Fundraising Effectiveness Project - Fundraising Fitness Test Tools
Welcome to the Fundraising Fitness Test download page.
Please read the entirety of this page before proceeding with downloads.
**Please note that many IT departments block executable (.exe) and macro-enabled files from downloading or installing, so you may need assistance from your IT department to run your own reports.**
High-Speed Fundraising Fitness Test Application
We are pleased to offer a faster-running executable version of the Fundraising Fitness Test that can process gift transaction files in a few seconds instead of the usual 30 minutes or more required for the current Excel-based template. PSI/Adventist has invested in development of an executable Fundraising Fitness Test application computer program that you download and install on your computer.
There are a number of advantages to utilizing the High-Speed Application, including:
- It replaces both of the much slower Excel-based GIG Reports and Fundraising Fitness Test.
- It will process huge data files in seconds (rather than 30 minutes for Excel-based version).
- It will run on MACS in a virtual environment (the Excel-based version won’t).
- It points to the sample data CSV file so copy and pasting your exported data is not necessary.
- If a problem is found with your data, it will point you to the exact rows for you to review and fix.
- If NO problems are found with your data, it will ask you to name the output file.
- It features a progress bar that flashes each time it populates an additional report.
- It creates PDF reports that are small and easy to share by attaching to emails.
- Results are guaranteed to be accurate (so cross-checking between reports is not necessary).
- It includes two bonus output report templates.
The data extract procedure is quite simple. You extract from your donor records system a gift transaction file with three fields – donor ID, date and amount – for each gift in your database. The export file should include 7 years of history if possible, so that all 6 years of the Trends Report will populate.
The same criteria is used for extracting data from your donor records system for inserting into the FEP Fundraising Fitness Test and the earlier Growth-in-Giving Reports template.
Please read through the instructions before downloading the associated files below.
Files:
- Download the Sample data file (.csv) - to be used to house your exported database data and used for all program files (the High-Speed executable or the Excel-based)
- High-Speed Fundraising Fitness Test (.zip)
Instructions for the Excel-based FEP Fundraising Fitness Test and GiG Reports Templates
This gift transaction data is inserted into the FEP measurement tools and all of the reports are generated “with the click of a mouse.” Note that retrieving gift transaction data from donor databases and entering it into the Fitness Test and GiG Report templates is usually an assignment for donor records and reports managers.
You can use the same simple set of instructions for extracting data from your donor records system for inserting into both the FEP Fundraising Fitness Test and the earlier Growth-in-Giving Reports template.
We have also included this YouTube video that will walk through the steps.
AFP’s Growth-in-Giving (GiG) Reports
The core Growth-in-Giving (GiG) Report provides a concise, yet informative picture of fundraising gains and losses-growth in giving and attrition-in simple, reader-friendly format that the executive staff and board members can understand. The GiG Reports are generated by inserting gift transaction data into the downloadable Excel-based GiG Report template. Follow the instructions for retrieving gift transaction data from donor databases and inserting the data into the GiG Reports template.
The GiG Report template automatically produces the “Core GiG Report” – the centerpiece of the FEP gain(loss) reporting package — along with 6 other GiG Reports that are also useful. The GiG Reports are cross-referenced to the figures and tables in the “A Better Measure of Success” article.
The article “A Better Measure of Success: How to Use AFP’s Growth-in-Giving Reports to Improve Fundraising Performance“ in the March-April, 2011, issue of Advancing Philanthropy introduces the GiG Reports, describes them and explains how to use them with CEOs and boards to help justify growth-oriented fundraising budgets.
There are two Excel options available for download:
- Please download this version - FEP’s Growth-in-Giving Reports Template (Excel .xlsm) - if you are using an older version of Excel (anything 2011 and earlier).
- Please download this version - FEP’s Growth-in-Giving Reports Template (Excel . xlsm) - if you are using the newer versions of Excel (anything 2012 to present).
*Please note that once you click "Run" the processing times of these files can be quite long.
FEP Fundraising Fitness Test
In collaboration with PSI/Adventist, the FEP has developed the downloadable Excel-based FEP Fundraising Fitness Test that allows nonprofits to measure and evaluate their fundraising programs against a set of over 150 performance indicators by five donor giving levels. The fundraising performance reports are generated by inserting gift transaction data into the Fundraising Fitness Test Excel template. Follow the instructions for retrieving gift transaction data from donor databases and inserting the data into the Fitness Test template. The performance reports can be generated for each year as far back as the gift transactions history goes.
Performance indicators include: donor retention rates (new donor retention, repeat donor retention and overall donor retention); donor gains, losses and net; dollar gains, losses and net; growth in giving ($); growth in number of donors; and donor attrition. Gift range categories are $5,000 & up, $1,000 to $4,999, $250 to $999, $100 to 249 and Under $100.
There are two Excel options available for download:
- Please download this version - FEP Fundraising Fitness Test (Excel .xlsm) - if you are using an older version of Excel (anything 2011 and earlier).
- Please download this version - FEP Fundraising Fitness Test (Excel .xlsm) - if you are using the newer versions of Excel (anything 2012 to present).
*Please note that once you click "Run" the processing times of these files can be quite long.
FEP National Fundraising Fitness Statistics
This spreadsheet can be used to compare your nonprofit’s performance against the average of 7,015 nonprofits, for any of the indicators and gift ranges in the nine Fundraising Fitness Test reports.
If you are unable to run your own reports, email your data export file to Randy Fox, FEP Fundraising Fitness Test Manager at fep@afpglobal.org and he will send back your PDF reports. If the attachment is too large, use the free transfer service https://wetransfer.com/.
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