“How are we doing?”

Chances are almost every fundraiser hears that question at least once a week.  If not in a board meeting or from the CEO, then from colleagues sitting around at lunch.

It’s a normal and important question that goes beyond wondering if the organization is on track to meet its quarterly or annual fundraising goal. 

“Change in Revenue” is a vital metric that quickly leads to answers to important long-term questions involving your organization and its sustainability into the future:

• Are we ahead or behind last year’s revenue?
• Are we keeping up with rising fundraising costs and the cost of living?
• How are we doing compared to other nonprofits in our sector?

Thanks to the dedicated team at the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, the non profit sector is able to track fundraising performance throughout the course of the year. 

Have you seen the latest headline from the Q1 report?   Sluggish First Quarter 2018 Raises Concerns for Year-Long Giving Outlook

Q1 2018 shows a decline in donors and dollars.  How does your organization compare?

Here are a couple of tools to help you gauge your revenue trends:

• Track Change in Revenue with little more than a mouse click.  Create a DonorDashboard™ on your own, or we can do it for you.   
• Evaluate your change in fundraising revenue compared to the cost of living using the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Caity

P.S. Don’t forget to get your free copy of the special guide, “5 Vital Metrics to Monitor and Improve the Health of Your Fundraising Program”.