Maximize Your Fundraising Impact with Data-Driven Insights

Each month, the Wyoming Nonprofit Network highlights a specific topic impacting the nonprofit sector in its What We Are Learning email series. In August 2025, WNN focused on the impact of fund development evaluation and the ways it can improve an organization's efforts to raise funds. 

Start Thinking About Fund Development Evaluation

Whether it be an annual event or a one-time campaign, strategically evaluating a fundraising activity ensures that it remains aligned with organizational goals and can provide insights that will inform future resource allocation. Consider the pre-learning questions below related to fund development evaluation:   

1. Has the organization determined its key fundraising metrics, including funds raised, number of new donors, or increased online engagement, that it aims to prioritize through its annual fund development plan?  

2.  Before planning a fundraising activity, does the organization discuss and document what success metrics will be for the activity?

3.  After a fundraising activity, do staff and board members engage in a review of the activity that is supported by data?

4. Is data from previous efforts used to determine future fundraising activities?

Deciding Which Fundraising Metrics Matter

Evaluation starts with fundraising metrics. Deciding which metrics align with the organization’s immediate and long-term goals is the critical first step in fund development evaluation. As suggested by Wild Apricot, valuable fundraising metrics could include:

• Donor Acquisition Rate: Donor acquisition rates show how effectively the organization’s outreach efforts are in converting prospects into donors. If engaging new donors and further developing the organization’s donor database is a priority, calculating an activity’s donor acquisition rate is valuable.

• Donor Retention Rate: Donor retention rates show the percentage of donors who have continued to donate over a given period. It indicates whether strong relationships are being cultivated with current donors. A donor retention rate can help evaluate the success of an organization’s donor stewardship activities.

• Fundraising Return on Investment: Fundraising ROI measures the financial return the organization generates for every dollar invested in fundraising. For the most accurate metric, the organization should include the staff time needed to execute the fundraising activity. Calculating ROI is necessary to determine the most cost-effective ways to raise funds.

• Average Gift Size: The average gift size shows the average amount individual donors contribute. Understanding the average gift size for any fundraising activity can assist with donor segmentation and setting realistic fundraising goals.

For more information, including how to calculate each metric, read Wild Apricot’s “12 Fundraising Metrics Your Nonprofit Needs to Track.”

WyoGives Evaluation Tool

For those organizations that participated in WyoGives, the Wyoming Nonprofit Network is excited to share the WyoGives Evaluation Tool. With recommended metrics and reflection questions that can be discussed internally, the tool is intended to help organizations celebrate WyoGives 2025 and start the planning for next year’s campaign.

Didn’t participate in WyoGives? The metrics and questions included within the tool can be used to evaluate any online or in-person fundraising activity!

Access the WyoGives Evaluation Tool

Resources:

• Knowing the staff time being invested is critical for calculating a fundraiser's return on investment. For the most accurate picture of staff investment, consider using a time tracking tool for each fundraising event or campaign. Learn more about building a tracking tool from Early’s “Spreadsheet Time Tracking: How to Do It and Alternatives.”  

• Wondering how similar metrics can be connected to donor engagement and community awareness? Bloomerang recommends using data from the organization’s customer relationship management (CRM) software. Read “When They're Just Not That Into Your Event—And Your CRM Knows Why” to understand what “every click, reply, referral, and RSVP” can reveal about the organization’s fundraising efforts.

• Funding makes impact possible. Consider BoardSource’s “Measuring Fundraising Effectiveness” for perspective on investing in effective fundraising strategies as a means of strengthening mission.

What You Want to Learn Matters

Email Director of Learning and Development Tess Mittelstadt at tmittelstadt@wynonprofit.org with your feedback on the What We Are Learning email and suggestions on future topics.

The Wyoming Nonprofit Network amplifies, cultivates, and advocates for Wyoming's nonprofits.

Wyoming Nonprofit Network
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