Donation Purpose Report

Overview

The Donation Purpose Report helps you understand what your donors support by breaking down giving across different categories. Analyze distribution by purpose, track trends over time, and make informed decisions about campaigns and resource allocation.

What Data Is Shown

This report provides four key visualizations:

Donation Purpose Distribution

Visualization: Pie Chart

Shows percentage breakdown by donation purpose:

• Tithe - Regular tithes
• Offering - General offerings
• Building Fund - Infrastructure projects
• Missions - Missionary support
• Special Projects - Designated campaigns
• Benevolence - Charitable assistance
• Other - Miscellaneous purposes

Use Case: Understand donor priorities and funding allocation.

Purpose Trends Over Time

Visualization: Stacked Area Chart

Displays how giving to each purpose changes over time:

• Multiple colored layers (one per purpose)
• Time on X-axis
• Cumulative amounts stacked
• Visual trend identification

Use Case: Track shifting donor interests and campaign effectiveness over time.

Purpose Comparison by Amount

Visualization: Horizontal Bar Chart

Ranks purposes from highest to lowest by total amount:

• Easy visual comparison
• Clear identification of top-funded purposes
• Absolute amounts displayed

Use Case: Identify which purposes receive the most support.

Purpose Hierarchy Visualization

Visualization: Treemap (if implemented)

Shows hierarchical view of purposes with sub-categories:

• Rectangle size = Donation amount
• Color coding by parent category
• Nested hierarchy display

Use Case: Visual representation of complex purpose hierarchies.

How to Use Filters

Date Range Selection

Affects donation totals calculated:

• This Month - Current month giving by purpose
• This Quarter - Quarterly distribution
• This Year - Year-to-date purpose breakdown
• Last Year - Historical comparison
• Custom Range - Specific campaign period

Campus Filter

Analyze purpose distribution by location:

• Individual campus giving priorities
• Compare purposes across campuses
• Organization-wide totals

Purpose Filter

Focus on specific purposes:

• Single purpose analysis
• Multiple purpose comparison
• Exclude certain categories

Donor Type Filter

Segment by donor category:

• Individual donors only
• Corporate partners
• Recurring vs one-time
• New vs established donors

Understanding the Charts

Reading the Pie Chart (Purpose Distribution)

Segments: Each slice represents one purpose category

Size: Proportional to percentage of total donations

Colors: Distinct color per purpose (consistent across charts)

Labels: Purpose name and percentage

Center: May show total donation amount

Example Distribution:

• Tithe: 40% (₦6,180,000)
• Offering: 25% (₦3,862,500)
• Building Fund: 20% (₦3,090,000)
• Missions: 8% (₦1,236,000)
• Special Projects: 5% (₦772,500)
• Other: 2% (₦309,000)

Healthy Patterns:

• Balanced distribution across multiple purposes
• Tithe and offering as significant portions
• Active support for special initiatives
• Minimal "undesignated" giving

Warning Signs:

• One purpose dominates (>80%)
• Zero or minimal support for key purposes
• Large "other" category (unclear designation)

Tooltips: Hover to see:

• Exact amount
• Number of donations
• Percentage of total
• Average gift size

Reading the Stacked Area Chart (Purpose Trends)

X-Axis: Time periods (months, quarters)

Y-Axis: Cumulative donation amounts

Layers: Each color represents a purpose

What to Look For:

Growing Layer: Expanding purpose over time

• Building Fund layer growing = Successful capital campaign
• Missions layer growing = Increasing missionary support

Shrinking Layer: Declining purpose support

• May indicate campaign end
• Could signal need for renewed focus

Consistent Layers: Stable giving

• Tithe and offering typically consistent
• Indicates reliable base support

New Layers: Launched campaigns

• Special Projects appearing = New initiative
• Track adoption and growth

Example Interpretation:

• January-March: Building Fund layer grows (campaign launch)
• April-June: Building Fund peaks (campaign success)
• July-September: Building Fund declines (campaign end)
• October-December: Special Projects grows (new initiative)

Reading the Horizontal Bar Chart (Purpose Comparison)

Y-Axis: Purpose categories (top to bottom)

X-Axis: Total donation amount

Bar Length: Indicates total giving to that purpose

Ranking: Sorted highest to lowest

Example:

1. Tithe: ₦6,180,000 (longest bar)
2. Offering: ₦3,862,500
3. Building Fund: ₦3,090,000
4. Missions: ₦1,236,000
5. Special Projects: ₦772,500
6. Other: ₦309,000 (shortest bar)

Use for Comparison:

• Visual gaps show funding priorities
• Identify underfunded purposes
• Track campaign impact on rankings

Reading the Treemap (Purpose Hierarchy)

Rectangles: Each represents a purpose or sub-purpose

Size: Proportional to donation amount

Color: Groups related purposes

Nesting: Sub-purposes within parent purposes

Example Structure:

• General Giving (Parent - Blue)
  • Tithe (₦6.2M)
  • Offering (₦3.9M)
• Special Projects (Parent - Green)
  • Building Fund (₦3.1M)
  • Missions (₦1.2M)
  • Benevolence (₦0.3M)

Interaction: Click to zoom into category

Common Use Cases

Campaign Performance Analysis

1. Open Donation Purpose Report
2. Set date range to campaign period
3. Review purpose distribution
4. Note percentage to campaign purpose
5. Compare to campaign goal

