Data for Good
By: The Chic Geek
Tags: Analytics, Data For Good, Data Science, Big Data, Women In Tech

Data for Good: How can it benefit the NFP/NGO community?

Data for Good is a Canadian registered not-for-profit (NFP) organization working to foster positive social change in the community — a team of leaders, data scientists, students, and citizens all dedicated to enhancing the initiatives of NFP and non-governmental (NGO) organizations. Data for Good is made up of approximately 3,000 volunteers spread throughout Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton and Calgary and was inspired by DataKind, a team that recognized the new-found capabilities of data.

DataKind works to harness and understand the abundance of information now available to us with the goal of transforming the organizations of our community and Data for Good runs along those same values. Data for Good works with various NFP and NGO organizations, such as the Distress Centre Calgary (Read More) and Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter (CWES), with the goal of finding more efficient and effective ways to manage and analyze their data. Data can be used by all sorts of organizations in order to enhance their practices and serve the community more efficiently — to better understand these I interviewed Geoff Zakaib, Director of Data for Good and organizer for the Calgary chapter, and here is what I learned.

Why is data important for NFP/NGO organizations and how can Data for Good help?

Data can be an excellent resource for NFP and NGO organizations as it aids in market research and provides helpful insights organizations may not have previously been able to understand. But what does that really mean? What are organizations able to gain by harnessing the power of data science? Let’s dig a little deeper.

Geoff Zakaib explains that he believes data is the lifeline of an organization. Data science enables individuals to understand the vast amounts of information they have available to them, revealing insights into company programs, volunteer management, and donor demographics while also helping the mission-driven organizations of our community advance in their efforts for serving the greater good.

In order to make these dreams a reality, Data for Good hosts weekend DataThons one or two times a year. These events provide volunteer resources to NFO and NGO organizations, in need of data science assistance, in order to improve their processes and help them do the incredible work they set out to. The organizations that attend many times have a lot of mature data and they all have various challenges they are hoping to overcome. Some may be looking for specific patterns in data, while others are working towards developing specific company dashboards to integrate data analytics into their day to day work lives. Yet, they are all using data to solve their problems.

In the nonprofit world resources are often limited, what can you recommend to organizations who are new to data analytics?

Geoff Zakaib explains that the key way for data analytics to work is to engage everyone and work together to reach the organization’s objective. It is important to understand that everyone has their own unique objective, and the hardest challenge is not identifying the end goal but realizing how to harness data in order to reach company goals. Therefore, it is imperative that organizations first identify their personal objectives and end goals ahead of time before they delve into the mass of data that may be awaiting them.

For example, in November of 2016 CWES participated in a DataThon, working with 50+ volunteers to analyze data dating back to 2011. CWES had a list of six objectives ranging from the length of stay at the shelter as well as client statistics and demographics. Data for Good analyzed the data and worked alongside them over the course of 72 hours, and in the end, CWES was able to understand key predictors for specific demographic characteristics of the individuals using their services, how many individuals who used the CWES resulted in an optimal outcome, as well as a variety of other information relating to satisfaction and the helpfulness of CWES emergency phone services.

This information proved extremely helpful for the CWES — a nonprofit organization with the goal of serving humanity — yet without Data for Good it would be unlikely that the organization would have been able to analyze 5 years of data all on its own. Proving the resiliency and helpfulness of the Data for Good team — as without the help from DataThon CWES may not have had adequate funding for specific data science and analytics programs and would not have been able to understand the opportunities around them.

How does data benefit social change?

Data can benefit organizations in a variety of ways, yet it is important to understand that data in its raw form does not have any real value. When organizations begin to analyze their data is when the real benefits are seen. Stories and patterns begin to emerge providing organizations with concrete information, enabling them to make better decisions and reach their mission more seamlessly.

Geoff Zakaib believes that these insights allow organizations to deliver concrete results that are evidence based and data driven — meaning, the information they are using is real and raw but the insights that are discovered are hidden behind the surface. That is the beauty of data science, you never really know what you will find but there will always be a resulting moment of clarification — allowing organizations to make decisions based on facts rather than intuition. This new information than leads to greater advancements in the community as decisions are not made by a single entity but are based on data that relates to each and every individual.

What advice would you give to people who just started to learn about data analytics?

Geoff Zakaib explains how to study data analytics in a clear and concise manner. First off, it is important to understand that there will always be a limited capacity to learn everything. Meaning we won’t be able to solve all problems at once, and therefore it is helpful to first focus on how your organization serves the community and what information you believe will aid in future advancements. Are you hoping to understand customer demographics or are you wondering what time of the day most clients answer your calls?

This means it is important to start small, there is no need to be concerned about what you know and what you don’t know but rather be more concentrated on the most pressing issue at hand and work towards solving that problem.

Secondly, ask questions. It is impossible to start off and understand everything in the realm of data science, so don’t be shy and ask for help. Geoff encourages you to become aware of the resources available in Canada and externally such as TechSoup, DataKind, and of course Data for Good.

Thirdly, it is always important to participate and network. Building connections — especially in the NFP and NGO sectors — is extremely important. Get your name out there and you will be surprised of the opportunities available.

Lastly, get started! People in every organization have some sort of challenge that data science can solve — what is yours?

Want to learn more? Register for one of Data for Goods upcoming meetups — no skill set required or in-depth knowledge needed — it is a place to learn! — or attend Chic Geek’s upcoming MeetnTech event to see Geoff Zakaib speak.