optimize operations, engage supporters more effectively, and drive positive social impact. However, nonprofits need to approach adopting these technologies thoughtfully, ensuring alignment with their organizational goals, values, and ethical principles. With the right tools and strategies in place, nonprofit organizations can harness the power of these technologies to create lasting change and make a meaningful difference in the world. Please contact us if you'd like to learn more about how your organization can benefit from these tools.

By John McManus, Principal Consultant Part 1 of 2 Text messaging is one of the most critical fundraising strategies right now.  Why is it so important? Virtually everyone has a mobile phone. If you want to upgrade how you fundraise, consider going beyond the traditional mail or email appeals. You have another effective way to request donations from your constituents is by texting them. The likelihood of your donors responding is very high. According to Constant Contact, “SMS marketing has a response rate of 209% higher than email, phone, or social media marketing.” Effective marketing begins with understanding your audience. Most of your donors will only read an SMS containing the call to action to donate instead of an entire email that includes the why and the story behind your fundraising campaign. However, your donors may wind up feeling like you're just asking for money instead of feeling like they are part of the journey.  It may lead to lower conversion rates and donors who don't stick around for the long haul.  You want to raise funds sustainably, not based on people's impulsive decisions, but you also want to build a meaningful connection with your donors and have them engage with your campaigns. So, with everything in life, you need balance. Let's discuss the five steps needed to hit your fundraising goals by incorporating text messaging as a key component of your fundraising strategy. Defining your organization's brand messaging will inspire your donors and make your organization's job easier. Your organization needs to start with a brand promise whenever you create a new campaign. So first, what is your organization promising to do for the world? This might be different from your mission statement. Next, you want to discuss your mission, vision, and purpose. Setting up a fundraising goal for each campaign is important. For example, if you have a text campaign, you want to know what content is engaging your donors and then set a goal based on how much you’re looking to raise. The story you convey in your text message needs to be a lot more concise and to the point than what you include in your email or social media campaigns. Therefore, you need to be realistic about the goals you set, especially early on in your efforts. Consider the donor engagement steps and take your donor down this communication path.  You can continue nurturing your donors by sending them regular text updates on your mission or cause.  Regular text messaging fosters communication, and your donors will get used to this form of messaging, ultimately enhancing this conversation and encouraging donations. Setting the right tone is essential to create a tailored message to your donors using things like their first names (or preferred salutations) and facts about their prior giving and engagement. You want to personalize your text message so that it will resonate with your donors. In addition, it's essential to consider the relationship between you and your donors and the campaign you are running. Finally, you also want to ensure that the call to action you use in your message appeals to your targeted market or donors, and you want to compel them to click through the message. Define the right audience to ensure that you are sending your text message to suitable donors. Based on your early results, you should be able to determine which donors respond better to text messaging than more traditional methods. Some donors may prefer one method of communication, while others may be receptive to a blend of communication methods. Most importantly, you want to ensure that you have an active mobile number for your donors when you send text messages. With Raiser’s Edge NXT, you can easily accomplish this by building lists based on demographics, communication preferences, and appeal response history. In the next blog post of this two-part series, we will explore the various Marketplace apps and their features that you can use to drive your fundraising goals with SMS text messaging.

Many people do a little spring cleaning this time of year. For your home, it’s dusting, organizing, and rotating your wardrobe. Clients who use our BrightVine Data Link (BVDL) product might want to focus on a different kind of spring cleaning—clearing out old BVDL staging table data. Staging tables are a set of custom tables within the Blackbaud CRM™ database that hold the import data when you are completing an import job. Clearing out these tables regularly is a best practice to ensure your system continues to function reliably and efficiently. Did you know that we include a custom global change for our BrightVine Data Link customers that aids in clearing out old data from the staging tables in Blackbaud CRM™? This global change allows you to specify a date range and/or specific import jobs and delete all records from the BVDL staging tables that fall within the input parameters. To configure and run this global change, complete the following steps: Navigate to Administration > Global Changes. Click the green Add button. Select the Delete BVDL Staging Data global change definition. Click OK. Give your global change a Name, and then determine the parameters you would like to set. For your date parameters, you have two options - relative dates and specific dates. The relative date option allows you to delete staging data based on a number of years, weeks, days, or months. The specific date option allows you to delete staging data based on a specific date range. You also have the option to clean up staging data for all imports, one specific import, or a selection of imports. Once you are satisfied with the parameters you have chosen, click Save. To run the global change process, click Start Process. You can also choose Create job schedule to set up a recurring schedule for the global change. For most organizations, it is best to run this global change either weekly or monthly on an automatic job schedule. However, the ideal scenario will depend heavily on how you use the BVDL. Here are a few things to consider when determining what is best for your organization. If you do especially large imports (record count in the millions) or run many imports (at least several per week), run your cleanup more often. Daily or multiple times per week may even be appropriate. If you only run small imports very infrequently, running the cleanup every other month or on an ad hoc basis might be appropriate. Do you often need to review old staged records and exceptions? Then keep your delete-by-date further back—perhaps only delete records older than six months or a year. Utilizing the relative date feature and a job schedule for the global change will allow you to automate the process, ensuring you stay up to date with your clean-up efforts. We strongly recommend this approach after you agree on a data retention limit with your team. Start clearing out the cobwebs in your Blackbaud CRM™ database today, and connect with BrightVine for any questions on the Data Link or using the custom global change to clean up your staging tables.