Participatory Methods: How to Deliver Data-Driven Impact for Non-Profits
Ahan Analytics, LLC helps to unlock the data capabilities of non-profit organizations. So, I took great interest in a recent research paper published in Big Data & Society titled “Developing data capability with non-profit organisations using participatory methods.” Authors Anthony McCosker, Xiaofang Yao, Kath Albury, Alexia Maddox, Jane Farmer, and Julia Stoyanovich provided a data-driven method of powering the mission of non-profits. The authors took a collaborative and contextualized approach to “target the organisation-wide data settings, goals and practices of the non-profit sector.” Using participatory design, they recommend building communities of practice among people with a range of data skills and knowledge. Participatory methods “emphasise iterative processes of reflection and action” among the people who are directly involved with the work of the organization. Thus, overall, this research provides a strong theoretical foundation for the work of Ahan Analytics.
Participatory Methods for Data-Driven Impact
The authors apply participatory methods for data enablement with:
- “Hearing and being able to respond iteratively to local knowledge and specific contexts for data practices.”
- “Creative and translational processes that use visualisation, media and interfaces in creative ways to connect with diverse participants.”
- “Collaboration and self-enabling data transformations.”
The third point refers to people working together to share knowledge and to build an organic way for increasing the data capabilities of the organization as a whole.
The authors used two projects and several workshops to demonstrate the potential for their participatory approach. I aggregate and summarize the methods in the list below:
- Identify data “pain points” by eliciting local knowledge and the operational and organizational context for data work.” This step unveils the crux of the data gaps and deficiencies in the words of the people wrestling with these challenges.
- Use visual tools to identify datasets and explain analyses that identify specific opportunities for improvement and paths for progress.
- Create a “shared language, or literacy, around data use and outcomes” that is relevant to the “mission and community or clients’ needs.”
- Develop skills for data storytelling. These become the key bridges of sharing for connecting people through data.
- Establish communities of practice enabled with the above skills and tools, These communities of practice should be able to sustainably grow their data capabilities.
The Opportunity
The authors see a specific opportunity in using these participatory methods to help non-profits:
“In a more operational sense, non-profits are increasingly looking to data-driven systems and analysis to streamline operations in the management of volunteers, track and understand patterns in donations or the impact of outreach activities, help to monitor public sentiment and events or develop predictive capabilities to aid decision-making and inform support provision.”
These goals can be hard to achieve because of limited resources and/or limited data experience. Through Ahan Analytics, I can address those challenges. I leverage over 25 years of experience in the field leading teams and working across the spectrum of data capabilities. Are you a non-profit looking for the “a-ha” in your data that will take the organization to next level? Then reach out to Ahan Analytics today!
Source of research: McCosker, A., Yao, X., Albury, K., Maddox, A., Farmer, J., & Stoyanovich, J. (2022). Developing data capability with non-profit organisations using participatory methods. Big Data & Society, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517221099882
