Donation Summary Report

Overview

The Donation Summary Report provides comprehensive insights into giving patterns and fundraising performance. Track donation trends over time, analyze totals, monitor growth, and compare periods to make data-driven fundraising decisions.

What Data Is Shown

This report includes five key visualizations:

Donation Trend Over Time

Visualization: Line Chart

Displays donation amounts plotted over time:

• Daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly grouping
• Trend line showing giving patterns
• Peak and valley identification

Use Case: Identify seasonal patterns, campaign effectiveness, and long-term trends.

Cumulative Donations

Visualization: Area Chart with Gradient

Shows total giving accumulation over time:

• Smooth gradient fill
• Running total of all donations
• Visual representation of fundraising progress

Use Case: Track progress toward annual goals and visualize overall growth.

Donations by Period

Visualization: Bar Chart

Compares giving across time periods:

• Monthly, quarterly, or yearly bars
• Side-by-side period comparison
• Easy visual comparison of performance

Use Case: Identify high and low giving periods, plan campaigns accordingly.

Key Performance Indicators

Visualization: KPI Cards

Displays critical giving metrics:

• Total Donations - Sum of all donations in selected period
• Average Donation - Mean gift amount
• Growth % - Percentage change vs previous period
• Donor Count - Number of unique donors

Use Case: At-a-glance dashboard for fundraising health.

Goal Progress

Visualization: Gauge Chart

Shows progress toward fundraising target:

• Current amount raised
• Goal amount
• Percentage complete
• Color coding (red/yellow/green)

Use Case: Monitor campaign or annual goal achievement.

How to Use Filters

Date Range Selection

Critical for meaningful analysis:

• This Month - Month-to-date giving
• This Quarter - Quarterly performance
• This Year - Year-to-date totals
• Last Year - Historical comparison
• Custom Range - Specific campaign or period

Campus Filter

Analyze giving by location:

• Individual campus performance
• Multi-campus comparison
• Organization-wide totals

Donation Type Filter

Focus on specific giving categories:

• One-time donations
• Recurring gifts
• Pledges
• In-kind donations

Grouping Options

Control how data is aggregated:

• Daily - Detailed day-by-day analysis
• Weekly - Week-over-week trends
• Monthly - Most common for reporting
• Quarterly - High-level quarterly review
• Yearly - Long-term annual comparison

Understanding the Charts

Reading the Line Chart (Donation Trend)

X-Axis: Time periods (dates)

Y-Axis: Donation amount (currency)

Line: Connects data points showing trend

Patterns to Identify:

• Seasonal Peaks - End of year, holidays, special events
• Campaign Spikes - Successful fundraising drives
• Steady Growth - Consistent upward trend
• Declining Trend - Warning sign requiring action

Example: December spike might indicate year-end giving, while a summer valley shows seasonal decline.

Tooltips: Hover over points to see:

• Exact date or period
• Donation amount
• Number of donations
• Average gift size

Reading the Area Chart (Cumulative)

X-Axis: Time periods

Y-Axis: Cumulative donation total

Filled Area: Running sum of all gifts

What to Look For:

• Acceleration Points - Steeper slope indicates increased giving
• Flat Sections - Periods of minimal giving
• Milestones - When total reached significant amounts

Example: If the slope steepens in November-December, year-end giving is strong.

Reading the Bar Chart (By Period)

Bars: Each represents a time period (month, quarter, year)

Height: Indicates total donations for that period

Color: May indicate performance vs target

Comparison:

• Tallest bar = Best performing period
• Shortest bar = Lowest giving period
• Consistent heights = Stable giving

Example:

• January: ₦2.5M
• February: ₦1.8M
• March: ₦3.2M (highest)

Reading KPI Cards

Each card shows:

Total Donations:

• Large number: ₦15,450,000
• Trend: ↑ 12.5% (vs previous period)
• Color: Green (positive growth)

Average Donation:

• Amount: ₦18,900
• Trend: ↑ 5.2%
• Interpretation: Donors giving more per gift

Growth %:

• Percentage: 12.5%
• Comparison period displayed
• Context: Year-over-year or month-over-month

Donor Count:

• Number: 818 unique donors
• Trend: ↑ 8.3%
• Interpretation: Growing donor base

Reading the Gauge Chart (Goal Progress)

Components:

• Current Amount: ₦15.4M
• Goal Amount: ₦20M
• Percentage: 77%
• Color: Yellow (on track but not yet achieved)

Color Coding:

• Red (0-40%): Behind pace
• Yellow (41-80%): On track
• Green (81-100%+): Ahead or achieved

Interpretation: 77% complete means you're on track if 77% of time period has passed.

Common Use Cases

Monthly Fundraising Review

1. Open Donation Summary Report
2. Set date range to "This Month"
3. Review KPI cards for key metrics
4. Check trend chart for daily patterns
5. Compare to previous month
6. Export to PDF for board report

Key Questions:

• Are we on track for monthly goal?
• How does this compare to last month?
• What drove any spikes or drops?

