Recency, Frequency, and Amount

For three years I worked as Development Director for a nonprofit organization. ‘Development’ is short for ‘donor development’, or fundraising. It happens that my wife works as a donor database administrator for an educational institution.

There’s a report development directors use (and that database administrators provide) to assess the general health of their work. The report shows Recency, Frequency, and Amount.

Recency: how recently did each donor give?

Frequency: how often does each donor give?

Amount: how much does each donor give?

This report maps the engagement of a nonprofit’s financial investors.

Might this also be a good way to assess our own involvements? Like with our community? Our family? Our church? And most importantly, our God?

Recency: how recently did we give?

Frequency: how often do we give?

Amount: how much do we give?

These metrics aren’t only—or aren’t even primarily—about our money. They’re about our time and attention. Our heart. Our desire.