We are Data Driven but are we Data Smart?

I am reading "Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy" at the same time as I am reading the newspaper headlines of what to do about youth joblessness in Chicago.

There is no shortage of data today; every agency collects more and more data, even applies complicated algorithms to predict behavior and financial outcomes, and are we really using all of that data effectively? Are we data smart?

When I teach students or conduct workshops, I actually prefer to use the term information instead of data, seems less intimidating. Nonprofit organizations are so busy doing delivering programs and services, that they rarely have time to look up. However, if nonprofits are going to be truly successful, both efficient and effective, they need to look at all of the information in their organization and how they are using it.

Likely they will find that information (data collection) is happening across the organization from the front line staff to the top executives to volunteers but also likely that no one is collecting all of that information in one place, analyzing it, so that it can be used for decision-making.

Funders need to realize, which I think they are starting to, that information collection, analysis, and reporting is directly related to an organization's mission and not a separate line up unfortunately called "administrative overhead".

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