By Steve MacLaughlin

Rating: 4/5

Three-Word Summary: Value over vanity

In the two years that I’ve worked in nonprofit marketing, data has long been a mysterious opportunity.

Even with all I understand about technology and the potential to harness this data goldmine, finding a successful strategy around leveraging data to effectively impact visible results has eluded me.

Which is exactly why I jumped at the opportunity to read Data Driven Nonprofits when it was released earlier this year. Not only was the subject on point, but the author comes from Blackbaud, one of the foremost leaders in nonprofit data management.

The book is chock full of helpful information. Almost too full, as I’m sure I missed some of it through my first reading. You need to deliberately read slowly to absorb all of the knowledge MacLaughlin shares through his experience and research.

Much of the information was new to me since my background is more in communications rather than fundraising. And honestly some of it was just over my head. But since using data to influence more organizational growth is the goal, an aim at fundraising makes perfect sense.

Data Driven Nonprofits has plenty of real-world case studies with recognizable nonprofit professionals and organizations. Added to that are several practical next steps on how to use this knowledge to make real change.

Just know that this is not for a novice. It offers helpful and impactful content on how to better your nonprofit. But this also assumes that you’ve got some experience in the field and know some of how nonprofits work.

Since those things both apply to me, I was able to glean a good deal of useful ideas from the book. Now if only actually applying them within my organization were quite as easy.