Three tips for planning a wealth screening
July 2020
With face-to-face fundraising being put on hold and individual giving taking a hit for some charities during COVID-19, we’ve had an influx of requests for wealth screening. More and more organisations are seeing the benefit of a research based major gifts programme and have started laying the groundwork for getting their fundraising back on track during a crisis. We believe the best way to show your donors and supporters respect is by respecting their data. That said here are the three things you need to do for a successful and respectful wealth screen.
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Complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) & a Legitimate Interest Assessment (LIA)
A DPIA is an assessment of the ways your organisation uses personal data for specific activities. It should describe the purpose for which you collect the data and look at information flows e.g how data will be obtained, used and retained. It should also identify the privacy risks and evaluate solutions to those risks. Once recommended actions are agreed, they should be incorporated into the overall project plan.
There are six lawful grounds for processing data under GDPR, these are:
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Consent
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Contract
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Legal obligation
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Vital interests
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Public task
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Legitimate interest
The ones we use most frequently when processing data for fundraising are: consent, legitimate interest and occasionally contract. One is not better than the other and all may be appropriate for use at different times. Most organisations use legitimate interest as a grounds for processing their supporters’ data.
Undertaking a LIA enables you to verify that you do have a legitimate interest. You need to be able to demonstrate your legitimate interest and that the data processing you are undertaking is necessary. It takes into account the reasonable expectations of data subjects, the impact of the processing on individuals’ interests, rights, and freedoms and weighs this against your legitimate interests. You should document the outcome of this balancing test (and any mitigating steps).
Once you’ve undertaken a DPIA and LIA you need to update your privacy policy, make it easily accessible on your website, and notify your supporters of any changes.
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Decide who you are going to wealth screen
You should only screen supporters who have been informed of data processing and who have had a chance to opt-out. These might include:
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Donors (past and present)
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Members
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Volunteers
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Campaigners
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Alumni
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Current/past parents
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Make a plan for the data you’ll get back
Categorise the supporters by those who need further research and those that you can immediately allocate for action.
Assess people using your organisational knowledge (eg. giving history etc) and objective data you’ve gained (wealth etc).
Make sure all internal stakeholders are aware of the results – There is something for most teams including major donors, high and mid value, corporate, trusts, legacies. Arrange meetings with your individual teams to understand where this might fit within their priorities and to map any potential overlap.
At Prospecting for Gold, we respect your donors' data as much as you do. All processing and storage is carried out in the UK, with strict controls on access, and file transfers via secure FTP. For more information about wealth screening and how it can transform your major gift programme, get in touch by emailing info@prospectingforgld.co.uk or calling us on 01491 577311.
