One critical aspect of ensuring maximum benefit from your Raiser’s Edge™ database is maintaining data integrity. One way to accomplish this is through the use of data integrity queries. In this post, we delve into the top 8 data integrity queries in Raiser’s Edge™.

1. Name and Address in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS

Query: Create a constituent query that includes all constituents added in the last month.

Fields to Output: Constituent ID, Full Name, Address Lines, City, State, Zip

Frequency: Monthly

Benefits: Review the list to find those online donors who enter their information in all caps. This will allow you to identify and fix the issue before it gets out of hand.

2. Missing Contact Information Query

Query: Create a constituent query to identify records missing essential contact information such as email, address, or phone number.

Fields to Output: Constituent ID, Full Name, address lines, city, state, zip, phone, email

Frequency: Bi-weekly

Benefits: Helps maintain communication channels with donors. Allows prompt updates to contact information.

3. Missing Relationships for Organizational Records

Query: Create a relationship query for Organizations with no individual relationship

Fields to Output: Constituent ID, Org Name, Last Gift Date

Frequency: Quarterly

Benefits: Ensures that organizational donors have a contact that is up-to-date. Encourages others in the development department to collect contact information for sponsors and funders.

4. Outdated Actions

Query: Create an action query where the action date is before today but not marked as completed

Fields to Output: Constituent ID, Full Name, Action Date, Action Type, Solicitor

Frequency: Monthly

Benefits: Assists gift officers in keeping accurate records of their quality contacts with donor.

5.Pledges with No Payment Schedules

Query: Create a gift query, gift type is pledge with balance greater than $0

Fields to Output: Constituent ID, Full Name, Pledge date, Balance, Frequency

Frequency: Monthly

Benefits: Improves pledge collection because reminders are driven by the schedule put into Raiser’s Edge™ 

6. Soft Credits

Query: Create a gift query where the entire gift amount is soft-credited to more than one individual

Fields to Output: Constituent ID, Full Name, Gift Date, Gift Amount, soft credit recipient, soft credit amount

Frequency: Monthly

Benefits: Helps to mitigate the risk of double-counting gifts

7. Non-givers Query

Query: Create a constituent query to identify individuals who have never made a gift.

Fields to Output: Constituent ID, Full Name

Frequency: Semi-annually

Benefits: Identifies potential donors for targeted fundraising efforts, expanding your donor base. Ultimately, allows you to identify records that could be archived.

8. Constituent Code Query

Query: Create a constituent query to identify records with missing or inconsistent constituent codes.

Fields to Output: Constituent ID, Full Name, Constituent Codes

Frequency: Quarterly

Benefits: Standardizes coding across your database, improving data organization and reporting capabilities.

Conclusion

Maintaining data integrity is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness and accuracy of your Raiser’s Edge™ database. Regular use of these data integrity queries in Raiser’s Edge™ can provide your organization with reliable, actionable data, powering your fundraising efforts and helping you achieve your mission. Remember, the power of Raiser’s Edge™ lies in the quality of data it holds.

Stay tuned to our blog for more insights and strategies on making the most of your Raiser’s Edge™ database and driving your nonprofit's success through data-driven decision-making.