Thinking back to a past blog post, “8 Key Fundraising Strategies Your Non-Profit Needs to Have in Place This Year,” a post on Donor Engagement Scoring seems aptly timed. When your organization puts together smart fundraising goals and plans, it is vital to be able to keep track of their efficacy, which is why the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) recommends measuring engagement to determine how your organization is doing with your donor base by measuring what can be measured, assessing the importance, and assigning points.
Within StratusLIVE 365, Engagement Scoring is a means for measuring and ranking donor involvement with your organization. Using the Engagement Scoring functionality will enable your organization with new ways to prospect your constituents, gain more insight as to where your donors are in their giving life cycle, better target your organization’s message, and further connect with your donors.
While there is no one-size-fits-all way of assigning Engagement Scores, StratusLIVE 365 currently offers the following Engagement Score Types in accordance with the AFP guidelines:
| 2-5 Years since last gift | Managed/Assigned |
| 6-10 Years since last gift | Parent |
| Alumnus | Patient |
| Attended an Event | Patient Family |
| Board Member | Researched |
| Current Campaign Prospect | Staff |
| Current Won Campaign Prospect | Trustee |
| Donor | Visited |
| Gave 5 or more Gifts | Volunteered |
| Less than 2 years since last gift |
As your organization begins to implement an Engagement Scoring model, keep the following tips in mind:
1. Start small and stay focused
Start by measuring just the key performance indicators (KPIs) for your organization.
2. Document your model
Ensure all members of your organization agree upon what the engagement score means, the metrics and values being measured, and how you will account for historical data.
3. Update the scoring values
Adjust the point values assigned to different measures over time as your engagement strategy grows and shifts.
4. Determine how you will use the scores
Make sure the scores are visible to all members of your team so they can use them to increase donor retention as well as implement them as a prospecting tool.
