How to Use Goal Tracking in Avid AI

Avid AI has always focused on helping organizations understand their past performance through historical reporting. However, many users have requested a way to track where they are going—not just where they have been. To address this, Avid AI now includes Goal Tracking, allowing users to set and track fundraising goals on an annual or monthly basis.

This guide will walk you through setting up and managing your goals within Avid AI.

Step 1: Accessing Goal Tracking

Navigate to an individual report page

• A new fourth tab, "Goal Tracking", is now available for a handful of reports.
• The reports that goals apply to are limited to the Overall Performance Report, Channel reports, Giving Level reports, and several of the Lifecycle reports.
• The performance data is limited by the by the filters of the page. This means if the page is limited by a channel or giving level, the goal tracking will have the same limitations.

Step 2: Configuring Goal Visibility

Avid AI gives you control over who can see your goals. There are two visibility settings:

• Public: Anyone in your organization (or invited users) can view the goals and progress.
• Private: Only you can see and track your progress.

Choose the appropriate setting based on your needs.

Step 3a: Entering Goals Manually

1. The goal tracking table includes three key metrics:
   1. Revenue
   2. Number of New Donors
   3. Number of Gifts
2. If you already have these goals in a spreadsheet, you can copy and paste them directly into Avid AI.
3. The system will automatically calculate totals and track progress.

Step 3b: Using Quick-Setting Goals

If you don’t have monthly goals planned, Avid AI offers Quick-Setting Goals, allowing you to set an annual goal, and Avid AI will distribute the values across months automatically.

How to Use Quick-Setting Goals

1. Select the Target Year - Choose this year or next year (e.g., Fiscal Year 2025).
2. Choose a Distribution Method:
   1. Historical Average Model: Avid AI distributes the goal based on past trends. For example, if January historically represents 10% of annual revenue, the system assigns 10% of your goal to January.
   2. Start Easier, Ramp-Up Growth Model: Ideal if your revenue is projected to grow and you don't want to have the full percentage increase be required in the first month. Instead of applying the increase evenly across all months, Avid AI will gradually scale up over the year while still factoring historical averages.
3. Enter Your Annual Goals: Set goals for:
   1. Revenue (e.g., $10 million)
   2. Number of New Donors (e.g., 5,000)
   3. Number of Gifts (e.g., 15,000)
4. Click “Apply Goal.” Avid AI will calculate the monthly breakdown based on your selected distribution method. The system will automatically populate the table with monthly targets.
5. Click “Save.”

Step 4: Monitoring Goal Progress

Once goals are saved, Avid AI provides real-time tracking against your targets. The "actuals" shown in the charts will be based upon the filters set on the page. That means you can adjust the time frame, removed donor segments or certain appeals, etc.

Conclusion

Goal Tracking in Avid AI provides a powerful, flexible tool to help organizations monitor their progress toward key fundraising metrics. Whether manually entering goals or using the quick-setting option, users can stay on track and make data-driven decisions to meet their fundraising objectives.

By leveraging Avid AI’s goal tracking, you can forecast performance, identify trends, and adjust strategies in real time to maximize fundraising success!