Nonprofit managers embrace analytics, at the same time as multi-channel approaches to fundraising, they find themselves facing the resulting multi-channel analytics.
That’s fine, but during the 2015 Bridge to Integrated Marketing Conference Michael Cervino of Frakture, Chris Hubbard of Thompson Habib Denison and Drew Seman of the Ocean Conservancy encouraged the use of multi-channel analytics, although they cautioned that first it is necessary to orchestrate the data.
That also means that because organizational data structures vary greatly, it is necessary to create a hierarchy that maps with the organization’s marketing strategy: common definitions and channel and sub-channel/programs, and create a flexible research environment.
Remember also that an event can be a channel by itself, and it is all right to have another category.
Once all that is in place, cross-tab the various channel dimensions:
- Channel category. Multi-channel or not (ever and in-year)?
- Channel summary: Combination of channels (ever and in-year).
- Program/sub-channel. Digital (social, paid, etc.), mail (DM, tribute, etc.).
- Has gifts in channel. Ever and in-year. One for each channel.
- Revised range by channel. One for each year (ever and in-year).
- Number of gifts by channel. One for each channel (ever and in-year).
- Contacts by channel. Promo count where available.
- Origin channel. First channel of gift.
