Resources | Advizor Solutions

News & Educational Resources

Here, you’ll find tutorials to learn how predictive analytics, relationship mapping and easy reporting can streamline your advancement and fundraising efforts.

Use the buttons below to explore our collection of articles, white papers, and posts to get the latest on data and analytics for fundraisers like you.

Webinars & Tutorials Client Testimonials Frequent Questions Studies & Papers News & Events

Webinar: Change Management and Using Data to Transform Major Gift Fundraising

December 17, 2019

Webinar: Predictive Analytics - Quantitative Modeling & Scoring Made Easy

December 3, 2019

Relationship Mapping for Fundraising Whiteboard Session

Relationship Mapping Tutorial: A Case Study With Dartmouth

December 2, 2019

Use the data that you already have on hand to find connections to your best prospects. Learn how Dartmouth College and ADVIZOR teamed up to create this new offering

Webinar: Key Metrics in Annual Giving Fundraising

December 1, 2019

Bob Burdenski joins with ADVIZOR to discuss a broad based survey on what to measure and how to improve annual giving performance

Webinar: Key Metrics in Major Giving Fundraising

November 30, 2019

and why Visits This Fiscal-Year-To-Date should not be one of them. Learn why the status quo is not working … and switch the focus from field officer activities to prospect cultivation. Check out some very different benchmarks and see how to use them to draw out stories, discover best practices, and develop coaching tips that drive larger gifts, quicker closes, and more revenue.

Webinar: How Many Prospects Should be Assigned to a Major Gift Officer

November 29, 2019

There are a wide range of views. Some say no more than 40, others deal out pools of 300 or more. We use data from our clients to help answer their question.

Webinar: Annual Giving - Using Existing Data to Segment Messaging & Improve Results

November 20, 2019

Key Metrics in Major Giving Fundraising Whiteboard Session

Whiteboard: Key Metrics in Major Giving Fundraising

March 26, 2019

Learn how to move from activity metrics to performance drivers, and create a transformational process for your major giving team. This 3 minute whiteboard session is based on extensive market research and proven client results. Guaranteed to open your eyes to improved results and ROI.

Webinar: Learn how to Bring Your Data to Life.

February 18, 2019

If All You’ve Got is Reporting You’re Doomed. In this tutorial we lay out a framework for how data discovery tools complement reporting and dashboards, and kill the “cycle of pain” of just having reporting.

Webinar: Predictive Modeling for Fundraisers

February 7, 2019

Tutorial on how to build successful fundraising models and where and how they can make a difference to your team... and why the work is best done by your team.

Webinar: Segmenting Major Giving Prospects With Data Analytics

February 6, 2019

Learn how to segment your prospects into "quadrants" and then how to develop differentiated strategies for each quadrant that will maximize your potential.

Dartmouth College using Advizor for advancement analytics

Predictive Modeling & Relationship Mapping: A case study with Dartmouth College

February 1, 2019

Learn how Dartmouth College is using predictive modeling in their day-to-day fundraising work, and how relationship maps are helping them find the best connection points to key prospects.

Best Practices in Healthcare Fundraising

May 13, 2018

A panel discussion with Boston Children's Hospital, Riley Children's Hospital, and Marts & Lundy

Picture of Colleagues business woman working

Tips and Tricks for Data Driven Discussions with Major Gift Officers

October 30, 2017

Using data to have conversations with gift officers that are honest, meaningful, and constructive can be challenging. Learn how UNC Charlotte is doing just that.

Creating a Culture of Analytics

October 29, 2017

Discussion with Wake Forest on how to get your entire team using data to make better and faster decisions.

Campaign Feasibility, Reporting & Analytics

April 29, 2017

Learn how to set targets, manage gaps, finish strongly and report crisply. Marianne Pelletier joins us to discuss practical approach with specific examples.

Donor Retention, Acquisition, and Appeal Targeting

April 27, 2017

Associate Director of Data Analysis at the University of Florida Foundation will show you how she creates segmented appeal messaging to exceed the recommended 2% yield.

