When it comes to nonprofit marketing, it is important to understand commonly used data enrichment tools. Two segmentation approaches—data appends and wealth screenings—serve different purposes. Let’s explore the differences:

Data Appends to Enhance Segmentation and Marketing

A data append is ideal for broad-based segmentation and marketing efforts, rather than individual donor prospecting. It involves updating or adding data fields to your existing donor file using third-party sources and can include:

• Demographic information.
• Property ownership data.
• Indicators of wealth and lifestyle.

Discovering this information allows you to create targeted marketing messages and develop smarter segmentation strategies. For instance, understanding the typical age, wealth indicators or geographic distribution of your donor base helps you promote giving vehicles (e.g., planned giving, major gifts, annual giving, etc.) that appeal to each segment.

An append can also paint a clearer picture of your overall donor profile, allowing your organization to adjust strategies to attract new donors.

Wealth Screenings as a Tool for Major Gift Fundraising

A wealth screening is more precise and more expensive than a data append. It is used to gather detailed, individual-level data to identify specific donors by revealing the donor’s capacity to give, allowing the fundraiser to tailor their asks accordingly.

A wealth screening is generally reserved for donors who have already been identified as potential major gift prospects because it will provide granular insights for one-on-one solicitations.

Maximizing Data Append Results

The effectiveness of any data append depends significantly on the quality of your data. To maximize match rates, it is essential to supply complete records: titles, salutations, suffixes and other identifying details. Incomplete entries can lead to mismatches.

At Sharpe Group, we work with a vendor who is known for obtaining the highest match rates and uses a wide array of public government data sources, such as utility records, property data, county courthouse filings, census information and even birth and death records.

Not Always Perfect

While the accuracy of Sharpe Group’s appended data is high, mismatches can happen, especially when records are ambiguous or out of date. To avoid errors, we recommend manually reviewing all deceased flags before permanently removing any records from your donor list. Public records can sometimes misidentify surviving spouses as deceased. For example, if Mr. James Smith passes away, a record might incorrectly flag Mrs. James Smith as deceased due to shared household information.

Depending on your budget and overall needs, leveraging one or both data tools will ensure you’re engaging your donors and prospects with the right message, at the right time and in the right way.