Example - Building Fund Campaign:

• Goal: 30% of total giving to Building Fund
• Actual: 20% (₦3,090,000)
• Result: Below target, extend campaign or increase promotion

Budget Planning

1. Set date range to "This Year"
2. Review purpose distribution pie chart
3. Note percentages for each purpose
4. Use to project next year's revenue by purpose
5. Allocate resources accordingly

Planning Calculation:

• This year total: ₦15,450,000
• Tithe: 40% (₦6,180,000)
• If projecting 10% growth next year
• Expected tithe next year: ₦6,180,000 × 1.10 = ₦6,798,000

Comparing Year-Over-Year Purpose Shifts

1. Set date range to "This Year"
2. Note purpose distribution percentages
3. Change to "Last Year"
4. Note purpose distribution percentages
5. Compare changes

Analysis Questions:

• Which purposes increased in popularity?
• Which purposes declined?
• Are shifts aligned with organizational strategy?
• Do trends require action (campaigns, communication)?

Example Comparison:

Interpretation: Building Fund campaign successful, but mission giving needs attention.

Identifying Underfunded Purposes

1. Review horizontal bar chart
2. Identify purposes with low totals
3. Check if aligned with organizational priorities
4. Plan campaigns to increase support

Example:

• Missions: Only ₦1.2M (8% of total)
• Organizational priority: Expand missionary work
• Action: Launch mission awareness campaign

Export Options

PDF Export

Best For: Board presentations, campaign reports

Includes:

• Purpose distribution pie chart
• Purpose comparison bar chart
• Purpose totals table
• Date range and parameters

Use Case: Monthly financial reports, campaign updates

Excel Export

Best For: Detailed financial analysis, budget planning

Includes:

• Donation records with purpose designation
• Purpose totals and percentages
• Donor lists by purpose
• Pivot table ready format

Use Case: Annual budget development, donor segmentation

CSV Export

Best For: Accounting software import

Includes:

• Transaction-level records
• Purpose codes and amounts
• Dates and donor IDs

Use Case: QuickBooks import, financial reporting

Best Practices

Regular Monitoring

Monthly: Review purpose distribution for anomalies

Quarterly: Analyze trends and compare to targets

Campaign Periods: Track daily or weekly during active campaigns

Annually: Comprehensive analysis for budget planning

Setting Purpose Targets

Establish organizational goals by purpose:

• Tithe: 35-45% (base operational support)
• Offering: 20-30% (general ministry)
• Building Fund: 10-25% (during campaigns, 0-5% otherwise)
• Missions: 10-15% (strategic priority)
• Special Projects: 5-10% (flexibility for initiatives)

Adjust Based On:

• Current organizational priorities
• Active campaigns
• Historical patterns
• Strategic plan alignment

Campaign Planning

Before Campaign Launch:

1. Review current purpose distribution
2. Set campaign target (% of total or absolute $)
3. Plan communication and promotion
4. Establish timeline

During Campaign:

1. Monitor purpose distribution weekly
2. Track campaign purpose percentage
3. Adjust messaging if below pace
4. Celebrate milestones

After Campaign:

1. Final purpose distribution analysis
2. Calculate campaign ROI
3. Donor thank you communications
4. Document lessons learned

Donor Communication

Transparency:

• Share purpose distribution in annual reports
• Show donors where their gifts go
• Celebrate fully-funded purposes
• Highlight needs in underfunded areas

Targeted Appeals:

• Segment donors by past giving purposes
• Send relevant campaign appeals
• Example: Past mission donors receive mission campaign appeal

Combining with Other Reports

• Donation Summary - Overall giving context
• Top Donors - See what major donors support
• Campus Performance - Purpose distribution by location
• Executive Dashboard - High-level purpose KPIs

Troubleshooting

Large "Other" or "Undesignated" Category

Possible Causes:

• Insufficient purpose options
• Donors not selecting purposes
• Data entry not capturing purposes
• Generic giving not categorized

Solutions:

1. Review and expand purpose categories
2. Make purpose selection required on donation forms
3. Train data entry staff on proper categorization
4. Implement default purpose for undesignated gifts

Campaign Purpose Not Showing Growth

Possible Causes:

• Campaign not reaching donors
• Messaging unclear or ineffective
• Competition from other purposes
• Donor fatigue

Solutions:

1. Increase campaign communication frequency
2. Clarify campaign purpose and impact
3. Share success stories and progress updates
4. Extend campaign timeline if needed
5. Engage leadership in personal appeals

Purpose Distribution Heavily Skewed

Possible Causes:

• Single major gift to one purpose
• Campaign overshadowing other purposes
• Lack of promotion for other purposes
• Limited purpose options

Solutions:

1. Verify data accuracy (large gifts recorded correctly?)
2. Balance communications across purposes
3. Introduce or promote other giving opportunities
4. Consider restricted vs unrestricted giving balance

Related Reports

• Donation Summary - Total giving trends across all purposes
• Top Donors - Which donors support which purposes
• Campus Performance - Purpose preferences by campus
• Executive Dashboard - High-level purpose metrics

Next Steps

1. Review Current Distribution: Open report and check purpose breakdown
2. Compare to Targets: Assess if distribution aligns with organizational goals
3. Identify Gaps: Note underfunded purposes needing attention
4. Plan Campaigns: Design appeals to balance purpose distribution
5. Communicate Impact: Share purpose allocation with donors for transparency