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Analyze Campaign Performance

Goal: Turn the data from a closed campaign into useful conclusions — what worked, what didn't, what to do differently — instead of moving on to the next campaign without learning anything.

Run the report​

Use the Campaign Performance Report from the Reporting section, scoped to the campaign you just closed. The report surfaces:

  • Total raised (gross and net)
  • Goal achievement percentage
  • Donor counts (total, new, returning)
  • Average gift size
  • Median gift size
  • Largest gift
  • Smallest gift
  • Daily / weekly progress chart
  • Channel breakdown
  • Cost-to-raise ratio (if expenses were linked)

Questions worth answering​

Treat the report as the start of analysis, not the end. Ask:

  • Did we hit goal? — yes/no, and by how much
  • What share came from new vs. returning donors? — high new-donor share is great for acquisition; high returning-donor share signals strong stewardship
  • Did the average gift surprise us? — much higher than expected can mean the audience was wealthier than planned (good), much lower can mean the appeal didn't ask for enough
  • When did the gifts come in? — clustered at launch and final-push email? steady throughout? mostly from one event?
  • Which channels delivered? — email, social, direct mail, peer-to-peer, in-person — what's the ROI per channel?
  • What's our cost-to-raise? — and is that consistent with what we hoped?

Donor analysis​

Beyond aggregate numbers, drill into the donor list:

  • New donors — what's their average size and how many will likely give again?
  • Lapsed donors who came back — what re-engaged them? was it message, channel, or something else?
  • Major donors — are there any who didn't give this time? worth a personal call.

Compare to prior years / similar campaigns​

Most affiliates run repeating campaigns annually. Side-by-side:

  • This year's holiday match vs. last year's
  • This year's annual appeal vs. each of the prior three
  • Capital-campaign year-over-year against plan

Trends matter more than any single year's number.

Document for next time​

Capture the campaign retrospective in the campaign notes:

  • What you tried that worked
  • What you tried that didn't
  • What you wish you'd done differently
  • Any specific decisions for next year (e.g., "skip Facebook ads — zero attribution")

The next person running this campaign — even if it's you a year later — will start from a much better place than starting from scratch.

Watch for vanity metrics​

Some numbers are interesting but not actually useful for decisions:

  • Open rates on appeal emails — high open rates without giving doesn't help
  • Social media impressions — without conversion, just noise
  • Total reach — different from total response

Anchor on outcomes (gifts, donors, dollars), not activity (sends, opens, clicks). Activity is upstream, but only valuable if it correlates with outcomes — and that correlation has to be tracked deliberately.