Data Mining in Action By Allison D

Data Mining in Action By Allison D: "For the summer 2004 issue of NEDRA News, I contributed a review of Peter Wylie�s recent book entitled Data Mining for Fund Raisers: How to Use Simple Statistics to Find Gold in Your Donor Database � Even if You Hate Statistics [Washington, D.C.: Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), 2004, 90 pages]. I concluded the piece by stating: �Using the basic techniques described in this book, development professionals will have a better understanding of how to approach the data within a donor database; how to use statistics to draw out new information from that data; and how to make that information meaningful.� For this issue, I decided to test that conclusion. Using SPSS statistical software, a sample from our alumni database, and the techniques outlined in Wylie�s book, I set out to create a sample scoring system for predicting giving behavior. My objective in writing this article is to expand upon my initial conclusion and share some of the key highlights of my experience with Wylie�s methods. "