Welcome to Part 1 of our brand new “Actually Useful Maths for Data Work” series.
Written by our very own Anthony Fawkes, this five-part series will provide fundraisers, data managers, analysts, and CRM heroes holding charity operations together with easy-to-apply solutions that strip away the stress from maths. The aim is to show you how everyday calculations (and a bit of logic) can level up your data confidence.
Let’s be honest: Excel gets a lot of stick. But for database people – especially those working in fundraising – it’s one of the most versatile tools available. It’s not perfect (no, it’s not a database), but it can do a significant amount of the heavy lifting if you know your way around it.
I’ve used Excel in various ways; from data wrangling, to makeshift CRMs, to mini reporting apps with macros and forms, and even data capture (yes, I know…). Thanks to how widely it’s used in most UK charities, it’s still one of the easiest ways to share working tools with non-techy teammates. It also now comes with Power Query built in, which is massively useful for connecting to APIs and cleaning up messy data.
The Not-So-Obvious Functions That Save My Bacon (Regularly!)
We all know about SUM, AVERAGE, and COUNT, so let’s skip the basics. Here are a few of the slightly nerdier functions that I keep coming back to – especially when I’m helping fundraisers make sense of data.
=IF
If you’ve ever needed to flag values based on conditions (e.g. donations over £50), IF is your go-to. Example:
=IF(A2>=50,”Top”,”Bottom”)
=LEN
Want to know how long a postcode or phone number is before importing it into a database with field limits? LEN tells you the character count.
=SUBSTITUTE
Allows you to swap part of a string. Example: =SUBSTITUTE(“Anthony”,”hony”,”onia”) -> Antonia
=COUNTA
Counts the number of non-blank cells. Handy for reporting completeness.
=COUNTIFS and =SUMIFS
COUNTIFS = count if multiple conditions are met. SUMIFS = total up values when specific criteria apply.
=NETWORKDAYS
Returns the number of working days between two dates. Useful for turnaround time tracking.
=LEFT / =RIGHT
Pulls characters from either end of a string. =LEFT(“Anthony”,3) -> Ant
=ISDATE
Checks whether something is a valid date.
=ISBLANK, =ISERROR, =ISNA
Error handling functions. Good for catching blanks or invalid results.
=VLOOKUP
Used to bring data from one table into another using a shared value. Classic and still powerful.
New(er) Stuff Worth Knowing About
=XLOOKUP
The more flexible cousin of VLOOKUP. Works in both directions and allows more control.
Excel 2021 & LAMBDA
Includes new functions and advanced custom logic via LAMBDA.
What Have I Missed?
This list covers what I use the most, but Excel has a function for almost everything. If I’ve missed your favourite, let me know.
Coming Up Next in the Series…
- Post 2: Maths for Database People (Without the Stressy Bits)
- Future Topics: Forecasting, Attrition Modelling, and Python Automation
Want The Rest Of The Series Now?
The full series of posts is available to download right now! Visit our Resources page to obtain your copy today.