When I think of “research” and I review media coverage on nonprofit research tools and methods, I admit it overwhelms me. There are a lot of tools out there. What should I use? When will I have time to master any of these tools?

I have discovered that simple tools readily available are almost all you need, however. These are effective for honing-down messaging, learning what is popular (or not popular), identifying broken links that people are still trying to access and the like. Yes, I do remove some pages that readers have sometimes bookmarked when I decide they are irrelevant or somewhat dangerous (like my former page on cryptocurrencies). Sorry everyone.

On WordPress, the “stats” tab on the dashboard is always helpful. If you are on WordPress, which I recommend, the statistics are available to you free of charge. If you require greater depth of analysis, then the paid plans provide those insights. WordPress dovetails well with Google Analytics, which takes an even deeper dive into statistics generated by your website. I notice Bing Webmaster Tools provides similarly helpful information. Both services send me regular emails with statistical updates, and those are very interesting. Sign your website(s) up on those platforms!

The simple “stats” feature on WordPress is how I gauge the “Recent Top Reads” section on the front-page of Carolyn’s Nonprofit Blog. The current top “reads” I have posted focus on ethics, how I became a grant writer (and advice about how to become one), giving awards, working with professional advisors (a ever-growing trend), grant writing tips (and resources), and Baby Boomers.

I would like to point out that anyone managing a website and/or social media should not post only on topics that are popular. In my case, tough subjects need to be discussed regardless of how many likes and shares they receive. My blog isn’t trying to be the most searchable link on the Internet. It does seek to be reputable, honest, genuinely helpful, and to discuss important issues affecting the nonprofit sector from my viewpoint. I think this is good advice for the nonprofit sector as well.

I have worked in major gift fundraising for decades. If I get one or two views – even by unknown sources – and relatively few followers, I do not care. Think about it. The one or two who sought out my page(s) may be more than enough and the most meaningful ultimately. And although I do routinely clean up my blog on WordPress and my social media profiles, I also do leave older posts for months or perhaps even a few years. Sometimes it takes time for those items to be “found” online. Always consider your audience and your purpose for broadcasting information across social media.

Also, societal trends based on my recent WordPress stats lead me to believe people are switching careers and considering working in the nonprofit sector. Readers are concerned about ethics. They wonder about how to decide who should receive awards, how to engage with professional advisors (which is still challenging for nonprofit fundraisers today), they are interested in the finesse involved in grant writing, and how to engage with Baby Boomers (which remains American’s most philanthropic sector).

For a nonprofit I am assisting at present, I find the Facebook professional dashboard to be incredibly helpful. Because this group is highly engaged via Facebook, the insights Facebook provides are eye-opening. From them, I learned that our nonprofit is followed mostly by females and those in the Baby Boomer and Generation X age groups. Surprising to me is that many people accessing this Facebook page are non-followers. They are clearly attentive but perhaps we need to work on campaigns that encourage them to officially “follow” the page. Links and photographs catch their attention most of all. Videos are wildly popular (and we need to post more of those).

There you have it: the insights provided on Facebook have given me ideas for improvement, and a well-documented need for focused attention. And yes, I am a development professional working on social media. Those two functions need to be considered together.

I have to laugh that someone once remarked that this nonprofit – based in a rural area of Texas – is not “tech” savvy. But yet, I see on Facebook the exact opposite. They are on their mobile devices constantly (thank heaven).

Most CRM: Constituent Relationship Management platforms today provide research tools for reviewing those who have already donated along with prospective donors you may have entered into those platforms. But in truth, many nonprofit organizations are small, and they still operate off of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and Google Sheets, for example.

You might enjoy reading Candid’s, “The ‘Invisible Majority’: What We Know About Very Small Nonprofits” (2025).

If you are one of these small nonprofits (the 60% majority), consider uploading your spreadsheet into a CRM. Yes, it takes time (formatting!), but most software providers today offer staff assistance to you free of charge, and many do not charge your organization for having an account. They focus instead on receiving a small percentage of any online donations that may come through their systems. I think that is a fair and modest trade off. Then once you are on the CRM, clean up your entries and then learn about and make use of the donor research tools they contain. There are usually many self-help, on demand videos that help you learn how to do this within the CRM you have chosen.

Given society’s massive plunge into data, I would suggest that you rely on your instincts as well as what your data tells you. Sometimes the data can mislead you. This is one reason – along with the growing importance of data security – that I joined Apra: Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement. They host insightful webinars that focus on making the proper use of data, ethical data management, and how to review data and not be blind sighted nor misled by data. University advancement offices are well represented in Apra, but I would say all nonprofit development professionals need this kind of guidance, and the need will only grow.

Best wishes for a happy and successful summer!

Carolyn M. Appleton

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You may notice I did not discuss “AI” in this post. Most nonprofits are struggling trying to identify and adopt simple data management and related research tools. Having said that, Google has just updated its nonprofit support page, and you can find a link to the training page here.

Also, TechSoup Video on YouTube provides helpful discussions that I watch after the day is done. You might enjoy:

Read my post, “Social Media: Mature Fundraisers Make Ideal Managers.” I still find people who say donors and professional advisors are not visiting nor using social media. Please stop thinking that. They are.