2020 Favorable Mention: ROI Scorecard

The 2020 Favorable Mention in Fund Development goes to The Junior League of Birmingham.

With over 2,000 members giving 55,000 volunteer hours annually, and more than $1 million in direct funding for 39 community projects, the Junior League of Birmingham (JLB) wields an impressive impact. This wouldn’t be possible without the more than $800,000 raised annually by the JLB, almost 70% of which is raised through five fundraisers.

Because Leagues rely on fundraisers to support their mission, it is critical that they have a clear understanding of whether a fundraiser should continue or be retired in favor of more profitable endeavors. Leagues often perpetuate fundraising events long past peak efficacy, both because of emotional attachment and because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” Yet, evaluating fundraisers is challenging because of variability and subjectivity.

To address this problem the JLB developed a tool to objectively measure success and guide strategic decision-making. In 2017, the JLB’s Research & Development Committee created a Return on Investment (ROI) scorecard to evaluate all fundraisers (current and future) for data-driven decision-making as well as to more accurately communicate impact.

The scorecard’s purpose is to provide objective data that tracks and monitors trends in not only revenue and expenses, but also mission-related impact. Since then, this tool has become a resource not only for the JLB, but also for Leagues around the country, as the metrics used can be globally applied. Irrespective of size or dollars raised, all Leagues rely on their fundraisers to resource their mission, and this scorecard aids sustainability of Leagues’ impact around the world.