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Solving Data Sync

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... to Work Together. Al Anderson. Director Membership Marketing ... Creating a pledge report allows MPR to format the data to match their data entry windows. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Solving Data Sync


1
Solving Data Sync
  • Online and Offline to Work Together

2
Presenters
Al Anderson Director Membership
Marketing Minnesota Public Radio www.mpr.org
Jim Shea Vice President, Technology ACCESS
International www.accessint.com jshea_at_accessint.co
m
3
Data Synchronization Strategy
  • Offline fundraising database is the master
    database
  • Collects data from multiple sources
  • Contains data not available in online databases
  • Insures online data reflects data from all
    sources
  • Fundraising application users can rely on a
    single database for information
  • Provides central database for all data analysis
  • Import as much data from online database as
    possible
  • Insures accurate exports
  • Prevents loss of data in online database
  • Maintain a one-to-one relationship between
    online and offline accounts

4
Data Synchronization Strategy
  • Create source and other related codes within
    master
  • Maximize the use of application functionality to
    transfer data
  • Implement processes to insure that data from
    online systems meet internal requirements
  • Manually review data as it is imported (if
    possible)
  • Implement data scrubbing routines to
    automatically correct common errors
  • Timing is everything
  • Master should reflect up-to-date information
    before extracting data for online databases
  • Imports exports should be scheduled to insure
    data is accurate prior to sending communications

5
MPR Renewal Notices
Preliminary Email
Expiration Email
Expiration Call
1st Notice
2nd Notice
3rd Notice
4th Notice
5th Notice
6th Notice
MPR utilizes email messages to provide
preliminary renewal and membership expiration
notifications. These messages notify the
recipient that they can easily renew immediately
and encourages them to do this by indicating that
doing so will allow MPR to forgo additional
renewal notices.
6
MPR Email Renewal Process Flow
Direct Mail Vendor
MONTHLY
Extract Email Renewal Data from Central
Fundraising Database
Import Email Renewal Data into Email Processing
Database
Generate Email Renewal Messages
DAILY
Export Renewal Pledges from Online Donation
Database
Import Online Renewals into MS Access Database
Generate Printed Pledge Cards for Online Renewals
Manually Key Online Renewals and Account Updates
7
MPR Email Renewal Data Flow
Data is extracted from the offline fundraising
database prior to each email renewal to insure
the appropriate accounts receive an email
message.
Fundraising Master Database
Fundraising Online Email Database
Fundraising Online Donation Database
Data Entry
Online Pledge Report
Creating a pledge report allows MPR to format the
data to match their data entry windows.
Email Renewals
Donation Site
Data is extracted daily from the online donation
database to insure the offline fundraising
database accurately reflects all donations and
account information.
Donors are given their offline fundraising
database account ID to key into the donation site
to insure their account is updated accurately and
to minimize the creation of duplicate accounts
8
MPR Pledge Drive Data Entry
Volunteers
Staff Overflow
Donors
Pledge Cards
Staff overflow and some volunteers use the online
donation site to enter pledges. The online
donation site includes an internal entry form
that allows MPR to apply the appropriate source
code to the phone in pledges entered by
volunteers and overflow staff.
Fundraising Online Donation Database
Data Entry
Fundraising Master Database
9
Other Email Renewal Strategies
Follow-up Email
Expiration Email
1st Notice
2nd Notice
3rd Notice
4th Notice
5th Notice
6th Notice
Follow-up email messages act as a reminder for
the member and provide an easy mechanism to
renew now without taking the time to write a
check and mail back their renewal.
10
Email Renewal Process Flow
MONTHLY
Extract Email Renewal Data from Central
Fundraising Database
Import Email Renewal Data into Email Processing
Database
Generate Email Renewal Messages
DAILY
Export Renewal Pledges from Online Donation
Database
Import Online Renewals and Account Updates into
Central Fundraising Database
11
Email Renewal Data Flow
Offline Fundraising Database
Utilizing the same online system for email and
donations allows you to easily link the account
information with the donation. This makes entry
of the donation easier for the donor, reduces the
processing associated with importing donations to
your offline fundraising database, and eliminates
the potential for creating duplicate accounts.
Online Database
Email Renewals
Donation Site
12
Email Renewal Data Flow
Having a separate online donation system may
require users to re-key name and address
information. If users must re-key account
information, then you will need to rely on the
donor to enter an account ID and/or rely on your
offline fundraising system to detect duplicates.
Offline Fundraising Database
Online Email Database
Online Donation Database
Email Renewals
Donation Site
13
Pledge Drive Data Entry
Volunteers
Staff Overflow
Donors
Pledge Cards
Online Donation Database
Offline Pledge Drive Database
Data Entry
fundraising Master Database
14
Pledge Drive Process Flow
DAILY
Export Pledges from Online Donation Database
Import Pledges from Online Donation and Offline
Pledge Drive Databases
Export Pledges from Offline Pledge Drive
Application Database
Key Pledge Cards into Offline Fundraising
Application
15
Synchronization Challenges
Including calculated variables in an email message
Online systems do not typically provide the
flexibility to allow you to include account based
calculated values, like ask amount, in an email
message.
To accomplish this
  • utilize the functionality in your offline
    fundraising application to calculate and/or
    include these values in the email export data
  • utilize the custom fields in the online database
    to import the calculated values
  • include the custom fields in your email to
    customize the message for each account

