The Smarter Way to Convert Your Fundraising Data

Over the past 20 years JCA has seen the fundraising software industry evolve; from DOS to Windows, from client/server to ASP to SaaS, from data silos to enterprise solutions that connect directly to constituents over the Internet.  At JCA, we understand that no matter how well a software package functions and no matter how sophisticated the features, a bad data conversion will render the system useless and undermine user confidence.  From our experience in managing implementations, we have seen that the same vendors who have built best-of-breed software products often have unsophisticated data conversion procedures.  This need in the market inspired us to develop internal conversion software with the sole purpose of converting fundraising data.

When I started at JCA more than 10 years ago, there were four consultants responsible for all aspects of data integration projects, from meetings with clients to conversion programming, training and report writing.  As you might guess, we each had our own methods and preferred tools for completing the conversions. It was especially difficult for us to help each other on data conversion programming since we each maintained our own script libraries and frequently used different programming applications – a couple of us used FoxPro, others used MS Access, and occasionally various command line applications were thrown into the mix (remember this was a long time ago).

As the company started to grow, we decided it would be useful to consolidate all of our conversion programming and devise a methodology that would provide a common language and tool set. We had several goals for this project:

• Encourage more collaboration via software and methodology
• Enable less technically experienced consultants to assist with the conversions
• Establish a library of database and table structures for fundraising and ticketing applications that we encountered frequently

The result of this endeavor was an application we call FIDO.

Initially we developed FIDO using MS Access as a front end to MS SQL Server 2000 databases. We recently reinvented FIDO as a .Net windows application written in C# with an SQL Server 2005/2008 back-end.

When working on a data conversion of any complexity, substantial data cleanup is inevitable.  Most fundraising systems have similar high-level functionality (name, address, gift, pledges, etc.) but each software typically stores data very differently from the next.  FIDO was designed to allow every field, code and value within the source system to be reconfigured, recoded, moved or deleted  to feed the target system in a way that fits the needs of fundraisers.  In my experience, simple field-to-field mappings represent only a tiny subset of the work required.  A successful conversion may demand the reconfiguration of nearly every detail in a database, and FIDO helps JCA achieve this objective.  Here are some examples:

A Few Tools of the Data Archeologist: Tips for Preparing Data for Cleanup or Conversion

Examining a client’s database, whether in preparation for a data conversion or to plan an in-situ data cleanup, is a little like an archeological dig.  When we plan a conversion to or from the Blackbaud® software The Raiser’s Edge® , for example, we dig down through layers of historical strata to prepare for mapping.  This work can be very revealing as we work together to interpret the meanings of various records, create maps of where important clues may be, and wade through decades of an organization’s informational history.

In order to do this with our clients, we have developed tools that help us unearth and find patterns in the layers of information.  Let me share some of my trade secrets.

One of the most useful reports that JCA has developed to assist with system analysis and data conversion and cleanup is a Code Frequency Report.