This document discusses how to use dashboards and visual displays to engage boards and staff. It begins with an introduction to Lori Jacobwith and her expertise in fundraising. The document then covers what dashboards are and why they are useful. It discusses common mistakes in dashboard design and provides examples. Different categories of nonprofit dashboards are described, including for business intelligence, status, accountability, and tracking. Ways to use dashboards to encourage action are presented. Sample financial dashboards are shown. The document concludes by asking the reader to identify ways they could use dashboards and create an action plan.

1. Using Dashboards to
Engage Your Board
& Staff
Lori L. Jacobwith, President/Founder Ignited Fundraising

2. About Lori
Lori L. Jacobwith
Ignited Fundraising
www.IgnitedFundraising.com
• 25 + years as Master storyteller, fundraising
culture change expert, trainer & coach.
• Recognized as one of the top 30 most Effective
Fundraising Consultants in the US.
by The Giving Show on the Wall Street Network
• Since 2001 has helped nonprofit organizations
raise nearly $300 million from individual
donors. And counting.
LJacobwith
@LJacobwith

3. Your Reality?
It’s a struggle to get others to say:
"Yes! I'll help with donor engagement tasks."
Board members and staff look away when you
ask for help at meetings.
Eyes glaze over when your team, especially
board members, review financial spreadsheets
and donor lists.
One of the most powerful ways to build an
energetic and helpful team is to create a clear
picture for them, so they can easily see what
needs to be done.

4. Quick Question
What is one thing you’d like to
learn about USING dashboards
and visual displays?

5. What We Will Cover Today
1. What are visual displays &dashboards
& what should they do?
2. Common mistakes designing graphs
& dashboards
3. Categories of nonprofit dashboards
4. Using dashboards to cause action
5. Sample financial dashboards
6. What will YOU include in your dashboards?

6. Visual Displays

7. Visual Displays

8. Worksheet
for Today

9. What Actions Do You Want Board & Staff to Take?

10. Make a list…
On your worksheet
Actions for Board & Staff?

11. Make your list…
On your worksheet
How do you CURRENTLY use Dashboards?

12. I. What Are Dashboards & What Should They Do?
“…a visual display of the most important information needed to
achieve one or more objectives, consolidated and arranged on a
single screen so the information can be monitored at a glance.”
~ Stephen Few, March 2004 edition of Intelligent Enterprise magazine

13. Fact: You are visually wired.
• Fifty percent of your brain is involved with
visual processing, and you can get the
sense of a visual scene in less than one-
tenth of a second.
• You remember 80% of what you see,
• 20% of what you read,
• 10% of what you hear,
• Color visuals increase the willingness to
read by 80%.
Dashboard Fact

14. • I. What Are Dashboards?
Why Dashboards?
Bring Attention to Priorities
Monitor Performance
Create Accountability
Simplify Complex Information
Motivate Action

15. • I. What Are Dashboards?
Bad Use of Excel

16. • I. What Are Dashboards?
Creates Bad Visual Displays
0
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Gifts >1000 Gifts 500-999 Gifts 250-499 Gifts < 249
Gifts Since Startup
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Gifts >1000 -Last
3 Years
Gifts 500-999-Last
3 Years
Gifts 250-499 -
Last 3 Years
Gifts < 249 - Last 3
Years
Gifts in the Last 3 Years

17. • I. What Are Dashboards?
Is This Any Better?

18. • I. What Are Dashboards?
Better Data To Share

19. II. Common Mistakes Designing Graphs & Dashboards

20. • II. Common Mistakes
A. Data Doesn’t Fit on One Screen & B. Too Much Detail

21. • II. Common Mistakes
C. Inadequate Context for the Data
When?
How much is left to
raise?
How much time to reach
goal?

22. • II. Common Mistakes
Some Context for the Data
Unclear when.
Unclear much is left to
raise.
Unclear how much
time left to reach goal.

23. • II. Common Mistakes
Better Context for the Data
Shows when.
Shows how much is
left to raise.
Shows amount of time
left to reach goal.

24. • I. Common Mistakes
D. Indirect Display of Data/Measures
~ Stephen Few, Dashboard Whitepaper,
2006

25. • I. Common Mistakes
D. Indirect Display of Data/Measures
~ Stephen Few, Dashboard Whitepaper,
2006
~ Stephen Few, Dashboard Whitepaper,
2006

26. • II. Common Mistakes
E. Inappropriate Display of Data

27. • II. Common Mistakes
Appropriate Display of Data

28. • II. Common Mistakes
F. Poor or Unappealing Design

29. • II. Common Mistakes
Poor or Unappealing Design

30. Primary Goals of Dashboards or Visual Displays

31. A Story Well Told?

32. A Story Well Told?

33. A Story Well Told

34. III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
A. Business Intelligence
B. Status
C. Accountability
D. Tracking

35. III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
A. Business Intelligence

36. • III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Business Intelligence
http://www.imamuseum.org/
June 2015
Mid 2014

37. • Business Intelligence

38. B. Status Dashboards

39. • III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Status Dashboards
Image Source: Mashable Blog: Is Give2ogether a Google Analytics for Philanthropy
Programs, Fundraising, Volunteer Recruitment…

