The metrics that will actually lead to improved fundraising performance will not be about tasking fundraisers but about creating the conditions that allow fundraisers to be successful.

The usual fundraising metrics have not:

• Reversed the public’s mistrust in institutions
• Stemmed the loss of giving households
• Slowed the rate of donor attrition
• Helped donors better understand the impact of their giving
• Substituted for the lack of major gift-worthy content
• Addressed donors’ declining interest in subsidizing organizations

Those metrics, therefore, are geared toward getting fundraisers to produce more without addressing the major obstacles in their way.

The new metrics must be focused on creating the conditions that will increase the chances of fundraising success. They could include:

• The number of major gift concepts that have been tested with current and prospective donors. How many have received a score of 4 or better (on a 1 to 5 scale)?
• The results of a donor satisfaction survey or interviews of top donors to determine the baseline score in the current year, then a plan to address the issues that donors have identified as needing improvement, and how those scores compare year over year.
• The results of service satisfaction surveys or service delivery assessments to quantify how well the organization is delivering on its mission promise for those it was established to serve
• The results of needs assessments to determine if there is a rising or falling need for the service provided by the organization and, if rising, what additional programs and investments will be required to meet that need

Without better organizational performance metrics, fundraising metrics are relatively meaningless and counterproductive. Fundraising metrics cannot compensate for organizations that don’t sufficiently address what donors have every right to expect.

Jim Langley is the president of Langley Innovations. Langley Innovations provides a range of services to its clients to help them understand the cultural underpinnings of philanthropy and the psychology of donors, and with that knowledge, to develop the most effective strategies and tactics to build broader and more lasting communities of support. Jim has authored numerous books, including his most recent book, The Future of Fundraising: Adapting to New Philanthropic Realities, published by Academic Impressions in 2020. 

Related Resources:

• Webinar: 4-Step Process for “Reimagining Fundraising Operations”
• The Power of Building Relationships: Why Donors Need Good Fundraisers
• Fundraising Metrics Vs. The Natural Rhythms of Philanthropy
• What Is and Isn’t Philanthropic