non-profit data: it's about the story (sojust presentation, feb 3 2014)

NON-PROFIT DATAIT’S ABOUT THE STORY, NOT THE TECHNOLOGY

Sunday, February 2, 14

WIELD DATA WISELY AND WELL

• Introductions and Ground Rules

• Data in 2 Acts:

• Act I: How Information Flows

• Act II: How Information is Stored

• Data in Practice:

• Speaking to Geeks

• Data in the Non-Profit


CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTIONS AND GROUND RULESOR, GETTING THE LITTLE STUFF OUT OF THE WAY

1.Who am I?

2.Who are you?

3.Why are we here?

4.Ground Rules


YOUR HUMBLE NARRATOR

JENN TAYLORCOO & SENIOR SALESFORCE CONSULTANT, 501PARTNERS LLC

• Almost 20 years coaxing meaning out of data in complex environments

• Translator between business needs and technology for non-profits

• MBA in Nonprofit Management, PMP, and other acronyms besides


WHO ARE YOU?

Executive Directors?

Board members?

Program managers?

Program Staff?

Technologists?

Volunteers?

Grantors?

IMAGE COURTESY ALICE 8TH AT DEVIANTART:HTTP://ALICE8TH.DEVIANTART.COM/ART/WHO-ARE-YOU-ALICE-IN-WONDERLAND-298729487


http://alice8th.deviantart.com/art/Who-are-you-Alice-in-wonderland-298729487

http://alice8th.deviantart.com/art/Who-are-you-Alice-in-wonderland-298729487

WHY ARE WE HERE?OR, EVERYTHING I EVER NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT DATA, I LEARNED FROM A CHILDREN’S BOOK

IMAGE COURTESY LENNY’S ALICE IN WONDERLAND SITE:HTTP://WWW.ALICE-IN-WONDERLAND.NET/ALICEPIC/ALICE-IN-WONDERLAND/1BOOK22.JPG

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where--” said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

“--so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.

“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

IT ISN’T ABOUT THE DATA.

IT’S ABOUT THE STORY YOU HAVE

TO TELL.


http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/alicepic/alice-in-wonderland/1book22.jpg


GROUND RULES

You don’t tell a story by carefully plotting out the letters that make up the words that make up the sentences.

You have to know the story you’re trying to tell: first, thesis. Then, main arguments. Then, data.

Outlines improve your stories. Logic models improve your data.

OR, WHY HUMANITIES MAJORS SHOULD NEVER FEAR TECHNOLOGISTS

IMAGES COURTESY LENNY’S ALICE IN WONDERLAND SITE: HTTP://WWW.ALICE-IN-WONDERLAND.NET




CHAPTER 2: DATA IN 2 ACTSOR, HOW THINGS YOU ALREADY KNOW CAN HELP YOU MANAGE YOUR DATA

1.Act 1: How Information Flows

1.1.Scene 1: Where your logic model is important

1.2.Scene 2: Where your data resembles a butterfly

2.Act 11: How Information is Stored

2.1.Scene 1: Where Excel is not demonized

2.2.Final Scene: Where the human mind is impressive


ACT 1: HOW INFORMATION FLOWS

INPUTS OUTPUTS






INPUTS PROCESS OUTPUTS






INPUTS PROCESS OUTPUTSSTIMULUS






OUTPUTS CONSUMPTIONPROCESSINPUTSSTIMULUS

CHANGES DRIVEN BY ANALYSIS AT EACH STAGE

SCENE 1, WHERE YOUR LOGIC MODEL OUTLINES HOW YOU EXPECT YOUR INFORMATION TO FLOW






In the For-Profit world, Supply Chains are managed using the LEAN principal “SIPOC”:

Suppliers Inputs Process/Systems/Activities Outputs Customers






In the For-Profit world, Supply Chains are managed using the LEAN principal “SIPOC”:

Suppliers Inputs Process/Systems/Activities Outputs Customers

In Our world, Programs are Created using a Logic Model:

Inputs Activities Outputs Outcomes Impact


ACT 1: HOW INFORMATION FLOWSSCENE 2, WHERE DATA HAS ITS OWN LIFE INSIDE YOUR ORGANIZATION

Capture(

Store(

Manage(&(Use(

Report(and(

Analyze(

Adjust!


