QUT utilises information to deliver improved engagement strategies that aid in funding world-leading research

In 2021 the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) advancement team were seeking a way to enhance the efficiency of their engagement reporting and gain better insights into their donors and the performance of their fundraising programme.

Although the existing reporting system functioned adequately, the advancement team required an easier and more efficient solution moving forward. They also recognised an opportunity to enhance the quality of their fundraising reports and gain tailored insights into their donors to aid them in generating more meaningful engagement.

Dataro initially partnered with QUT in 2020 to assist in improving their appeal targeting using AI-driven donor predictions. When Dataro launched Fundraising Intelligence in early 2022, QUT realised this was the solution they required.

With Fundraising Intelligence the advancement team have discovered new insights that are informing changes to their engagement and fundraising strategy, which will deliver improved fundraising outcomes in 2023.

For example, by using the second gift rate and donor flow reports in Fundraising Intelligence, QUT found that the typical annual giving day donors were one-off contributors with a low lifetime value. In 2023, they will shift their focus and investment away from annual giving days to more relationship-based engagement activities.

Dataro’s fundraising technologies are enhancing QUT’s data-driven approach to fundraising and aiding them in making better strategic decisions to improve engagement and increase fundraising returns and impact.

Key results

• Empowered advancement team with an easy-to-use reporting tool

• Saved time on reporting and improved understanding of performance

• New reports on second gift rate and donor flows generated new insights

• Shifted investment in annual giving days to more sustainable relationship-based fundraising (appeals and major giving)

• Enhanced QUT’s data-driven approach to fundraising

How we did it

Fundraising Intelligence is a fundraising analytics and benchmarking tool that assists nonprofits in reporting on their fundraising performance and identifying opportunities for growth.

The live web app is directly connected to the nonprofits’ CRM data via an API and provides a library of one-click reports tailored to each fundraising programme. Reports are flexible, accurate and easy to use (no technical skills required) and allow fundraisers to benchmark their fundraising performance against other nonprofits.

In this scenario, Dataro’s Fundraising Intelligence was integrated directly with QUT’s CRM data using Blackbaud’s fast and secure API. Unlike other BI tools, integration with Fundraising Intelligence is completed in a few simple steps, with no additional cost incurred.

Once logged into the Fundraising Intelligence web app, the QUT advancement team were able to access the complete library of fundraising reports with live benchmarking data to analyse their performance across appeals, annual giving days and more.

Analysing the results

The QUT advancement team utilises Fundraising Intelligence on a nearly daily basis to measure the effectiveness of their engagement activities and shape future plans.

Fundraising Intelligence has bridged the challenges with QUT’s internal reporting system and resource gaps. It has equipped their advancement team with a suite of new fundraising-specific reports that are flexible and easy to use, generating better insights into their donors and fundraising performance.

Using the second gift rate and donor flow reports in the Fundraising Intelligence web app, the advancement team discovered that new donors acquired during their annual giving day had very low retention rates and responded poorly to second gift solicitations. Simply put, these donors were not the best prospects for long-term engagement.

Knowing that the annual giving day does not drive long-term donor support, less effort and resources will be invested in this activity going forward. Instead, the advancement team will concentrate efforts on identifying and retaining donors who are truly engaged with the University and their mission.

As an example, QUT have implemented a new retention strategy to thank all first-time donors with a phone call. They are using the donor flow report weekly to identify newly acquired donors and monitor their retention.