16
Synchronization Challenges
Managing processing lags data from multiple
sources
Data from online systems is not reflected
real-time in your offline fundraising database,
and donors may supply information through other
mechanisms in addition to your online
application.
To minimize data accuracy problems
  • implement procedures to insure data is imported
    from your online database daily
  • utilize features in your offline fundraising
    application to review and approve data as it is
    imported
  • utilize features within your offline fundraising
    application to prevent overwriting recently
    changed data

17
Synchronization Challenges
Preventing duplicate accounts pledge drives
Pledges entered in the online donation database
during an on-air pledge drive typically do not
include any indication that the donor has an
existing account in the fundraising database.
To prevent duplicate accounts
  • provide a mechanism on the donation site to allow
    the user to indicate that they are an existing
    member
  • make the offline account ID known to your members
    and provide a field for them to enter it on your
    donation site
  • utilize the matching procedures from your offline
    fundraising application to identify duplicates
  • utilize alternate checking procedures to search
    for other potential duplicates
  • diligently merge accounts in the offline
    fundraising database when duplicates are detected

18
Synchronization Challenges
Preventing duplicate accounts pledge drives
MPRs donation site provides a place for the
donor to indicate that they are an existing
member. This allows MPR to easily identify which
transactions apply to existing accounts.
MPR makes the ID number known to their members
and provides a place for them to enter this ID.
Having the ID insures that the transaction will
be assigned to the correct account.
19
Synchronization Challenges
Preventing duplicate accounts email responses
If your online donation application is different
from your email application, pledges entered as a
result of clicking the link in an email message
may not include an indication that the donor has
an existing account in the fundraising database.
To prevent duplicate accounts
  • check to see if you can pass an account ID in the
    email link to the donation site
  • utilize the matching procedures from your offline
    fundraising application to identify duplicates
  • utilize alternate checking procedures to search
    for other potential duplicates
  • diligently merge accounts in the offline
    fundraising database when duplicates are detected

20
Synchronization Challenges
Maintaining a one-to-one relationship between
offline and online accounts
An account with multiple email addresses in your
offline fundraising database typically must
become multiple accounts in your online database
or you must select one email address to use for
the account in the online database
Online Database
Offline Database
Online Database
jdoe_at_mywork.com
Becomes
or
Online Database
jdoe_at_mywork.com jdoe_at_aol.com
jdoe_at_mywork.com
jdoe_at_aol.com
21
Synchronization Challenges
If you
create two accounts
  • you must maintain the offline ID in a user
    defined field in the online database
  • be prepared to process account updates from both
    online accounts
  • condense to a single record prior to importing
  • offline fundraising system may accommodate
    multiple updates to a single account

create a single account
  • be prepared for when the user changes the email
    address on their online account to the address
    you did not use on their online account
  • Manually review changes and approve them before
    updating the offline fundraising database

22
Synchronization Challenges
Addressing household accounts
Online databases are designed to treat an account
as an individual and address the account by the
first name, while most offline fundraising
applications allow you to maintain multiple
individuals or households on a single account. To
accommodate this you should insure that the first
name on an account is appropriate for the email
address on the account.
23
Synchronization Challenges
Managing new online accounts
Online systems typically include a tell a
friend feature, which allows email recipients to
forward the email to others, who can in turn
sign-up to receive future mailings. This can
result in accounts within the online database
that contain insufficient data for creation of an
account in your offline fundraising database
(i.e. no mailing address).
For these accounts
  • implement a mechanism to collect more information
    from the account to determine if they already
    exist in your offline fundraising database or
    should be added
  • you can continue to maintain them in the online
    database until they make a donation and provide
    the data required to add them to the offline
    fundraising database
  • make sure you include these accounts in
    appropriate future mailings
  • implement a process to insure the source code on
    these accounts is updated to reflect the latest
    mailing

24
Synchronization Challenges
Managing bounce backs
Online systems track hard (e.g. email address not
valid) and soft (mailbox is full) email bounce
backs. This information must be processed in
order to maintain accurate online and offline
accounts.
For hard bounce backs
  • insure the account is contacted in another manner
    if the email was the only mechanism used to
    contact them
  • implement a process to update the offline account
    to insure that you do not continue to send email
  • implement a process to contact the account to get
    their correct email address

