Introducing the IoF Insight SIG Awards

After several years of successfully developing insight and analysis skills in the charity sector, the SIG is launching an awards scheme to recognise best practice and raise the profile of these increasingly important disciplines in driving fundraising performance.

Entries are now being invited for projects and initiatives in that charity sector that demonstrate the highly effective use of data, analysis and insight for the following categories:

1. Driving Strategy
2. Supporter Acquisition
3. Supporter development and retention
4. Innovation
5. Team of the Year
6. Supplier of the Year

Entry is free and individual submissions must reach us by 30^th April 2012 for judging in May.  A prestigious awards ceremony will be held in June 2012.  Further details will be published on the SIG website as they become available.

Please support these inaugural awards – feedback from our members indicates that good case study material is much needed to help raise standards in the sector and inspire individuals to leverage data to improve fundraising results.   Winning will increase your profile, boost morale and prove to your organisation the value your team delivers.

We have designed the entry form so that it is not onerous to complete and whilst we need results information for judging, sensitive information may be marked as such and treat in the strictest confidence within the process.

If you have any queries please email us at awards@insightsig.org or contact Janet on 07740 285 101.

We look forward to receiving your entries and wish you the best of luck!

Steven Dodds

Chairman

IoF Inisght SIG

We are pleased to announce new dates for our winter training courses.

Two are led by Stuart McCoy (DM Insight) and four by Julie Pitt (Plug the Gap)

Please contact Stuart or Julie direct to book a place on any of the courses listed; their details are labelled clearly within the brochure.

Please find the brochure here: IoF Insight Training 21-09-2011

Tuesday 29^th November 2011

Registration opens: 0930 am, conference starts 10am, ends 4.30pm
Venue: Amnesty International UK, Shoreditch, centralLondon

This year’s conference has a simple but compelling theme; a showcase of the strongest case studies we can find to demonstrate how analysis and insight has made a positive impact atBritain’s biggest charities.

Whether you work for a large or small fundraising organisation, these case studies will underline the power of analysis and show how you can increase the impact of insight.

Covering analysis techniques, insight resources and, most importantly, how insight was actually used to influence the bottom line, we’re confident every attendee will leave better equipped to make the same differences themselves.

Sessions include:

• How the RSPB’s insight-driven strategic review is helping to push the whole organisation forward
• The role classic analysis has played in opening new market segments for RNLI
• Other big charity speakers to be announced

We’re continuing to use the excellent and well-located facilities at AmnestyUKbut will be simplifying the event layout and agenda to accommodate more attendees – for those that have been before that also means no traipsing up and down stairs between sessions!

Prices including all refreshments and lunch are:

Note:  We are teaming up with the Small Charities Coalition to offer seven free places to their members (charities with annual income under £1m).  Look out for details in their newsletter coming out at the end of September.    If you are not already a member you can sign up at http://www.smallcharities.org.uk/

For queries please contact Liz Cook, email  liz@insightsig.org or telephone 0782 57 57 209

Warm regards 

The Insight in Fundraising SIG committee

Getting a truly accurate measure of life time value is a goal for many analysts but of course it isn’t easy.  Modeling behaviour into the future and the differing nature of recruitment channels make it tricky to create meaningful comparisons.

How can an analyst address these issues and serve up the robust numbers needed to base decisions on?

John Whitehead (Supporter Planning and Insight Manager at WaterAid) and Nigel Magson (Data Consultant) will share their views and experience.

Just as importantly, there will be plenty of time for attendees to discuss this topic and indeed any other during the evening, helped by the informal venue, light snacks and a drink or two.

Please book ahead as numbers are limited to 40 at the Devonshire Arms,Denman Street, two minutes fromPiccadilly Circustube (same venue as our last event in June)

Tickets cost just £5 and can be booked here http://insightsigseptevent.eventbrite.com

Any queries please contact Liz Cook on liz@insightsig.org.

(0782 5757209)

About the speakers

John Whitehead is Supporter Planning and Insight Manager at WaterAid.  He has worked in the charity sector for over 15 years, having previously worked for both the National Trust and John Grooms (now Livability).

Before that he worked in commercial marketing and advertising, including time at Air Miles, Evans Hunt Scott, CACI and Saatchi & Saatchi.  He is a Founding Member and Fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing and a Member of the Institute of Fundraising.   And he likes finding stories in numbers…

Nigel Magson has spent over 20 years in the data services industry. Along the way he’s become a Fellow of both the Institute of Direct Marketing and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Because of his special interest in not-for-profit marketing, in 2006 he co-founded the Insight special interest group as part of the Institute of Fundraising, aiming to raise standards for analysts working within the Charities sector.

Before he set up Tangible Data in 1996, he spent 10 years working for British Gas, where he managed the development of marketing databases used for direct marketing, business planning and modelling.

“In a tight economic climate, getting external context for fundraising performance seems as important as ever.

But can benchmarking really bring practical, actionable benefits?”

Abi Savvides Head of Fundraising Planning and Information at Alzheimers Society, and Allan Freeman at Freestyle Marketing  shared their views and experience at the event and their insight and time was much appreciated.  Cheers!

