Data and Analytics

One of the challenges of the digital world, compared to other sectors, is that we have so much data to pick from when analyzing our program’s health. We’re drowning in data. You could spend all day running reports and doing analyses – but unless your organization is large enough and complex enough to have its own analytics team, you probably don’t have time to do that. And more data isn’t necessarily better data. The trick is to effective reporting is to track and use your data smartly: to have the metrics you need, when you need them, but no more than that. It also helps to simplify your processes, so you’re spending more time using that data to inform your work, rather than sinking your effort into pulling and manipulating it. You want different levels of reporting, each tailored to specific, goal-oriented purposes. There are three levels of reporting that I find useful for most non-profit digital programs: Your Dashboard When you’re driving, you need to certain information about how your car is doing right now. Your dashboard tells you how fast you’re going, how hard your engine is working, and whether your headlights are on. It’ll warn you if Read More