Integrating Constituent Data

There are three ways to integrate all your constituent-tracking applications so they can share data: Manual Import and Export, Integrated Packages, and Automated Connectors. Which is best? It depends upon your organization’s budget, needs and other factors.

Connecting the information from the various systems you use to communicate with and track your constituents can give your organization a more-unified view. For instance, you might integrate an email blasting software package with your donor database. Linking these systems will allow you to email all your donors (all those with email addresses, at least) from your email blasting tool, and perhaps to view the emails sent and the donor’s responses from within your donor database.

Linking up your constituent data provides some big advantages. For one, it allows you to get a complete view of your constituents. If the development director is keeping her own email list in Constant Contact, and the volunteer coordinator is keeping his volunteer list in an online volunteer management application, neither can take advantage of the potential opportunities in each other’s lists, and you can never get a overall picture of the ways each constituent is involved with your organization. 

Integration is also critical in keeping your data clean, updated, and useful. If someone updates a phone number in one system, integration allows that new number to be updated in your other systems. When information has to be updated in real time—for instance, when a website visitor should see different information because they’ve just signed up as a member—integration is the only way to do it.

But the options aren’t as fully developed as you might like, and you might be limited by the features available in your existing software packages.

Manual Import and Export—essentially, when a member of your staff manually exports data from one system and imports it into another on a periodic basis—is the most basic method of integrating data. The time and effort required varies greatly depending on how many data sources you are trying to integrate and how much work is required to get the export file ready for import. This option has a number of advantages—like the lowest initial investment—and it allows the widest choice of software tools, lets you target software tools to your specific needs, and offers flexibility in changing software packages down the road. 

But it also requires the greatest amount of ongoing staff time, and opens the door to human error and data issues. It also calls for a careful integration plan and process—what happens when constituents are added? Removed? When information changes? Other downsides include a time lag in information sharing between updates, the reliance upon a single staff member, and the increasing complexity as more data sources are added to the mix.

In general, this is a good option if you’re looking to inexpensively integrate just a few data sources, without a big initial investment. It’s also a practical way to get started in understanding what tools you need and what data needs to be integrated. Don’t underestimate the staff time required, however, particularly as the number of data sources increase. And don’t discount the danger of accidentally introducing problems into your data through inevitable human error.

More complex methods, like using integrated packages or an automated connector that shares data without human intervention, can also be more reliable, and more expensive. Which option is the right choice for you? Again, it depends—there are valid reasons to go with any of the three of these. You’ll need to carefully evaluate your own needs and concerns.

Data integration isn’t a trivial undertaking, but it’s well worth the effort. Just imagine it: the assurance that the data in any system is the most accurate and up-to-date information you have. The ability to target communications based on a full picture of each person’s involvement. And best of all… increasing your ability to truly understand and connect with your constituents.

For More Information

To learn more about all three methods, and for a decision tree to help you choose the right one for you, see http://www.idealware.org/articles/introduction-integrating-constituent-data. Or join Idealware for a free online training session, "Getting Your Systems to Talk to Each Other," Thursday, May 12, from 1pm - 2 pm Eastern Time.