Harnessing the power of data

I think it’s fair to say that we are all aware of the power of data through technology. It’s been used to predict political outcomes, it’s been misused, but it can, and, should be used for good. 

Introducing the Good Data Institute (GDI)

The GDI came about when a group of friends working in the tech sector saw the potential to help others harness the power of data. In early 2019, the GDI began its journey as a provider of pro-bono data and analytics consulting services to the not-for-profit (NFP) sector, by connecting mission-driven organisations with data and analytics (D&A) professionals.

The GDI team quickly learned how nuanced the needs of NFP organisations are, and that all are on a very different stage of their data and analytical journeys.

The GDI has already worked with a wide range of NFP, charities and social enterprises including groups like Rape Prevention Education, Pauline Foundation and Zukuka Bora Cooperative. The GDI worked with each group to utilise and make the most of the data they’d gathered. They helped with issues such as:

• Data collection best practice
• Supporting the transition from pen-and-paper data collection to Google Sheets 
• Analysis and visualisation automation for impact data
• Build dashboards from data to translate into meaningful information
• Assist with visualisation and reporting
• Utilising other open source datasets available 

An introduction to data science

The GDI is collaborating with Xero to run introduction to data science workshops for our customers in the NFP space. Given that data analysis is becoming an increasingly important skill in all sectors, the aim of the workshops is to help improve data literacy in the community. 

The workshops will be held online, on Wednesday 5 August and Thursday 6 August from 6pm – 7pm NZT. These workshops cover:

Wednesday 5 August:

Introduction to data/analytics (30 mins)

Describing of the D&A landscape using real-life NFP/GDI examples:

1. Impact measurement
2. Donor analytics
3. Infographic and data visibility development
4. Predictive modelling

Explaining the 5 Vs of big data and how they impact storage, collection, monitoring and visualisation

Demonstration (30 mins)

Working through an example dataset using Microsoft Excel and PowerBI

1. Data cleaning
2. Making visualisation
3. Insights
4. Exercise 

Thursday 6 August:

Hands-on workshop (45 mins)

1. Provide sample dataset (this can be shared on a Google Drive)
2. Exercises and questions

Discussing GDI and Xero opportunities for NFP organisations (15 mins)

To sign up, please complete the form here.

You will also need to instal Tableau (make sure you use the public version so you don’t have to pay) before the workshop commences on 5 August. Anyone can use Tableau public to connect a spreadsheet or a file to produce interactive data visualisations. 

You can save 25% on your Xero subscription as a registered NFP charity, trust or society.

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Source: Xero Blog