There was also plenty of time before and after the talks for attendees to meet fellow Insight professionals and develop their networks; all over a beverage or more and with a light buffet.  Apart from some noisy equipment rattling behind the bar the event went off without a hitch and was well-attended.  We hope to see you at the next one!

2010 Conference presentations available

For those that made it, and those that didn’t, all the documents are available from our website http://insightsig.org/resources/november-2010-conference/ Please, fill your boots.

Training

The Insight Special Interest Group is very pleased to continue to offer high quality training at excellent prices, starting from £45.

Information on other training courses and Insight activity can be found on our website: http://insightsig.org/events/training/

Good luck in 2011.

All at the Insight SIG

Forecasting; Classic RFV, Attrition & LTVs; Data Enhancement; Creative Research; Web & Online Integration; Social Media tools;  Analysis Technology and Recruiting analysts

If you attended or would like to see what was talked about the present decks used to stimulate discussion have been posted up to the website www.insightsig.org.uk and they are free to all to access.

Delegates heard from panel members from a wide variety of organisations including Cancer Research UK, RSPB, Breakthrough, Amnesty International, PDSA, and JustGiving.  Feedback from the delegates rated the day highly with over two thirds rating the sessions and day as excellent/good.

Nigel Magson, INSIGHT Chair, commented that “It was great to see that the sector is enthusiastic and engaged with getting insights from data to improve fundraising and organisational performance.  The case studies show that the sector has really come a long way in the adoption of more sophisticated techniques and technology.  Analysts are not only the drivers of fundraising income across a range of areas, they are also custodians of organisational insights that are key to wider organisational strategic direction.”

Linkedin

The group continues to foster the wider community of analysts and those keen to develop insight, and announced it has launched a Linkedin group in addition to its website.   Please join the group and conversation…

Training

Training is vital to development and the group’s training programme launched this summer and led by Stuart McCoy and Julie Pitt has had excellent feedback.  Attendees have been improving their skills on campaign testing, excel and excel pivoting.  Forthcoming courses are planned for February – please contact Julie Pitt.

The Torch Hypothesis

Some of the delegates were bemused by Nigel’s use of a torch in his opening address and he has explained it below for all those who were not thinking quite as laterally before their first cup of coffee!

Sometimes analysts need to challenge received wisdoms.  The Chinese believe that “Many hands make light work” and we challenged that hypothesis in the conference room and found it wanting.  Many analysts hands did not make the torch work.  A set of batteries would have. It was a null hypothesis.

Analysis can be like that.  It can lead you down blind dark dark alleys. We can be pursuing something we know might fail.  But as analysts we are not disheartened, we don’t stop asking questions and challenging received wisdom. We have to have faith. One day the torch will come on.

Even a null answer gives us insights.  For instance, at the conference we can see that analysts are not afraid to ask questions, and if they have multiple questions they raise two hands.  (Thankfully they also use deodorant!)

Enough said.

Through popular request from yourselves, we are pleased to initiate a benchmarking study to allow our membership understand the charity analysis landscape – how it is resourced, the tools and technology you use, and the areas of analysis you all engage in…

This is your survey, requested by you, containing your questions and now hopefully completed by you!   Please take a moment of your time, it shouldn’t take you too long. All individual responses will be treated anonymously.   The deadline for the survey is 5pm on Tuesday 2nd November.  To complete the survey, please click through here http://www.ccb-research.com/1316Live/AutoWeb.asp

We will be making the result of the survey available to all, and giving a debrief at our forthcoming conference “Unleash your inner analyst” to be held at Amnesty on 30th November.  More details can be found on this event at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/916109107 – please get booking!

Want to develop your analysis knowledge and skills?  Want to derive insight and make your fundraising more effective? Want to find out best practice from around the industry? Want to discuss your own experiences and learn from others.

Of course you do. That’s why you joined the INSIGHT SIG.   Well please put the 30th November in your diary.  It will be at Amnesty all day, and of course we’ll sort out lunch, drinks and alright biscuits to go with the tea – if you’re lucky.

We are going to try a slightly different format this year – with workshops and discussion panels – so please come prepared to contribute to the sessions your experiences and knowledge – we can all learn from each other.

So we will be setting up a number of workshops and discussion groups to cover areas such as:

• Developing and using forecasting
• Enhancing data and how this benefits your analysis
• RFV, LTV, attrition
• Web & Social Media Analysis
• Segmentation (CRUK case study)
• Campaign Testing and Analysis
• Tools for the Analyst

Developing your analysis function and core competencies for analysts

If there’s something missing that you would like us to cover, well please tell us.  If we think it’s not too esoteric and we can source a panel to cover the topic we will.  Please note the term “panel” – if you are interested in being involved on a panel, put your hand-up too – please don’t be shy.

Get in early and reserve your place. Please click through to our booking engine here.   We look forward to seeing you there.

Best

Nigel Magson

On behalf of all the Insight SIG committee

Visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/916109107 to book your place.