Get Your Data House in Order
Through data coaching and education we work closely with organizations to help build data infrastructure that meets your needs, measures your impact, and transform your organization’s story.
Bringing nonprofit experience to your data needs.
CTData is a nonprofit and our data coaches have spent their careers in the nonprofit and public sectors. Our experience guides our understanding of data challenges in organizations large and small. We deeply understand the tireless work it takes to fulfill a mission, and how difficult it can be to dedicate time and resources to administrative infrastructures (like data), when there is so much mission work to complete.
We have lived the frustrating experiences of accessing our own data and trying to tell our own stories. We have spent the hours it takes to report on our own impact and the frustration of not having enough information to make decisions.
Data Strategic Planning begins where your data lives. (We understand that may be in dozens of spreadsheets, or even in your head!) We work together to bring order to your data.
Data Strategic Planning can help remedy common challenges.
How does it work?
Data Strategic Planning is a series of workshops and consultations that provide organizations with the skills needed to develop a Data Strategic Plan. Unlike traditional strategic planning, Data Strategic Planning is a completely interactive process, and all strategies are authored in partnership with CTData. Data Strategic Plan gives you information so you can make informed decisions to improve your data collection, analysis, and communication.
Phase I: Foundations
Phase I includes four to five workshops and three to four 1:1 consultations with organizations.
Outcomes:
Author data planning framework.
Increase organizational data literacy.
Identify the questions essential for an organization to answer for mission fulfillment.
Phase II: Data Mapping
Phase II includes ten to thirteen individual consultation sessions to map existing data, challenges, and goals for an organization.
Outcomes:
Completed meta-data mapping.
Recommendations for implementation improving data processes, governance, collection, and analysis.
Increase ethical data practices across organization.
Phase III: Implementation
Phase III includes ten individual sessions in additional to tech building, technical assistance, and support of review of any data collection tool.
Outcomes:
Identify technology solutions.
Implementation of low-cost, no cost technology.
Increase technical capacity of staff.
Creation or improvement of data collection tools.
Longterm Support
CTData will provide formal support for organizations for six months after implementation as needed. However, we hope to always remain data friends and sustain long term supportive partnerships.
I have already invested in strategic planning, how is CTData’s Strategic Planning different?
Data Strategic Planning (DSP) is designed to support all of the planning an organization has completed or intends to complete. Data Strategic Planning will help improve how you measure the success of your planning goals.
Throughout DSP we examine all the data opportunities available for organization including cleaning old data and identifying new data to collect. Unlike traditional strategic planning, we support organizations through the implementing their plan, and we do not separate until an organization feels comfortable with their new and improved data systems.
Is Data Strategic Planning a fit for your nonprofit?
Schedule a complimentary consultation to learn how CTData can support your data goals.
What are nonprofits saying?
Based on our 2022 cohort, we found that 94% of respondents to our Phase I survey had more confidence in their data literacy skills than before this service. In addition, most respondents also experienced the benefits that we promised when they signed-up for the service.
“Phase I got us thinking about data more as an asset than something we need to collect for external stakeholders.”
Why work with CTData?
“The Connecticut Data Collaborative is a high-quality resource for nonprofits and funders looking to build their data capacity – either through one-one-one consultation or in group settings. In my experience, CTData staff are not only data experts, they are collegial partners who are supportive in helping you identify and address your organization’s data needs.”
“Reports and data like [Essential Equity: the Impact of Covid on Women and Girls] continue to be the basis of our means to make a bigger impact in the community….Since the discovery of these findings, we have partnered with a number of community partners as well as supporters to help inform our work. ”