Year-End Campaign Tracking

1. Set date range to campaign period (e.g., Nov 1 - Dec 31)
2. Set grouping to "Daily"
3. Monitor trend chart for campaign impact
4. Review gauge chart for goal progress
5. Export daily for team updates

Metrics to Track:

• Daily giving amounts
• Progress toward campaign goal
• Days remaining to goal
• Average gift size trend

Comparing Year-Over-Year Growth

1. Set date range to "This Year"
2. Note total donations
3. Change to "Last Year" (same date range)
4. Note total donations
5. Calculate growth percentage
6. Identify factors driving change

Analysis Points:

• Absolute growth: ₦15.4M - ₦13.2M = ₦2.2M
• Percentage growth: (₦2.2M / ₦13.2M) × 100 = 16.7%
• Trend direction: Positive/Negative
• Action needed: Maintain or adjust strategy

Identifying Seasonal Patterns

1. Set date range to "Last 2 Years"
2. Set grouping to "Monthly"
3. Review line chart for patterns
4. Note peak and valley months
5. Plan campaigns around insights

Patterns to Find:

• Year-end giving surge (Nov-Dec)
• Summer decline (Jun-Aug)
• Quarter-end spikes
• Holiday impacts

Export Options

PDF Export

Best For: Board presentations, donor reports, printed materials

Includes:

• All charts with current filters
• KPI cards summary
• Date range and totals
• Professional formatting

Use Case: Monthly board meetings, annual reports

Excel Export

Best For: Detailed analysis, budget planning, forecasting

Includes:

• Raw donation data
• Chart data tables
• Donor lists with amounts
• Pivot table ready format

Use Case: Financial analysis, trend modeling, donor segmentation

CSV Export

Best For: Accounting software import, database integration

Includes:

• Transaction-level donation records
• Donor IDs and amounts
• Dates and categories

Use Case: QuickBooks import, tax reporting, external analysis

Best Practices

Regular Monitoring Schedule

Daily (during campaigns): Track progress toward campaign goals

Weekly: Review trends and identify anomalies

Monthly: Complete analysis with KPI review and board reporting

Quarterly: Strategic review and goal adjustment

Annually: Comprehensive year-end analysis and next year planning

Setting Realistic Goals

Historical Baseline: Use previous year + growth percentage

Example Calculation:

• Last year total: ₦13.2M
• Target growth: 15%
• This year goal: ₦13.2M × 1.15 = ₦15.2M

Monthly Breakdown: Distribute goal considering seasonality

• Higher allocations for Nov-Dec (year-end giving)
• Lower allocations for summer months
• Adjust for planned campaigns

Trend Analysis

Look for:

1. Consistent Growth - Healthy fundraising trajectory
2. Volatility - High variability may indicate campaign dependency
3. Declining Trend - Requires immediate strategy adjustment
4. Seasonal Patterns - Plan campaigns to maximize peak periods

Action Based on Trends:

• Upward: Maintain strategies, consider increasing goals
• Flat: Implement new campaigns or donor engagement
• Downward: Urgent review of fundraising approach

Combining with Other Reports

• Top Donors - Identify who drives totals
• Donation Purpose - Understand what donors support
• Partner Engagement - Correlate engagement with giving
• Campus Performance - Compare giving by location

Troubleshooting

Donations Lower Than Expected

Possible Causes:

• Seasonal decline
• Economic factors
• Reduced communication with donors
• Donor attrition

Solutions:

1. Review donor retention rates
2. Increase communication frequency
3. Launch re-engagement campaign
4. Analyze lost donors (who stopped giving?)
5. Introduce new giving opportunities

Inconsistent Giving Patterns

Possible Causes:

• Heavy reliance on few major donors
• Campaign-driven only (not sustainable)
• Lack of recurring donors
• Seasonal business or ministry

Solutions:

1. Diversify donor base
2. Promote recurring giving programs
3. Develop year-round cultivation strategy
4. Build reserve fund for low periods

Goal Progress Behind Schedule

Possible Causes:

• Goal set too high
• Campaigns underperforming
• Donor engagement declining
• Economic challenges

Solutions:

1. Review goal vs historical performance
2. Adjust timeline or goal if necessary
3. Launch mid-year campaign boost
4. Increase donor outreach efforts
5. Analyze and optimize ask amounts

Related Reports

• Top Donors - See who contributes most to totals
• Donation Purpose - Breakdown by giving category
• Executive Dashboard - High-level financial KPIs
• Campus Performance - Giving by location

Next Steps

1. Review Current Performance: Open report and check YTD totals
2. Set or Review Goals: Establish realistic fundraising targets
3. Identify Trends: Note patterns in giving over time
4. Create Action Plan: Develop strategies to maintain or improve giving
5. Schedule Regular Reviews: Set up monthly monitoring routine