Learning by writing
After many years of trials, errors, failures and occassional successes, I hope to take the next step in understanding how technology, data and analytics can be used to advance the work of mission-driven organizations. That step means moving away from a private playground, where successes and failures were only mine to ponder, to a more open space, where I can share some of my thinking and hopefully learn from others.
In particular I would like to explore the following areas:
Nonprofit technology stacks - What technologies to use to build a movement organization, how to leverage modular components and stop constantly reinventing the wheel. No, one platform will not solve all your problems, no matter how much you pay them.
Lean and sustainable data practices - Data is the lifeblood of an organization and a proper management and use of data is critical to building trust with your community, as well as to achieving your mission.
Movement analytics - What do you measure? Why? What metrics can help improve and optimize the key components of your organization, from momentum building, to community engagement and impact evaluation? There is a lot to unpack here, both from strategic perspective and in regard to specific tools and practices.
Nonprofit management - What does a successful movement org look like? What are the key teams, infrastructure components and challenges? I hope to learn from peers here.
My hope for this project is to become a resource for any movement builders, who want to streamline their use of data and technology without having to invest ton of time and resources in learning new tools. As such all of the above can be applied to any campaign area that centers on mobilizing people and generating impact.
The focus of my professional experiences has been on promoting and defending digital rights, an area that perhaps made it easier to incorporate advanced technological practices (see more about me here). What I learned in conversations with peers is that many of the technological challenges are shared among groups, no matter the focus of their work. That is why I believe a mission-agnostic approach to data and technology, one that can be leveraged by all, is what’s needed to help accelerate some of the changes we all want to see in the world.