NCTech4Good

where tech meets social change

where tech meets social change

So You Have a Lot of Data, Now What?

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Speaker: Emily Patterson – Feeling overwhelmed by data? Between Facebook Insights, Google Analytics and email open rates, it’s easy to collect spreadsheets of digital stats. But using this data to shape your nonprofit’s communications strategy is a lot more difficult. This talk has must dos for all nonprofits who want to stop just tracking data and start turning it into insights.

In this talk, you will learn how to:

– Avoid vanity metrics and use stats to really measure your campaign performance
– Stop worrying about others and start setting your own baselines
– Practical tips for getting insights from your data from a professional analyst

Emily Patterson
Emily Patterson runs Bee Measure, a digital agency devoted to helping nonprofits use data to create more effective outreach and digital campaigns. Emily has worked her whole career in nonprofit technology, including at Public Broadcasting Service and Better Business Bureau. She founded Bee Measure in 2016 specifically to help organizations large and small better use data and do more with limited budgets. When she’s not getting nerdy at work, Emily enjoys the outdoors, reading and sampling the many breweries of Charlottesville, Virginia. Emily is also a PMI-certified Project Management Professional.

From the Trees to the Forest, A Data Journey

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Speaker: Ian Henshaw – This session will look at the beginning of a journey of data exploration into the management of a non-profit. Starting with a few data points presented in monthly staff reports, and moving to data analysis to support an intensive effort to understand the indicators that will allow us to manage the organization to have a bigger and longer lasting impact. The journey starts with data presenting questions (like: “How much information can you get out of existing staff reports?”) and moving to what data we need to collect to get to real answers and understanding. The story is about The Carying Place, a transitional housing program in Cary, NC “Caring, Helping & Equipping Wake County Families for Living”.

Ian Henshaw
As a technology evangelist Ian is involved in the open economy, entrepreneurial development and data management/analysis. Deeply involved with the demand side of information from the entrepreneurial and civic communities and managing projects with many multiple stakeholders. Ian is currently serving as the Vice President of the Board for The Carying Place.

How To Quickly Use Tableau To Better Visualize Data

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How to quickly use Tableau to better Visualize Data – Rapid analysis to identify trends and opportunities in data using Tableau

Evan Diehnelt
Cisco
Ignite Talk

Speaker Bio
Cisco Data as a Service Business Partner. I do metrics and management consulting, I measure what you do and help you do it better

Data Archiving – a case study

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The relational database, used by the Human Kindness Foundation, was feeling the effects of bloat. Their main database tables contained decade’s worth of data that was no longer current.

This session presents the audience with Mark’s experience developing an archive process. Attendees to this presentation will benefit from the conversation with HKF staff and the Agile process to develop the archive tables and queries.

Mark Hutchinson
NCTech4Good

Speaker Bio
Mark is an IT consultant in Durham. He has started, run, and served in a leadership role for several local technology oriented user groups. Mark has presented at local and regional technical conferences.

Putting Your Data to Good Use: Data Viz for the Rest of Us

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This session will focus on the best practices for communicating with your data, whether you are using basic Excel charts or the latest and greatest technology.

In particular, we’ll discuss:
-How to find what your data is saying
-The best ways for your data to clearly tell a story
-Tips for selecting the best format for data visualization from dashboards to infographics
-Free and cheap tools for creating great looking graphics

Participants will leave this session with a better understanding of how to use their data to communicate with peers, Board members, donors, and the public.

Speaker: Heather Yandow

Organization: Third Space Studio

Speaker Bio: Heather Yandow brings more than a decade of experience as an outreach coordinator, coalition leader, project manager, and fundraiser to Third Space Studio and our clients.

Her most recent nonprofit position was as the Director of Development and Communications with the NC Conservation Network, a statewide network of over 100 environmental, community and environmental justice organizations focused on protecting North Carolina’s environment and public health. Heather’s nonprofit experience also includes being a volunteer and Board member. Heather co-founded the beehive collective, a giving circle in Raleigh. She has also served on the Board of Directors Democracy NC and ncyt: NC’s Network of Young Nonprofit Professionals. As a student at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, Heather volunteered with several student activist groups including co-chairing the Student Environmental Action Coalition. Heather also holds a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University.

Heather earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics from the UNC in May 2001. In her free time, Heather enjoys riding bikes, hanging out with her dog, and enjoying the great music and food in the Triangle.

Session Tags: data, visualization, beginner, dashboard, infographic

NCTech4Good, an affiliate of NTEN and TechSoup’s NetSquared, is the local resource for nonprofit technology information. Join the sharing and networking at monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of the month, 6:30-8:30 p.m. usually at UNC-TV, and our annual conference, http://www.nct4g.org/. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @nctech4good, and with the hashtag #nct4g.