Fundraising Fitness Test (FFT) - IGNORE OLD
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 100 performance indicators by five donor giving levels. In addition, the seven GiG Reports in the downloadable Excel-based FEP Growth-in-Giving (GiG) Reports template (revised and simplified) provide concise, yet informative pictures of fundraising gains and losses-growth in giving and attrition – in a simple, reader-friendly format that the executive staff and board members can understand.
All the FEP Fundraising Fitness Test reports and GiG Reports are growth-oriented fundraising tools for tracking growth in giving by various performance indicators, gift ranges and gain(loss) categories. GiG reports can show performance for the fundraising program overall, as well as for each fundraising activity, such as direct mail and major gifts. Based on these reports, fundraising managers can recommend detail-level strategies by gain/loss category for each fundraising activity.
Using the recently created Growth in Giving Database at the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS), FEP has developed the downloadable National Fundraising Fitness Statistics (NFFS). This Excel file (#6 below) provides Fitness Test users with comparative statistics in the same format of the 11 Fitness Test reports (over 750 performance indicators) for 6,314 small to mid-sized organizations.
Downloadable files:
- FEP Fundraising Fitness Test (Excel)
- FEP’s Growth-in-Giving Reports (Excel)
- “A Better Measure of Success: How to Use AFP’s Growth-in-Giving Reports to Improve Fundraising Performance” (PDF)
- Instructions for Fundraising Fitness Test and GiG Reports templates (Word)
- Instructions for Fundraising Fitness Test and GiG Reports templates (PDF)
- FEP National Fundraising Fitness Statistics (Excel)
To download the files, click here.
You can use the same simple set of instructions (#4/5) for extracting data from your donor records system for inserting into both the new FEP Fundraising Fitness Test (#1) and the earlier Growth-in-Giving Reports template (#2).
FEP Fundraising Fitness Test
In collaboration with PSI/Adventist, the FEP has developed the downloadable Excel-based FEP Fundraising Fitness Test (#1) 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 (#4) 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.
High Speed Fundraising Fitness Test
You are invited to participate in testing a new 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 Windows based computer. If you are interested in installing and testing the “executable” version of the Fitness Test, please contact Randy Fox, FEP Fundraising Fitness Test Manager or Bill Levis, FEP Project Manager, by email at fep@afpglobal.org.
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 (#4) 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.
Instructions for FEP Fundraising Fitness Test and GiG Reports 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. Go back as far as you can, at least 6 years if possible – minimum 3 years for the reports to function. 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.
If you have questions or suggestions regarding the Fitness test or GiG reports, please contact Randy Fox, FEP Fundraising Fitness Test Manager or Bill Levis, FEP Project Manager, by email at fep@afpglobal.org.
Read More