ACT 1I: HOW INFORMATION IS STORED

Name Address Phone Donation Amount

John Smith234 State Street, Somerville

MA 02145 617-555-1212 $150

Jane Doe16 A Last Lane, Cambridge,

MA 01212 617-555-1212 $75

When we think about how data is stored, we tend to think it’s a lot like Excel.

And, at it’s simplest, it can be.

OR, A BORING BUT NECESSARY OVERVIEW OF HOW DATA BECOMES INFORMATION





MA 02145 617-555-1212 $150


MA 01212 617-555-1212 $75






MA 02145 617-555-1212 $150


MA 01212 617-555-1212 $75

This structure has limits as you grow. What happens when John Smith donates twice?




Name Address Phone

John Smith234 State Street,

Somerville MA 02145 617-555-1212

Jane Doe16 A Last Lane,

Cambridge, MA 01212 617-555-1212

As you move into more complex systems, the layers on top of data storage become important to understand.

Why?

Name Amount Date

John Smith $150 3/1/2012

John Smith $200 5/29/2013

John Smith $50 12/23/2013

Jane Doe $75 12/1/2013



Even this simple structure can be combined to produce 3 different stories.




Name Address Phone Amt 1 Date 1 Amt 2 Date 2


Somerville MA 02145 617-555-1212 $150 3/1/2012 $200 5/29/2013

Jane Doe16 A Last Lane, Cambridge, MA

01212617-555-1212 $75 12/1/2013

1. “FLATTENED” WHICH IS VERY HARD TO DO WITHOUT PROGRAMMING, OR A HUMAN


Name Address Phone Total Giving


MA 02145 617-555-1212 $400


MA 01212 617-555-1212 $75

2. “SUMMARY” WHICH GIVES ONE ROW PER PERSON, AND SUMMARIZES THE REST




Name Address Phone Amount Date


Somerville MA 02145 617-555-1212 $150 3/1/2012

John Smith 234 State Street, Somerville MA 02145

617-555-1212 $200 5/29/2013


Somerville MA 02145 617-555-1212 $50 12/23/2013

Jane Doe16 A Last Lane, Cambridge, MA

01212617-555-1212 $75 12/1/2013

3. “REPEATING” OR “JOINED” WHICH GIVES ALL THE DATA FOR WHATEVER HAS THE MOST ROWS





It isn’t important to understand the technology.It is important to understand what the technology does.

Physical Storage (001101010101)

Database (John, Smith, 123 Street, $150, 80)

System’s Built In Rules (if name not empty, store in Name field in Database)

Complex systems let you define some rules (When we have a donation, we credit the donor and her family)

There is always a screen you enter data into

Human brains apply lots of thinking before and during data input

THE FINAL SCENE, WHERE HUMAN BRAINS REALIZE HOW MUCH THEY TAKE FOR GRANTED


CHAPTER 3: DATA IN PRACTICEOR, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TECHNOLOGISTS AND REAL PEOPLE COLLIDE AND HOW TO AVOID IT

1. The Seductiveness of Screens and Brains

2. Speaking to Geeks

2.1.Helpful hints to ensure mutual understanding

2.2.Armed with charts, not afraid to use them


DATA IN PRACTICE



OR, THE EASY SEDUCTIVENESS OF SCREENS AND BRAINS


DATA IN PRACTICE



Most data projects focus on Inputs...because this is where we build screens to shove data into a

database.

It’s usually the most clearly defined piece.

It’s usually the piece a program manager can articulate in her sleep.



DATA IN PRACTICE

Physical Storage (001101010101)








DATA IN PRACTICE








DATA IN PRACTICE




This is all we really need to get data into a database: a brain, a screen, and storage



DATA IN PRACTICE

“The twinkling of what?” said the King.

“It began with the tea,” the Hatter replied.

“Of course twinkling begins with a T!” said the King sharply. “Do you take me for a dunce? Go on!”

“I’m a poor man,” the Hatter went on,” and most things twinkled after that--”

Everything goes fine at first. After a year or so, you need a report.

The results make you think you’re talking to the Mad Hatter. Why?






DATA IN PRACTICEOR, WHAT USUALLY HAPPENS WHEN TECHNOLOGISTS AND REAL PEOPLE COLLIDE

The focus on inputs usually means:

•We probably didn’t document the decisions that sit between the screen and the storage.

•We probably didn’t think about the story the data is trying to tell, and designed for easy storage rather than smart retrieval.

In other words, we focused on the technology and ignored the context.


SPEAKING TO GEEKS

Data, without context, has no meaning.

