Note: This guest post is from Dana Sanders of Osage Hill Associates. Thanks, Dana!

Does the word statistics stress you out? Do you have bad memories of math class? I’m here to help.

The nonprofit world is filled with data. This post outlines the methods you can use to collect data for and about your organization, and how to use what you find to tell better stories.

A basic understanding of statistics helps you to better use that data. Yes, the process can be challenging, but the rewards counterbalance the challenges.

Here’s an early hint: Remember the number 38.

Step 1: Gather internal data

Begin by collecting the info you already have, including:

• Number of people you serve annually, including zip codes, age, gender, and race/ethnicity.
• Number of volunteers; the hours they work and in which areas.
• Board members: start dates, gender, race/ethnicity, and professions.
• Staff: gender, race/ethnicity, positions, salaries, hiring dates, and resumes.
• Organizational budget, including your revenue mix.
• The reach and costs of your programs.
• Lists of partners; program and fundraising events; any awards received.
• Data specific to your mission and organization: number of students served, health outcomes of your patients, audience members entertained, acres conserved – whatever is relevant.

If you don’t currently track and compile this information, start doing so immediately. Funders will ask! If you have it handy, you can respond easily and efficiently.

Step 2: Collect external data

Now that you’ve gathered internal data, expand your search to external sources. These include:

• Census
• School district
• Health
• Crime (city and/or state)
• Industry specific data: for example, the number of people experiencing homelessness, trends in recreational trail usage, availability of childcare, museum attendance, etc.

Census data is the most robust. You can access it for free. Choose relevant categories like ethnicity, high school graduation rates, or unemployment, and view that data at the national, state, city and zip code level.

Industry data is often available from relevant trade associations and peer networks. Do not pay for data unless you absolutely must. Most of what you need is free.

Step 3: Look for patterns

Note patterns across zip codes. You can combine zip codes to create a “constituent county” that allows you to see your constituents as a single group. You may discover that you serve a population under-represented in the census data, and that also tells a story.

Study how your internal numbers compare to the external data. For example, you might learn that 35% of children across your state receive free lunch at school; in your zip codes, the number is 60%. Use this info to educate people about poverty and child hunger in your community, and the ways in which your organization addresses it.

You can bring assumptions to your research; test them rigorously against actual numbers. Compare everything. Be patient.

Step 4: Use these patterns to create stories

Use your data to build a story – it might be a new story – about the impact of your work. Be respectful of the stories you tell, as the subjects may not appreciate the way they are portrayed. One solution is to focus your narrative at the community level:

• Over the last year, unemployment in our county nearly doubled from 8% to 15%. As a result, our emergency food program has doubled in size and now serves 10,000 families. Your support allows us to help everyone who asks for food.

• In 2020, there were 22 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters across the United States, shattering the previous annual record of 16 events. As the climate grows more unstable, we are working to make our local community more resilient and self-reliant.

Use examples like these to communicate with constituents, grantmakers, partners, community leaders, public officials, and also your board, staff, and volunteers.

If you don’t already produce a year-end report, do it now. Seriously! Funders and other community leaders study these as snapshots of your success.

Step 5: Claim your “power statistic”

Do you remember the number 38? I teased it at the beginning of this post.

That’s my “power statistic.” Every organization should have one.

When talking with groups, I start by asking them to remember a number. Then I discuss the work of my organization. When I’m done, I ask the crowd if they remember the number; then I repeat it.

Here’s how to use your number to effectively end any presentation:

• In Philadelphia, 38% of students who start high school will not graduate on time. That’s why we do what we do. That’s why our program matters.

Now it’s your turn

What narrative can you tell about your program through your numbers?

Which “power statistics” demonstrate the value of your work?

Use the comments section to share them below.