Developing & Using Alumni + Patient Attachment Scores

April 25, 2017

Learn what these scores are, how to calculate them and how to use them with your team

Advizor product overview for analytics for fundraising

Advizor Platform Overview

January 24, 2017

Analytics and reporting for nonprofit fundraisers with Advizor

Security Visualization

December 12, 2016

Case study on how to use interactive data visualization and predictive modeling to find the needle in the haystack

Leveraging Patient Data in Healthcare Fundraising

June 11, 2016

Learn how to leverage Capacity, Patient Potential, and Advancement Attachment to identify and mange the best prospects

Using the Data That You Already Have to Find the Best Prospects

January 31, 2016

People spend fortunes acquiring data, hiring consultants building overly complicated models and investing in hosted platforms ... when they have most of what they need right at their fingertips.

Emory University

March 28, 2017

Julia Dimitrov, Senior Applications Developer/Analyst

Georgia Institute of Technology

March 28, 2017

Mark Sanders, Director of Development Information Systems

Ithaca College

March 28, 2017

Benjamin Costello, Director of Advancement Services

Northern Illinois University Foundation

March 28, 2017

Nathan Birtell, Acting Director of Prospect Development

Advizor Product Overview Video with Advizor

Medical and Health Sciences Foundation- University of Pittsburgh & UPMC

March 28, 2017

Paul Silver, Director of Prospect Management and Analytics

University of Georgia

March 28, 2017

Derek Clark, Senior Director of Advancement Services

How much data prep is required?

Usually none. We work with what you’ve got. You don’t need to build a warehouse, and you don’t need to rejigger the tables. Our light footprint in-memory mart can mix and load from whatever you have, the way it is. If needed, we can flatten and normalize tables once we’ve loaded them.

Can I load data from multiple sources at once?

Definitely. This is one of our strengths. Are your gift officer goals in Excel? No problem. Survey data just in from your reunions? Load it up. Just got clickthroughs and social media data? Let it rip. We can mix and load in production, and also on the fly as new sources are acquired.

What if our data is a mess?

ADVIZOR is very visual, and we can be incredibly useful at figuring out where you’ve got great data, and where things could be improved. This is particularly useful during a system conversion. And while there are often holes in the data, there is always enough there to get you off and running. Even with just gift transactions we can create useful giving and performance bins to help you find and manage the best donors.

What if we choose to move to a new data source system?

No problem. We have several clients who have just recently done this. Conceptually the data is the same, we just need to re-point to the new data tables and adjust our calculations and layouts. And, as mentioned above we can be incredibly useful during a transition by helping to figure out what data is useful, what needs to repaired, and so on.

How often do ADVIZOR models and scores update?

Usually daily. An ADVIZOR “project” can refresh from the data sources on demand, or based on a script. Typically ADVIZOR projects that are in production for groups of people are set to update daily. When that happens, all of our scores and calculations update with the new data. So, for example, if an alumnus had been to a reunion over the weekend, made a significant new gift, and joined a committee, then his attachment score would jump on Monday – perhaps from “engaged” to “highly engaged”.

How “flexible” vs. “black box” are your models?

We tune and tailor our models to the nuances of your organization. Every client’s prospects’ react differently. Reunions count more at some places, consistency of giving at others, event participation at others. We don’t believe in so called “black box” models because you shouldn’t be using formulas designed for somebody else.

How can we understand what’s behind your models?

While our interface is totally “point-and-click” with no statistics required to build and run models, we do provide the various weights and lift factors for you to examine and use. So it’s easy to see what’s going on. And since load and work with all of the relevant data tables in your entire dataset, you can immediately begin to explore the results and see how they layout across ALL of the factors in your database.

What if our team is not analytical?

No worries. No analytics required. Our dashboards are designed to make discovery and analysis REALLY easy. Patterns and trends shown visually jump out and “guide” you to ask questions to get to the answers you are looking for. We are totally point and click – you just have to be able to move and click with a mouse, or tap on an iPad. Even the non-technical user becomes an instant analyst! And if you are short staffed, our business consultants are here to help. We can work with your team in whatever way makes the most sense to answer questions, build models, and provide you with the lists and information that you need.

