Nicola Frost, Devon CF and Harmonising Quant and Qualitative Data

You can view the video here: https://youtu.be/_LG5muyZ1f8

Cleaned up notes:

  • We are often not giving the same amount of effort to the development of good case studies and stories as we are to having a solid set of numbers - but both are equally needed.
  • People who love numbers love the clarity and certainty you get from the quantitive side.
  • Often when numbers are presented there’s little challenge to their accuracy (the economic impact of festivals such as Nottinghill festival is an example).
  • Sharing a case study or a story - people can take away a story. It’s memorable and can resonate quite deeply - it can lead to greater connection.
    • Often case studies are not well written or they rely on a not so solid antedote
    • This can be a disservice to quantitive data
  • It’s hard to find people who have both quat and qual skills.
  • Often you are presented with a case study and a set of numbers but no real solid information on how to connect the two.
  • People working in community foundations can be a bridge and have the knowledge needed to paint a picture (i.e. Fuel Poverty) to make the link between the numbers side and the softer side.
  • While we now have the numbers at our fingertips its actually hard to find a good story to exemplify the numbers for people.
  • Tagging stories can be a challenge - Sussex Community Foundations has a box that just say ‘this is a good case study’.
  • Tagging and Taxonomies are hard.
  • A taxonomy across UKCF would be really helpful.
  • Unless you know the questions you are going to need to answer in a few year, it’s tough to know what your Taxonomies will be.
  • There’s an ongoing conversation with Hyphen8 on how to improve Salesforce for UKCF members.
  • In term on how to position the qualitative and quantitative data - you have to think about how the story can lead people to perhaps a data visualisation to get the picture and then have access to the quantititive data if they want more granular detail.
  • How do you track a good case study? Could we create guidelines within the Data Champions Initiative.
  • Sometime the best way to get the right information from people is just to call them up and ask them.
  • Monitoring is something we could all be spending more time and resources on to get these resources. We need to put more value on it - we need to pay more attention after the money goes out the door and more knowledge and learning about what happened.

Agenda:

  • Quick Go Round - What are you currently working on and why did you come today?
  • Nicola’s experience in getting qualitative and quantitative data to sing from the same hymn sheets
  • Any resources for the Library?
  • Update on the UKCF Conference Session
  • The April 5th Workshop on Building a Data Culture
  • Our next Online Discussion
  • Anything else?

Everyone’s Current Data Priorities & Challenges

Please add your updates here:

Dirk, publishing participatory workshop exercises for data collection of indicators for Sustainable Development Goals on Inclusive and Responsive Government and engaging Civicus partners on using them.

Steve- I have just issued a Salesforce usage survey that should give us a picture of how Salesforce is used and perceived across the network. I anticipate some fun in analysing the data but at least the majority will be in a consistent format.

Following the introduction to 360 Giving’s Insights tool I demonstrated it to our team and it raised some interesting questions. I now need to analyse our grantmaking to check that we actually do what we say we do!

We need to formulate a consistent data set to demonstrate our running costs/efficiency to potential and existing donors.

Adam - Also looking at 360 Giving Insights Data and how we might better use the visual tools there and how we might bring them into our own website.

Forgot to mention that we are looking at a new grants system and we are looking at what data we might want to get in and take out going forward. Also integration of other tolls like 360 Giving.

Gareth - Working with Steve’s Salesforce Survey and talking with the wider UKCF team in order to gauge their use of the SF system.

Also working towards a reliable and efficient #iwill structure that will allow us to keep tabs on grants made throughout the year rather than at the end of the year. Will also help us support the CFs better in engaging with Match Funders and potential grantees.

Hannah -

Raw Notes

Banging on about quantitative and qualitative -

She skipped the graphs and tried to get right to the stories.

Spent the last few years trying to be more numerate -

Most useful ways to combine lots of information and story.

People love the numbers - relate to the clarity and directness of getting a sheet a numbers

Nottinghill festival - example of a guy raising a sheet of paper with a number about the economic impact on Nottinghill

The story - something memorable and relatable that gets beyond the statistics.

It’s quite right that people love stories but often case studies are poorly done.

It’s easy to dismiss an anecdote as just an anecdote -

There’s a level of an observation - the second

There’s a missed opportunity in being

Massive knowledge in the foundations - draw a list of examples.

Specify program and potential -

Tagging and topics - in a more qualitative way. This is challenging.

Taxonomies accross UKCF would be helpful.

Case Studies -

Salesforce - pull that in to

There is

Is there a roll for Hyphenate

What are good guidelines for doing story-telling -

Case studies are often focused on individuals - giving guidance.

Illuminate what happens -

In terms of learning - whether it’s open -

Do we put enough value on Monitoring?

Effective monitoring vs box ticking?

We learn more - force and reflect - look and think

Analogoy of an old OHP whereby each data ‘acetate’ can stand alone or be placed on top of others to build a bigger picture.

Ask Nicola about Audience? How do you pose the qualitative story to get pople into the quantitive?

How do you do quality control on your stories?