Webinar Recap: Building A Strong Data Culture With TaroWorks and Tableau

To dive deeper into the insights watch the full recording of the webinar

In today’s digital age, the potential of data to revolutionize organizations and their initiatives is undeniable. At TaroWorks, we strive to empower nonprofits and social enterprises through innovative technology solutions that help them build a robust data culture within their organizations.

Understanding the Challenges

Through our work with non-profits and social enterprises, we’ve identified recurring challenges in the Data Usage Journey: gathering, analyzing, and effectively using data. Ensuring the timeliness and accuracy of data is just the beginning. The real value lies in interpreting and applying this data to generate comprehensive reports and insights into larger trends. This perspective must extend beyond headquarters to include field agents and stakeholders who can leverage data to enrich their interactions with communities. Empowering them with relevant insights enables more informed discussions and fosters deeper engagement.

The Broader Impact

The significance of these insights goes beyond decision-making or funding acquisition. Organizations have the power to catalyze tangible improvements and inspire meaningful change within the communities they serve. Cultivating a culture where data is actively utilized drives positive transformation and enhances the impact of collective efforts.

Our webinar, “Building a Strong Data Culture with TaroWorks and Tableau”, delved into the challenges of data management and building a data-driven culture. We offered practical strategies to overcome these challenges, featuring insights from our special guest, Building Tomorrow, a non-profit organization that has successfully used TaroWorks and Tableau to enhance their data culture.

Key Takeaways and Insights From The Webinar

Cultivating a Data-Driven Culture

Initial Challenges and Cultural Shift:

• Siloed Data Usage: Initially, data interaction was confined to IT and tech experts, with minimal engagement from other teams.
• Creating a Playbook: Building Tomorrow created a Playbook for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), outlining their data usage ethos and approach.
• Establishing MEL Team: A dedicated MEL team was formed to ensure structured data collection and usage, promoting cross-departmental collaboration.

Promoting Data Engagement:

• Increased Data Requests: The accessibility of data led to a surge in data requests, a positive indicator of cultural change.
• Parsimony Principle: Emphasis on using the minimum necessary data points to explain programming effectively, ensuring efficiency and clarity.

Improving Data Utilization:

• Reporting and Insights: Quick reporting and understanding the reasons behind data trends enabled informed decision-making and program adjustments.

Leveraging Tableau for Data Analysis and Insights

Enhancing Data Efficiency and Accessibility:

• Internal Dashboards: Tableau dashboards provided stakeholders with direct access to data, reducing dependency on the MEL team and increasing efficiency.

Data-Driven Program Adjustments:

• Identifying Learning Gaps: Tableau identified that Grade 4 and Grade 5 learners were not meeting expected learning levels, leading to curriculum changes to support these students.
• Curriculum Adjustments: Adjustments were made to accelerate learning for Grades 4 and 5, helping them achieve proficiency in reading and math.

Promoting a Data-Driven Culture:

• Cultural Shift: Tableau democratized data access across the organization, engaging all staff with data.
• Increased Data Requests: More data engagement led to an increase in data requests, managed by focusing on essential data points, reinforcing a data-driven culture.

Continuous Improvement and Learning:

• Understanding ‘Why’: Tableau enabled understanding of underlying reasons for data trends, leading to better program adjustments and outcomes.
• Efficiency in Reporting: Quick and efficient reporting on programming activities kept the organization responsive to their needs.

Practical Application:

• Real-Time Data Collection and Analysis: Using the TaroWorks mobile app, data was collected in the field, integrated into Salesforce, and analyzed through Tableau, ensuring timely and effective data analysis.
• Example of Use: Tableau visualized data on learner starting levels and progress, guiding data-driven decisions for curriculum adjustments.

Integrating Insights

By integrating cultural initiatives and technological advancements, Building Tomorrow has successfully built a strong data-driven culture. The combination of a dedicated MEL team, a guiding Playbook, TaroWorks and Tableau for data analysis has enabled the organization to:

• Enhance data efficiency and accessibility.
• Make informed, data-driven program adjustments.
• Promote a culture of data engagement.
• Understand and address underlying causes of data trends.
• Ensure continuous improvement and better outcomes for learners.

This holistic approach underscores the importance of both cultural change and technological tools in building a robust data-driven organization.

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