big data

Program Notes: Data, Data, Data

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By Lauren Kotkin, Exponent Philanthropy

Three recent Exponent Philanthropy programs surfaced some great takeaways. Check out our Educational Programs calendar for upcoming in-person programs, conference calls, live Q&A chats, and webinars.

Some say 2012 was a breakout year for the term big data, a blanket descriptor for the vast and growing amounts of available data, both structured and otherwise, from traditional and new sources.

Data played a role at our recent programs.  

On April 23, Mark Larimer of Foundant Technologies addressed big data in the nonprofit sector: the nonprofit data available on the Internet and ways grantmakers can access it, increase its accuracy, and use it in grantmaking decisions.

Mark offered four suggestions to funders:

  1. Encourage your nonprofit grantees to create or keep current their GuideStar Exchange profile.
  2. Streamline your grantmaking practices by using the GuideStar Exchange data to learn about grantees.
  3. Become a Foundation Center eGrant reporter by reporting your giving data. You’ll receive reports and visuals about your grantmaking, which can help you make future decisions and offer potential grantees more information about your giving patterns.
  4. Use the feedback website GreatNonprofits to share your experiences with nonprofits. Your words could encourage others to give to great causes.

Read Mark’s take on the growing influence of data in the nonprofit sector.

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How to Make Big Data Relevant and Useful

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By Mark Larimer, Foundant Technologies

Many common themes in philanthropy today revolve around the promises of “Big Data.” Grantmakers are continually called upon to be more transparent and to share their data, but many have become cynical as past data projects failed more than a few times due to incomplete, inaccurate, or outdated data. A misunderstanding regarding how their data will be used has also contributed to the weariness many grantmakers have regarding sharing data.

We believe three critical requirements have been missing among failed data initiatives: first, a reliable and distinct benefit for those who share data, and an understanding of how it can and will be used; second, an easy way to share data; and third, data that is up-to-date and accurate.

Grants management solutions have a unique and important role to play in helping data initiatives succeed.

  • By allowing grantseeking organizations to regularly use and update their data during their normal grant cycle, inaccurate or outdated data is eliminated.

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The Pulse: Data, Help for Veterans, Streamlining

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By Andy Carroll, Exponent Philanthropy

Every 2 to 3 weeks, I explore trends influencing small-staff philanthropy by spotlighting articles, reports, and essays in the media. I cast a wide net, venturing beyond philanthropy and traditional topics to consider a variety of ideas, innovations, debates, and critiques. 

How Big Data Can Change Philanthropy

Writer and thought leader Lucy Bernholz explores how the growing availability of data can help philanthropists be more effective. Data can help donors channel dollars to the most effective organizations; help nonprofits identify the best strategies; and guide grantseekers to the most successful fundraising tactics. Bernholz also says that data can help organizations doing similar work across the globe compare notes about what works and what doesn’t—“no doubt upending many long-held assumptions.”

Portrait of a Homeless Girl in New York City 

In a remarkable 5-part series, a New York Times reporter follows the life of an extraordinary 11-year-old homeless student named Dasani. The series was catalyzed by the 22,000 homeless children in New York, the highest number since the Great Depression. Author Andrea Elliott observes, “One in five American children is now living in poverty, giving the United States the highest child poverty rate of any developed nation except for Romania. This bodes poorly for the future.” Dasani’s teachers recognize her exceptional talent and drive, and they also see the depth of her troubles. “There is not much Miss Holmes (her school principal) can do about life outside school. She knows this is a child who needs a sponsor, who “needs to see ‘The Nutcracker,’” who needs her own computer.”

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