Some nonprofits see data as a burden, we see it as an opportunity.
Most nonprofits use multiple systems to manage their organizations. They have systems to manage their operations, programs, finances, marketing, donors and volunteers. If they receive government funding, they are often required to use systems that are focused on specific issues. This happens with food, housing, education, and healthcare. With nonprofits already being stretched thin, this can get complicated.
If you’re thinking this sounds like it could get messy, you would be right. To compound the problem, most of the systems that are used don’t work well together and
were not designed by those who fully understood the needs, the processes, or the workflow of the person on the front lines
Data is often difficult to enter and to extract, and this can make it harder for those working in nonprofits to integrate it into their daily routine. As a result, data often ends up only being used for their mandatory reports to funders.
With the number of challenges, it is easy to understand why nonprofit professionals oftentimes struggle to see data as a valuable tool and more as an inconvenience.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, you should know that making use of data doesn’t have to be this hard. In fact, our team at Bridge Builder Strategies works to make data work for you, instead of the other way around. We help you determine what data you need, and how you should collect, enter, analyze and share it for maximum benefit. We also help you make sense of the data you have, and help you discover insights from it. Our goal is to help you strengthen relationships and deliver results that will change lives.
Please reach out and share your situation with us. We want to hear more about your challenges and share more about how we can help.