Data, with context, is information.

Information is how you tell a story.







SPEAKING TO GEEKS




DATA: JOHN, HATTER, TEA, 76, 108







SPEAKING TO GEEKS






WHAT’S THE STORY?John hatter, aged 76, drank tea for 108

days straight.






SPEAKING TO GEEKS











WHAT’S THE STORY?John’s occupation is as a hatter. He lives at 76 Tea Road, Apartment 108.

SPEAKING TO GEEKS











SPEAKING TO GEEKS











WHAT’S THE STORY?John works for Hatters, Inc. He is a member of the Tea party. He is 76

years old with an estimated IQ of 108.

SPEAKING TO GEEKS











SPEAKING TO GEEKS

1.Start with the end in mind.

2.Contextualize your data, even if you think your tech team should know by now.

3.Use your logic model to guide discovery on new projects, or add context for report requests.

4.Ask questions! And frame them in the understanding of your logic model, data lifecycle and reality of your organization.

5.Write it out, together, on a whiteboard.

OR, HELPFUL HINTS TO ENSURING “TEA” AND “T” ARE CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD BY ALL


“It began with the tea,”

“Of course twinkling begins with a T!”




At what point do people hear about our program?

When do they engage with us?

Why do they engage with us?

What do we need to know to run our programs?

What other data do we or could we collect?

What do we need to know to assess and analyze our programs?

Once someone engages and gives us data, what do we do with it?

Who are the decisionmakers?

What prompts the decision?

What do our program managers need to see on a daily basis to help them during the program?

What do we want to see to help us improve our programs?

What do our grantors want to see?

Who sees and uses our outputs? When? To what purpose?

Are our programs leading to the desired outcomes/impact? How do we know?



SPEAKING TO GEEKSWHERE YOU ARE ARMED WITH CHARTS AND NOT AFRAID TO USE THEM:

“WHO” AND “WHAT” QUESTIONS

“Who,” “What” and “When” Questions Come First


How, exactly, do we get in front of people?

How do we ensure we get a good response?

How do we ask people to provide information? Paper? Computer?

How do we structure the request for information so that it gets completed, accurately, with all data?

How exactly does the program manager work with the data when it’s “In play”?

How does the data manager transform the data? What decisions are made, when, to what result?

How do we want to view the data? In a single instance? In aggregate?

How do we access reports for daily or ad-hoc use? How do we access reports for quarterly, annual, or aggregate use?

How do we get data in front of the consumer? Internal consumers? External consumers?

How do we expect them to interact with the data? View? Take action?



SPEAKING TO GEEKSWHERE YOU ARE ARMED WITH CHARTS AND NOT AFRAID TO USE THEM:

“HOW” QUESTIONS

“How” Questions Come After


SPEAKING TO GEEKSWHERE YOU ARE ARMED WITH FEEDBACK LOOPS AND NOT AFRAID TO USE THEM

Capture(

Store(

Manage(&(Use(

Report(and(

Analyze(

Adjust!“Exactly what inputs do we need to collect to support this process?”

“How should the data be stored so we can get to it “in play” and as a

report?”

“Are we able to get to the data when we need it? Immediately and over time? Is it serving our needs and providing the information we

expect?”

“Can we ask questions and get real, valid, useful, accurate answers with a reasonable

amount of work?”

“What have we learned? Can we adjust capture to make reporting easier? What about storage?

What about our processes?”


CHAPTER 4: DATA IN THE NON-PROFITOR, YOU’VE NEARLY MADE IT THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION!

1. In summary....


DATA IN NON-PROFITS

Your organization has more varied, and more

demanding, eyes on your story than ever before.





DATA IN NON-PROFITS





DATA IN NON-PROFITS

Grantors and donors say they want you to be

a data-driven organization.

You know you need to be a data-driven

organization.





DATA IN NON-PROFITS





DATA IN NON-PROFITS

You can make it easier to deal with these

demands by focusing on your mission.

Your mission should always drive your data: collection, storage, and

reports.





DATA IN NON-PROFITS





DATA IN NON-PROFITS

Start with the end in mind. Know the story

you need to tell.

Then outline how you’ll get there.

Then worry about the paragraphs, sentences,

and spelling.





THANK YOU!





non-profit data: it's about the story (sojust presentation, feb 3 2014)

Technology

image courtesy lennys

image courtesy alice

wonderland site

story youre

final scene

ground rulesdata

ground rulessunday

logic models