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Download our free guide to learn how to handle overwhelming data requests, practice your communication skills, and prioritize your professional development as your nonprofit's data team of one.
A nonprofit data strategy is one of the most underutilized tools for turning organizational goals into measurable results. Yet most nonprofits don’t have one, and that’s a problem worth solving.
For instance, if you’ve spent any time in the nonprofit sector, you’re probably familiar with the strategic planning process. Strategic plans often the result of a collaborative effort among staff, board members, and other stakeholders to define organizational goals, departmental objectives, and financial plans. But even if the goals are SMART and the visualizations are spectacular, what’s often missing from strategic plans is guidance on how the organization should assess whether it is on track to meet its goals. In other words, what data does the organization need to collect, analyze, and report on to determine whether it is meeting the goals specified in its long-term roadmap?
That is where the data strategy comes in.
A data strategy plan outlines how your department or organization will use its data to make decisions and track progress. It is often rooted in goals and objectives outlined in strategic plans, logic models (visual tools that map program inputs, activities, and outcomes), or theories of change (frameworks that explain how and why a program produces its intended results). However, they can also be used to align data with a department's common decision-making needs.
Steps toward creating a data strategy plan include:
1. Review your organization’s existing strategic plan and ensure goals and objectives are measurable. If not, you may need to revise your goals so they are trackable with data.
2. Identify what data your nonprofit already has that can help teams track progress on goals.
3. Identify what data is currently missing, but is necessary to gather, to track progress on goals.
4. Assign staff members data responsibilities, including collection, analysis, reporting, and data management. Ensures accountability in implementation.
5. Create processes for sharing progress on strategic goals and making plans to adapt programming, operations, and policies based on what the metrics show
Ideally, this should be a collaborative process in which anyone who collects, analyzes, and uses data for decision-making is involved in developing the strategy. Think program staff who collect service data, the development team who reports to funders, finance staff who track budgets, and organizational leadership who use data to set direction.
One reason it’s challenging for nonprofits to develop internal data strategy plans is that they are constantly trying to meet data demands from external stakeholders, such as foundations, board members, and major donors. Those data demands from outside parties don’t necessarily align with what is most important for the organization to track. Rather, they reflect the priorities and interests of external stakeholders, leaving organizations with little time to focus on the data most essential for tracking progress on their internal goals.
Another reason data strategy plans can be challenging – and this is based on my observations as a member of strategic planning teams – is that strategic planning is exhausting. It requires significant time, resources, and emotional labor, especially when major internal challenges or tensions need to be resolved. Having to develop a data strategy after all that work to develop the overarching strategy isn’t necessarily appealing to most organizations.
And finally, it can be hard to match our data with our goals! We talk about having SMART goals and how everything needs to be measurable, but we rarely talk about how to actually make that happen. Data alignment is a skill that takes practice, which we don’t always have time to do.
Despite these challenges, developing a data strategy plan is one of the most valuable investments your organization can make. Strategic plans are notorious for sitting on shelves, never to be spoken of again until it’s five years later and we need to create another one. Incorporating a data strategy, complete with key metrics and accountability components, ensures the strategic plan becomes a living, breathing document that is top of mind for everyone in the organization.
Also, by working together on a data strategy plan, you and your teams can set the foundation for creating an organizational data culture. Culture of any kind doesn’t happen overnight. However, by investing time and energy into making data work for you, you create an environment where data for decision-making is valued, and staff feel empowered to grow their data skills over time.
Finally, by going through this process, your organization will look great to funders. Developing a data strategy plan demonstrates your commitment to becoming a data-driven organization. In a tight, competitive funding field, thoughtful data planning and usage can set your organization apart.
Ready to build your nonprofit’s data strategy? Book a free 30-minute call to get your questions answered and find out how we can help.
A nonprofit data strategy is one of the most underutilized tools for turning organizational goals into measurable results. Yet most nonprofits don’t have one, and that’s a problem worth solving.
For instance, if you’ve spent any time in the nonprofit sector, you’re probably familiar with the strategic planning process. Strategic plans often the result of a collaborative effort among staff, board members, and other stakeholders to define organizational goals, departmental objectives, and financial plans. But even if the goals are SMART and the visualizations are spectacular, what’s often missing from strategic plans is guidance on how the organization should assess whether it is on track to meet its goals. In other words, what data does the organization need to collect, analyze, and report on to determine whether it is meeting the goals specified in its long-term roadmap?
That is where the data strategy comes in.
A data strategy plan outlines how your department or organization will use its data to make decisions and track progress. It is often rooted in goals and objectives outlined in strategic plans, logic models (visual tools that map program inputs, activities, and outcomes), or theories of change (frameworks that explain how and why a program produces its intended results). However, they can also be used to align data with a department's common decision-making needs.
Steps toward creating a data strategy plan include:
1. Review your organization’s existing strategic plan and ensure goals and objectives are measurable. If not, you may need to revise your goals so they are trackable with data.
2. Identify what data your nonprofit already has that can help teams track progress on goals.
3. Identify what data is currently missing, but is necessary to gather, to track progress on goals.
4. Assign staff members data responsibilities, including collection, analysis, reporting, and data management. Ensures accountability in implementation.
5. Create processes for sharing progress on strategic goals and making plans to adapt programming, operations, and policies based on what the metrics show
Ideally, this should be a collaborative process in which anyone who collects, analyzes, and uses data for decision-making is involved in developing the strategy. Think program staff who collect service data, the development team who reports to funders, finance staff who track budgets, and organizational leadership who use data to set direction.
One reason it’s challenging for nonprofits to develop internal data strategy plans is that they are constantly trying to meet data demands from external stakeholders, such as foundations, board members, and major donors. Those data demands from outside parties don’t necessarily align with what is most important for the organization to track. Rather, they reflect the priorities and interests of external stakeholders, leaving organizations with little time to focus on the data most essential for tracking progress on their internal goals.
Another reason data strategy plans can be challenging – and this is based on my observations as a member of strategic planning teams – is that strategic planning is exhausting. It requires significant time, resources, and emotional labor, especially when major internal challenges or tensions need to be resolved. Having to develop a data strategy after all that work to develop the overarching strategy isn’t necessarily appealing to most organizations.
And finally, it can be hard to match our data with our goals! We talk about having SMART goals and how everything needs to be measurable, but we rarely talk about how to actually make that happen. Data alignment is a skill that takes practice, which we don’t always have time to do.
Despite these challenges, developing a data strategy plan is one of the most valuable investments your organization can make. Strategic plans are notorious for sitting on shelves, never to be spoken of again until it’s five years later and we need to create another one. Incorporating a data strategy, complete with key metrics and accountability components, ensures the strategic plan becomes a living, breathing document that is top of mind for everyone in the organization.
Also, by working together on a data strategy plan, you and your teams can set the foundation for creating an organizational data culture. Culture of any kind doesn’t happen overnight. However, by investing time and energy into making data work for you, you create an environment where data for decision-making is valued, and staff feel empowered to grow their data skills over time.
Finally, by going through this process, your organization will look great to funders. Developing a data strategy plan demonstrates your commitment to becoming a data-driven organization. In a tight, competitive funding field, thoughtful data planning and usage can set your organization apart.
Ready to build your nonprofit’s data strategy? Book a free 30-minute call to get your questions answered and find out how we can help.
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