Beth’s Blog

Your numerical data can tell stories, but can stories be data that leads to continuous improvement?   Do numbers only matter? There are lots of debates in the amazing world of measurement and learning. The only valid data is quantitative data Real time analysis is not useful because it is drive by analysis Make data-driven decisions only, don't trust your gut ever Only measure impact, not process And so it goes ...... Yesterday I came to the conclusion that it isn't an either/or, but a … [Read more...]

I grew up in a small town by the New Jersey shore in a house a block from the Atlantic Ocean that my elderly parents still live in today.       With Hurricane threatening a direct hit and potential devastating damage,  emergency officials called for a mandatory evacuation -- something that hasn't happened in many years. While my family and their home dodged a bullet, like millions in NYC, other locations  had catastrophic flooding and there was a loss of lives.    We learned that it predicting … [Read more...]

What Does the Data Say? Tweets Into Action on Prezi What Does the Data Say? Guest Post by George Weiner, DoSomething.Org Note from Beth: Last week, I wrote about SoSomeThing.Org as an example of a nonprofit with a "data-driven culture."   What initially caught my eye was the above presentation from George Weiner.   I invited him to share a guest post based on his speaking notes from this wonderful presentation he presented in NYC at the Social Media for Nonprofits event the beginning of … [Read more...]

Note from Beth: Last May, USA for UNHCR launched The Blue Key campaign as a way for U.S. residents to show their support for the 43 million refugees around the world leading up to World Refugee Day on June 20th.   I was honored when Shonali Burke invited me to be a Blue Key Champion.    She set up a private Facebook Group to facilitate our support for the campaign.     A few weeks ago, she reported back to the group some of the results of our work with some insights based on Google Analytics … [Read more...]

I've just finished co-authoring a book about measuring the Networked Nonprofit with colleague, KD Paine.   One of the concepts that we wrestled with was "Social Media ROI,"   I don't think it necessarily works for nonprofits, especially when it applied as a litmus test to see if there are financial outcomes -- cost reductions or increased revenue.   Nonprofits should focus on continuum of value that incorporates both tangible and intangible benefits to integrating social media in communications … [Read more...]

I've been reflecting on why some nonprofits do a better job of  measurement and learning, while others do not.  What is the difference?  It comes down to organizational culture.   The nonprofits that embrace measurement have a data-driven culture.  That is they make decisions based on meaningful data, rather than solely by gut. Not all nonprofits are born with the spreadsheet gene.    And it isn't simply a technical problem that can be solved through training or purchasing analytics software.   … [Read more...]