Episode 21: How to Create a Mission-Oriented Data Strategy

July 18, 2019

by: Sheela Nimishakavi, MA, MPH

There’s a Zen proverb that says, “It takes a wise man to learn from his mistakes, but an even wiser man to learn from others.”

I wholeheartedly believe this- no one has time to make every mistake and learn from them! We have work to do. That’s why I think case studies are an excellent tool to learn success strategies.

In this episode, I walk you through a case study found in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, called Data as a Means, Not an End. This case study centers on the nonprofit City Year as they shifted their data strategy.

Spoiler alert- they achieved incredible results.

And, you can too! Some highlights from this episode:

  • [5:40] While City Year is a huge nonprofit, the problems they faced with data collection are pervasive for nonprofits of all sizes
  • [11:00] Are you only using data to review what was achieved?
  • [12:07] Data regarding mission-critical activities always needs to take precedence
  • [14:13] When data activities are segregated, gaps in data literacy can result which is harmful to nonprofits

If you got a lot of value out of this episode, then you’ll definitely love Nonprofit Scholars, ThirdSuite’s monthly subscription learning tool. Fore more information and to sign up, please click HERE.

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW IN ITUNES

Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I invite you to do that today. I’m adding a bunch of new, information-packed training episodes into the mix and I don’t want you to miss any of it! Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

And, if you’re feeling particularly chipper, I would be so grateful for a review on iTunes. Reviews help others find Nonprofit Confidential and help us get rockstars onto our show. Just click here, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” to let me know what your favorite part of this podcast is. Thank you so much!