3. Understand your supporters

You can get some useful insights on who your supporters are and how they give to your cause by evaluating their responses to your fundraising activities in the last three years.

Start by making a list of all fundraising and communications activities in the last three years and evaluate their performance using the Return on investment (ROI) calculator provided.

Here are some important questions you can find answers to in your charity’s database.

Understand your supporters

• Who gives to your ministry?
• How much do they give? And which supporter audience provides the lion share of income?
• Which fundraising activities produced the best ROIs each year in the last three years?
• What are the supporter retention and attrition rates over the last three years?
• Who are your most loyal donors? (Create detailed descriptions – What do they look like? Where do they live? How old are they? What church do they go to? Why do they like your cause?)
• What are our three top opportunities to grow income in the next 12 months?

Answers to these questions can give can you a clearer picture of who your supporters are and how they give to your cause.

Make a note of any trends or patterns that show where you have been most successful in engaging with supporters and where there’s room for improvement.