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Using Data Throughout Your Campaign

Updated

Overview: In your work, you want to know who to reach out to, how to reach them, and if your outreach is working. Effective data management ensures that you have accurate and reliable information, you stay organized - avoiding mistakes and redundant efforts, and that you can use your data to make informed decisions and track success.

The most effective efforts use data throughout the lifecycle of any action by following the following process:

  • Entry (collecting data)
    • Building a strong foundation by entering accurate and complete information
  • Maintenance (keeping data updated and organized)
    • Regularly reviewing and cleaning data to ensure accuracy
  • Reporting (using data to make decisions)
  • Analyzing data to track progress and improve strategies

After you’ve launched your data-driven campaign in Organizer, you’ll work with your Partnership Success Manager and Data Manager to set up data systems that fit your Organization and campaign needs. You may use the questions listed below to help set up data systems that you’ll use throughout your campaign and review best practices for data entry, maintenance, and reporting in Organizer. 

Data collection and entry

  • What data will be collected throughout the campaign? What data needs to be entered into Organizer, either via Organizer form or import? (i.e. 1:1 meetings, event attendance, volunteer sign-up)
  • What is the cadence or deadline for the above data to be entered into Organizer? Which teammate is responsible for each task?

Best practices for data collection and entry into Organizer

  1. Collect as Much Data As Possible
    • Provide complete details for First Name, Last Name, Address, Phone Number, and Email to maximize the chances of matching to Atlas by Murmuration
  2. Standardize Naming Conventions
    • Establish a consistent format for naming Communities, Outreach Efforts, and Custom Attributes to ensure clarity and organization.
    • Example for Outreach Efforts: [Date or Timeframe] - [Specific Detail] (e.g., Jan 2024 - New Volunteers).
  3. Use the Description Field
    • When creating Communities, Custom Attributes, or Outreach efforts, use the Description field to add helpful context or keywords.
    • Include relevant “tags” in the description (e.g., “Youth Outreach - Fall 2024” or “High Engagement Phone Bank”) to make it easier to organize your data later
  4. Use Custom Attributes Consistently
    • Create Custom Attributes to track specific details (e.g., “Volunteer Skill Level”) that are important to your work
    • Once created, make sure to consistently apply these attributes to relevant Profiles to organize your data
    • Consistent use makes it easier to filter, search, and analyze your data later
  5. Set Data Entry Guidelines for Your Team
    • Share a written set of guidelines or templates to your team for consistent data entry

Data maintenance

  • How often will you review data to ensure cleanliness? Which teammate(s) is responsible for this?
  • What is the process for ensuring data cleanliness? What tasks must be done, and what are the next steps if errors are found?

Best practices for data maintenance in Organizer

  1. Establish a Routine for Data Maintenance
  2. Set a regular schedule (e.g., weekly or monthly) to review and update data, such as ensuring profiles are tagged with the appropriate Custom Attributes
  3. Define Your Data Maintenance Checklist
    • Check for Missing Data: Identify incomplete attributes like missing Phone Numbers, Emails, or Addresses
    • Apply Custom Attributes: Ensure Custom Attributes are applied correctly and consistently to Profiles
  4. Archive Custom Attributes
    • Review Custom Attributes for relevance and archive inactive ones to keep data clean
  5. End Inactive Outreach Efforts
    • End outdated Outreach efforts to prevent further access while preserving historical data

Data Reporting

  • What metrics will you track to assess progress to goals? How often will you review these metrics?
  • Are there any data visualization or analysis needs you anticipate right now?

Best practices for data reporting in Organizer

  1. Identify Your Key Metrics
    • Determine what you want to measure–outreach attempts, volunteer sign-ups, etc.
      Focus on metrics that align with your campaign goals
  2. Leverage Custom Attributes
    • Filter data in Community Builder using the Custom Attributes that you have applied and maintained consistently
  3. Identify Trends and Patterns
    • Compare data over time or between other factors to spot patterns
    • Example: Did phone outreach in Region A get higher response rates than Region B? Adjust your strategy accordingly
  4. Take Action
    • After reviewing your report, decide what actions you can take based on the data
    • Think of actions as adjustments to improve your outreach or next steps to build on success:
      • What worked well, and how can you do more of it?
      • What didn’t work, and what can you adjust to improve?

 

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