For soft bounce backs
  • insure the account is contacted another way, or
    with a second email, if email was the only
    mechanism used to contact the account
  • implement a process to review these account and
    identify those that experience repeated soft
    bounce backs as it may indicate that the
    recipient no longer uses that email address

25
Synchronization Challenges
Subscription management
Online applications typically allow a user to
both unsubscribe from and subscribe to email
groups within the application.
To maintain this information offline
  • implement a process to export this information
    and import it into your offline fundraising
    database
  • make sure you accommodate both unsubscribe and
    subscribe options

If you cannot maintain this offline
  • you should insure that this information is not
    overwritten by future imports from your offline
    fundraising database

26
Synchronization Challenges
Managing charge installment transactions
Online systems typically include the use of a
charge processing application (e.g. ICVerify) to
facilitate the processing of installment payments
at a scheduled interval.
Implementing this feature
  • can result in transactional data from the online
    system that does not distinguish between new
    pledges and installment payments
  • creates an additional mechanism that generates
    cash into your merchant account that requires
    reconciliation
  • requires unique coding to insure these
    transactions are not settled a second time by
    your offline fundraising system

Not implementing this feature allows you to
process all charge data through your offline
fundraising application and simplifies the back
end processes associated with charge transactions
27
Synchronization Challenges
Source code management mailing history
Online applications typically do not include
automated processes to create source codes for
each mailing and assign them to accounts.
Additionally, online applications do not maintain
historical source code information for each
account. You should utilize the source code
creation and assignment features of your offline
fundraising application when you extract accounts
for email mailings and import them into your
online database
  • send email messages in your online system based
    on source code assignment
  • insure that all source codes exist in your
    offline fundraising database and avoid errors
    when importing donations
  • maintain last contact source code on accounts and
    have it automatically assigned when importing
    donations
  • insure a complete history of contacts and source
    codes is maintained for all accounts
  • insure consistent analysis of all donor contacts

This allows you to
28
Synchronization Challenges
Assigning transaction source codes email
responses
If your online donation application is different
from your email application, pledges entered as a
result of clicking the link in an email message
will not include the email source code on the
transaction data.
To assign the source code
  • check to see if you can pass a source code in the
    email link to the donation site to save on the
    pledge
  • utilize the solicitation history/tracking
    features of your offline fundraising application
    to assign the source code based on the last
    solicitation sent to the donor

29
Synchronization Challenges
Assigning transaction source codes pledge drives
Pledges entered in your online donation site as a
result of an on-air pledge drive will not include
data to indicate the break that motivated the
pledge.
To assign the break
  • utilize the source creation capabilities of your
    offline fundraising application to create source
    codes for online pledges that mirror the source
    codes for call-in pledges
  • utilize the date/time stamp on the online pledge
    to assign the appropriate source code during the
    import process
  • if your offline fundraising system cannot assign
    source codes based on the time stamp then
    implement a preliminary process to assign the
    codes based on date/time stamp or segment the
    input records by date/time stamp and import each
    segment with the appropriate default code value

30
Synchronization Challenges
Source code management online only accounts
Accounts created within the online database
through tell-a-friend options are typically
assigned either a default or no source code.
Since this code can only be changed via a manual
process you should create a default source code
that will be useful for future analysis or
implement a process to update the source code on
these accounts each time you send them a new
email message.
Extract online only accounts from online database
Update online only account records to reflect new
source code
Import updated online only accounts to online
database
31
Synchronization Challenges
Managing pledge transaction codes
Online applications may hard-code some code
values (e.g. transaction types, payment methods,
payment frequencies, etc.) utilized on the
transactions.
When this occurs
  • utilize the scrubbing or correction mechanisms
    in the offline fundraising application import
    feature to change the values
  • create mechanisms to translate the codes prior to
    importing the data into the offline fundraising
    database

32
Synchronization Challenges
Mapping online codes to offline codes
Online applications provide flexibility to create
questionnaires that must be mapped to fields and
code values within your offline fundraising
database.
  • utilize the same code values in your online
    application that are used in your offline
    fundraising application
  • assign distinct code values rather than yes or
    no values for check box/radio button questions
    that will equate to a code value within your
    offline fundraising application

To minimize import issues
33
Synchronization Challenges
Pledge drive tally reporting
The process for importing data from an online
database to an offline fundraising database is
not efficient for reporting tallies during a
pledge drive. A process should be implemented to
add tallies from both online and offline sources.
Online Donation Database
Offline Pledge Drive Database
Pledge Cards
Pledge Card Tally
Pledge Drive Application Tally
Online Pledge Tally
Tally



34
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