Using technology to pull knowledge and to illustrate stories about who does and does not use services is central to demonstrating value and identifying blind spots.
What would you say to people that are uneasy about disrupting their operations through an assessment of their community impact, service categories, etc.?
The nerves might come from us taking the veil off and finding that we may have been making poor decisions, even if well-intentioned.
We must focus on the “whys” of any process. Why are we doing this assessment? Agencies want to do their best and are interested in finding out who does not have access to the services they’ve created.
At the end of the day, evaluating efforts and identifying next steps is better late than never. The work done today will impact the community for the better tomorrow.
You often talk about “garbage in, garbage out” when it comes to setting up a data analysis system. Can you elaborate on what that means?
You can’t tell a story with data if the input doesn’t reflect reality.
We have seen organizations that don’t want to give us all their data because they know it’s not totally accurate. So, in this scenario, the output needs to be taken with a grain of salt. But doing any type of data analysis is a good starting point nonetheless.
Another challenge we often see is getting accurate data from agencies that use pen-and-paper for administrative tasks like registration. Remedying this is rather straightforward: if you use an activity registration software, you’ll be able to pull data directly from that platform, without any manipulation.
In essence, if your data is clean and rooted in integrity, you can be confident in the output of the data, that it is a complete and accurate picture of your fiscal reality.
How can data play a more active role in social and fiscal decision-making?
It’s a key indicator. Data is only as good as the analysis, and only as good as the story we tell with it.
Convert the data into a narrative that can help agencies navigate future plans, and root them in tangible objectives, such as providing more access to services to marginalized community members.
What action will you take once you have the data’s “story” in front of you?
Getting Started Right Now Looks Like...
If someone was to take away just 1 thing from reading this Q&A, what would you want it to be?
Focus on impact. What impact do you want to make on your community? Once you have clarity on what the community needs and the hurdles to getting those needs met, you can work backwards.
Stop asking for more of what does not exist. Rather, do better with what you have.
And if an agency professional wants to go above and beyond today – what would you recommend they do?
Creating common definitions and common language in the organization: what is equity and what is not; what is a need and what is not; what is accessible and what is not. Common language is how you work from the same place and row together.
Start with basic understanding, so you can launch in a more unified and accelerated way.
This starting point gives agencies a good foundation for moving forward on their social equity and cost recovery objectives. However, putting these tips to action is the only way communities will actually benefit.