40. Lori’s People: Clients, email subscribers, etc.

41. • III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Status Dashboard
Image Source: RoomToRead.org/OurPrograms

42. III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
C. Accountability Dashboards

43. “Accountability…
Being held responsible
for one's actions…
.
• III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Accountability = Success

44. 1. Establishing clear expectations;
2. Preparing people to meet those
expectations with needed training
and support;
3. Monitoring performance, and
4. Attaching consequences to the results
~ Source: London, M., & London, M. (2007). First-time leaders of small groups: how to create
high-performing committees, task forces, clubs, and boards. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons
• III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Four Necessary Ingredients for Holding People Accountable

45. Fundraising Committee Activity 2014
What’s Missing
From This
Dashboard?
= Mtg Attendance
= Table Hosts Recruited
= Thank You Calls
= Greeter at Events
= Guests to Tours
= Donor Event
Attendance

46. Image Source: MNCSU website
Accountability Dashboard

47. Updated Accountability Dashboard
Aligned with Strategic Framework
Focuses on performance trends & goals for
improvement
More comprehensive set of measures

48. • III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Determining Measures
• Strategic Planning Discussion
• Governance Committee
• Fund Development Staff & Committee
• Program Staff & Committee
• Where else?

49. III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
D. Tracking Dashboards
http://sxsw14.netvibesbusiness.com/#Welcome

50. http://www.netvibes.com/ljacobwith#Blogs_I_Follow/
• III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Tracking Dashboards

51. Discussion
1. What fundraising metrics do you
feel are important to track?
2. What metrics do you feel are
important to track for board
engagement?
3. What program metrics do you
feel are important to track?

52. IV. Using Dashboards to Cause Others To Take Action

54. • III. Categories of Nonprofit Dashboards
Encouraging Action
Image Source: RoomToRead.org/OurPrograms

55. • IV. Using Dashboards to Cause Action
Board Dashboards & Data Updates
Source: Blue Avocado A Nonprofit Dashboard & Signal Light for Boards

56. • IV. Using Dashboards to Cause Action
Board Dashboards & Data Updates
Source: Blue Avocado A Nonprofit Dashboard & Signal Light for Boards

57. Your Organization Name Here
Governance Scorecard Page 1

58. Your Organization Name Here
Governance Scorecard Page 2
What would YOU add?

59. Donor Data Updates

60. Donor Data Updates

61. Donor Data Updates

62. • IV. Using Dashboards to Cause Action
Campaign Updates

63. • IV. Using Dashboards to Cause Action
Donor Data Updates

64. http://bit.ly/HowToCalculateDonorRetentionInExcel
Easy “How-To” video on YouTube

65. V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Image Source: http://beyondfinancialsconsulting.com/

66. • Cash
• Net Assets
• Debt
• Working Capital
Over the Past/Present/Future
• V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Key Financial Information

67. • V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Key Financial Information

68. • V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Financials Should Tell A Story
Source: Nancy Lee, Nonprofit Consultant

69. • V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Financials Should Tell A Story
Source: Nancy Lee, Nonprofit Consultant

70. • V. Sample Financial Dashboards
Financials Should Tell A Story
Source: Nancy Lee, Nonprofit Consultant

71. List them on your
worksheet
Additional Ways YOU Could Use Dashboards?

72. Additional Ways You COULD Use Dashboards
Attendance at board meetings
Meals served, bed nights, other
program updates?
# of fundraising asks v. gifts received
# of students receiving a scholarship
# of thank you calls by board
members

73. VII. What Will YOU Include In a Dashboard?

74. • What To Include In a Dashboard
Agency Priorities
1. Program & financial drivers
2. What will move you forward
3. What will hold you back
4. Changes
5. Actions that need to be encouraged

75. Creating Your Action Plan

76. • IV. Creating An Action Plan
Your Action Plan
Write and Share:
1. What is one dashboard you’ll create after today?
2. What is YOUR next step?
3. What surprised you today?

77. Staying Connected
Lori L. Jacobwith
Ignited Fundraising
Fundraising Culture
Change Expert & Master
Storyteller
ENews: http://bit.ly/voa-enews
LJacobwith
@LJacobwith
Fire Starters Blog:
www.ignitedfundraising.com/blog
Books
Free Resources
http://bit.ly/voafreeresources

78. What Gets Measured is What Gets Done

79. Additional Resources
• http://www.ignitedfundraising.com/accountability-success/
• http://bit.ly/HowToCalculateDonorRetentionInExcel
• http://annkemery.com/portfolio/dataviz-for-philanthropists/
• http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/getting-beyond-nonprofit-
performance-assessment-with-data/
• http://blog.kurtosys.com/storytelling-data-visualization/
• http://forums.techsoup.org/cs/community/b/tsblog/archive/2015/
06/9/how-to-visually-show-your-impact-to-funders-with-silk.aspx
• https://www.silk.co/ - free for Nonprofits
• IV. Creating An Action Plan

80. Using Dashboards to
Engage Your Board
& Staff
Thank You!