Conversations about data are typically abstract, so the panelists brought concrete examples of their experiences to the discussion.

Atlantic Media Strategies—the creative and consulting division of The Atlantic—work with organizations, including foundations and nonprofits, to advance their ideas and tell their stories more effectively. The Schusterman Foundation’s Data Playbook is a helpful resource for organizations to enhance their use of data in storytelling.

Find more information about data on Giving Compass

Effective information sharing is crucial in helping an organization achieve its mission, and the social sector continues to wrestle with finding the balance between data and storytelling.

For the organization’s journey with data to be successful, Kaplan emphasized that it couldn’t be driven by external demand. Instead of just using data to prove to funders that the organization met its goals, LAYC wanted to make clear to both internal and external audiences that data would lead to improved outcomes and better lives for young people.

For anyone out there feeling scared or intimidated by incorporating data into your organization’s storytelling, think of how much you already have accomplished. The information is in the work you do every day, and to make that accessible to a larger audience, you must draw those connections for them. If you’re looking for a reason to invest in data and storytelling, knowledge is the reason.

“For anyone out there really feeling stuck, the very simple advice is to just get started with whatever data you have and then build from there.”

-Jacob Harold, President & CEO of Guidestar

In order to become an effective storyteller, an organization must draw upon their data resources as a starting point to focus their efforts which may ultimately lead to greater funding.

Read the source article at GuideStar Blog

Interested in data innovations? Visit GivingCompass.org for more resources