Good Data and Experienced Analysts

Custom-engineered models, created internally or by data mining professionals with thorough understanding of the specific context, are superior because of two factors:

• Knowledge of the data
• The human element

Analytics requires a good deal of art. To say a data miner is a "technical person," overlooks a much of their value. These professionals use statistics as a means. What drives them is, "Why do people give to us?" and "Who else fits this profile?" They are fundraising strategists with a unique perspective. Soon, they will be irreplaceable to your organization.

This article discusses the value of good data and the human element.

"One extravagant claim is that experienced human analysts will no longer be required," Wheaton says. "The problem is that it is easy to write software to identify statistical patterns in the data. But, it is a lot more difficult to figure out which of these patterns makes business sense and will hold up over time."

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