What if the people who you train leave?

We usually train a group, and provide supporting documentation both within and alongside our projects. And, or course, our consultants are always available to help out should the need arise.

What if our IT team is not available?

No problem. As long as we can get access to your data, we can take it from there. In fact, on average we need no more than 8 hours of IT time – to provide access to data at the beginning , installation of software prior to onsite training, and implementation of the nightly update process.

How often do we have to upgrade software?

We issue a new release every 7 months or so. Your choice as to whether you want to update based on the features in that release. Updates are easy – we’re a very simple install, and we guarantee backward compatibility with all of our projects. And, of course, if you run in our hosted platform we do the updates for you.

Is there a user community?

Yes!! We have an active advancement user community with a variety of people from our 100+ advancement client organizations. They participate in our online forum, monthly “refresher” webinars, and an annual user summit here in Chicago.

How do you measure ROI?

Good news is our clients are reporting strong ,across the board ROI. Returns are coming from:

Stronger closes rates and faster pipeline moves for major gift officers (because they see and share best practices)
Identification of and closing new large donors (because they can be segmented and prioritized based on data)
Higher yields and fewer appeal sends in annual giving (because can repeat what’s working, stop what’s not; focus messaging on clear targets)
Reduced workload on advancement services and IT for custom reports (due to self-service by end-users)
Gift officers more efficient (due to self-service list and information access)
More engaged senior management and directors meetings with fact-based decisions (because can answer questions with data “on the fly” in the meeting)

What are some of the cooler things that you do?

Relationship mapping
Attachment scores
Maps
Major and annual giving metrics
Newsletter clickthroughs and social media

5 Tips for Major Gift Officer Goal Setting

July 29, 2019

Predictive Modeling & Relationship Mapping: A case study with Dartmouth College

February 1, 2019

Learn how Dartmouth College is using predictive modeling in their day-to-day fundraising work, and how relationship maps are helping them find the best connection points to key prospects.

Predictive Modeling: Using Existing Data to Segment Prospects & Improve Fundraising Results

June 20, 2018

NEDRA 2017 Session Presentation

Emory University sees success in using Advizor for analytics

Emory University: Campaign Reporting & Analysis

December 30, 2014

Emory University partnered with Advizor to bring first class…

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center using Advizor for advancement analytics

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center .... TDWI 2018 Best Practices Award Winner in BI, Visual Analytics, and Data Discovery

November 18, 2014

Pitt Medical Center uses ADVIZOR to integrate advancement data with patient data to identify the best prospects.

Dartmouth College

November 7, 2014

Dartmouth creates donor segments from current pool, improving Annual Giving appeal yields.

Hematology Oncology Associates

November 6, 2014

Hematology Oncology Associates earns dramatic time savings by cutting down time spent budgeting. Next, they hope to next keep track of critical outcomes to ensure their standards of care remain the best.

Wake Forest University

November 6, 2014

Wake Forest uses ADVIZOR to put data into the hands of the people who need it for better fundraising results.

UNC Charlotte

November 6, 2014

UNC Charlotte has used data to identify best practices and drive constructive conversations with major gift officers.

Purdue University

October 6, 2014

Purdue started with Prospect Identification a few years ago, but has since added seven new ADVIZOR projects, most of which were created in house! Predictive modeling is their most recent addition.

Georgia Tech

October 6, 2014

Georgia Tech asks questions about their prospects and gets immediate answers.

Berklee College of Music

October 6, 2014

Simplying data analysis at Berklee results in data-centric discussions, leading to quicker turnaround on important decisions.

Northern Illinois University

October 6, 2014

NIU zeroes in on high-potential donors in Annual and Major Giving, driving their acquisition rates up.

Emory University: Prospect Identificatoin

October 6, 2014

Emory uses 20 projects as the cornerstone for change in fundraising operations, enforcing their motto "Win with Simplicity."

University of Florida Foundation

June 16, 2014

The University of Florida Foundation uses data discovery to segment and target prospects, eliminating the need for time-consuming querying in one clean sweep.

Alumni Relations Case Study: Dartmouth College

April 15, 2014

Using ADVIZOR in Trip Planning, Regional Clubs, and more!

Webinar: Change Management and Using Data to Transform Major Gift Fundraising

December 17, 2019

Webinar: Predictive Analytics - Quantitative Modeling & Scoring Made Easy

December 3, 2019

Webinar: Annual Giving - Using Existing Data to Segment Messaging & Improve Results

November 20, 2019

Punch Cards to AI and Everything in Between: Fundraising Times Are a Changing

September 26, 2019

5 Tips for Major Gift Officer Goal Setting

July 29, 2019

Let Advizor End Your Data Headache

July 9, 2019

Podcast: Innovation in Analytics, a Conversation with Doug Cogswell and Trent Ricker

June 18, 2019

Advizor User Summit 2019

May 29, 2019

Advizor Joins The Pursuant Group Family

March 11, 2019

Building a Prospect Model on A Single Prospect

March 8, 2019

We recently had this question asked of us: How do you build a…

Identifying Significant Prospects in your Donor Database

3 Ways To Identify Significant Major Giving Prospects In Your Database

March 8, 2019

How do gift officers identify the most significant contacts within…

ADVIZOR ships 7.2!

February 6, 2019

January 8, 2019 - In ADVIZOR 7.2, the use of color has been significantly enhanced to enable more effective communication.

7 Steps to Predictive Modeling with Advizor

TDWI 2018 Best Practices Award Winners Include ADVIZOR Customer!

June 26, 2018

Seattle, WA, June 25, 2018 - ADVIZOR Customer Named as TDWI 2018 Best Practices Award Winner in BI, Visual Analytics, and Data Discovery!

ADVIZOR Technical Overview 2018

June 20, 2018

Advizor’s interactive data discovery software goes beyond…

ADVIZOR Releases 7.1

June 20, 2018

June 4, 2018 - ADVIZOR announces big enhancements to this extremely cost effective and flexible datamart that can save you a lot of time and money.

ADVIZOR Releases 7.0

March 26, 2018

Jan 15, 2018

What is the Cycle of Pain?

September 21, 2017

The "cycle of pain" goes one of two ways: I have a question…

7 Key Steps to a Successful Predictive Model

September 21, 2017

We often see teams jumping at analytics tools before they've properly framed what they are trying to do. We see a ton of focus on the actual math in the models, vs. the process to set up for the model. In our work we recommend a process that has 7 steps.

ADVIZOR: Top 10 Manufacturing Intelligence Solution Providers of 2017

September 20, 2017

Advizor and Synthesizing Analytics-Ready Data. Check out our…

ADVIZOR: Top 10 Manufacturing Intelligence Solution Providers of 2017

September 13, 2017

Check out the September edition of Manufacturing Technology Insights's…

Fundraising Voices: May 2017 Interview with ADVIZOR President/CEO Doug Cogswell

June 9, 2017

May 2017 - Analyzing and reporting on Affinity and Engagement in Fundraising

Four things to know when cleaning your data

4 Things to Know About Cleaning Your Data

April 3, 2017

Here are basic steps to take to clean up and protect your organization’s data.

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News & Educational Resources

How much data prep is required?

Can I load data from multiple sources at once?

What if our data is a mess?

What if we choose to move to a new data source system?

How often do ADVIZOR models and scores update?

How “flexible” vs. “black box” are your models?

How can we understand what’s behind your models?

What if our team is not analytical?

What if the people who you train leave?

What if our IT team is not available?

How often do we have to upgrade software?

Is there a user community?

How do you measure ROI?

What are some of the cooler things that you do?

Solutions For

Site Map

Advizor Solutions, Inc.

Connect with us