Actually Data Analytics Limited

26/08/2026

An income report that looks like it's dropped isn't always bad news. Sometimes it's just a missing field: a blank gift date pushing income into the wrong month, or a blank campaign source making a channel look quieter than it was.

Completeness, are the fields your reporting depends on actually filled in, is the first and most overlooked data quality check.

We wrote the fuller case, and six more checks worth running, on the ADA blog:

7 Essential Data Quality Checks for Reliable Reporting CRM

12/08/2026

Excel is genuinely good. Flexible, familiar, and everyone already knows how to use it.

It just was never built to be a database, and once an organisation's data grows past what one careful spreadsheet can hold together, the cracks start to show: different versions of the same file, inconsistent entries, GDPR rules getting harder to manage.

Excel still earns its place for testing ideas and quick fixes. It should not be running the day to day management of supporter data.

Full piece on the ADA blog:

Excel isn’t a database. It was never built to be one, and that’s where charities run into trouble.

29/07/2026

Two questions for anyone looking after a charity database.

How recent is your last clean backup? And how long would a restore actually take?

Most of us can answer the first one roughly. Very few can answer the second, because it has never needed answering on an ordinary day. It is a much harder question to face when something has been failing quietly for three days.

A response plan is not a big project. It is a handful of decisions made in advance, while everyone is still calm.

Our five step incident response plan for database managers:

https://actuallydataanalytics.com/the-database-managers-incident-response-plan/

03/06/2026

If it takes longer than it should, it's usually because EN data lives in several different places and someone has to stitch it together every month.

That's exactly the problem Engaging Networks Essentials is designed to fix. One view. No spreadsheet archaeology. Link in comments.

16/03/2026

We've been doing a lot of work on web forms integration into . So I decided to write my thoughts about how good forms are a potentially under-utilised data capture tool. Read more here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-191060011

02/03/2026

Further to the piece I wrote earlier today, If you’ve ever been involved in selecting a new CRM or reporting tool, what was harder: the technical comparison or getting internal agreement on what you actually needed?

I always say that CRM is actually made up of several different moving parts:
1. People
2. Data and Processes
3. Systems
4. Domain Knowledge

Systems and Processes are normally the easier part of the equation, but what have been your experiences? Have you included all of these different things or is it just about the data and the system?

02/03/2026

Yesterday I wrote about how responsibility grows around charity data roles. A related pattern I see, particularly during procurement support, is the instinct to reach for a new system before clarifying the underlying need.

Sometimes a new CRM is absolutely the right move. I’ve helped a number of charities navigate that process. But without clarity about what “good” looks like, technology tends to amplify existing confusion rather than resolve it.

CRAFT isn’t a substitute for proper procurement or project support. It’s designed to strengthen the thinking that sits underneath those decisions, so that when you do invest in systems, you do so from a clearer position.

If you're looking for a guide on whether your organisation is ready for a CRM then this might help.

01/03/2026

In the post this morning I mentioned how responsibility tends to expand quietly in data roles.

I’m interested in how that shows up for you. When new reporting requests arrive, does something else come off your plate or does everything just get absorbed? Is it discussed in your 1-1's or do you just juggle the requests?

No judgement. Just trying to understand the range of experiences.

02/10/2025

Quick game:

What’s the one tool every charity has…
that most staff complain about…
and that hardly anyone actually uses properly?

(You already know, don’t you? 👀)

Here’s my take 👉 https://actuallydata.co.uk/f/crm-systems-what%E2%80%99s-the-point

17/12/2024

To all those people we have worked with during this year we recognise how hard this year has been. To all of you whom we've not worked with yet or not caught up with this year, 2025 is around the corner so lets get some time in the diary for coffee or something.

Here's reflections from my colleague Carl Phillips about working in the sector https://www.linkedin.com/posts/actually-data-analytics_nonprofittechnology-dataanalytics-socialimpact-activity-7274687394027651072-McXg?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android

To all of you please remember to take care of yourself, make some time to breathe and remember to enjoy yourselves and each other throughout this festive period.

Here's looking forward to a better 2025 and if you'd like to stay in touch why not subscribe to our newsletter https://www.actuallydataanalytics.com/newsletter

📊 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰: 𝗔 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮…