Three Signs Your Nonprofit Struggles with Data
- Ryan Brooks
- Jun 23
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 24
Common Data Challenges for Small Nonprofit and Ways to Overcome Them
Nonprofits collect tons of data to report to funders, improve programs, understand the people they serve, and to manage day-to-day operations.
Many nonprofits, especially smaller ones, find themselves frustrated and overwhelmed by managing their data. It makes sense. Everyone wears multiple hats, and you don’t have the budget for expensive technology.
Here are three signs that your nonprofit data struggles with data and some ideas about how to improve it
1. Basic Reporting is a Huge Time Sink
Routine Reports Take Hours
Once a month, a quarter, or a year, you need to create a report.
The number of families are we serving right now
The number and percent of adults who completed our training program.
The number of teens met with a counselor.
You need to create these standard reports for yourself and others. But, you dread it every single time because you know it will take you hours to line up spreadsheets, delete duplicate data, fill in missing values, and find ways to make it work.
You get the job done, but it’s always a grind.
New Questions are a Nightmare
What happens when you get a new question, not a routine report?
How many of those families are single-parent families?
What are the characteristics of adults who are more (or less) likely to complete the training program?
What percentage of teens had a second appointment?
These questions force you to dig a little deeper into the data, not simply summarize it. These types of questions can take so much longer because you have to find a completely new way to organize, clean, and analyze the data that you have spilled across spreadsheets.
This is a clear sign your data isn't working for you.
2. The Numbers Add up Differently
The grant writer says you served 500 people last year, but the program director says it was 425 people.
Who is right?
Why are they different?
How do you decide what to report?
It’s hard for anyone on your team to trust your reports when you can’t be sure what's the “truth”.
When this happens, it often means the organization does not have standardized data entry processes or a centralized data system that helps them maintain accurate records. .
3. You Collect Data You Don't Use and Have No Time for Analysis
Data you don’t use
It’s okay to track a handful of fields to see what you can learn from them, but “extra” data adds up fast. A few questions that take 5 extra minutes for every client and every staff member can become hours of extra data collection every month.
Every piece of data you collect needs to be valuable for something, otherwise you are collecting it for nothing.
That value could be “we’re going to take a look at this in 6 months to see if it matters”; or it could be for donors, compliance, or key information that keeps you focused on your mission. It doesn't have to be obvious to everyone, but it needs to provide value.
Nonprofits should regularly ask what value each piece of data brings. If a question or data field brings no value, then stop tracking it - immediately!
No Time For Analysis
Data has value when you analyze it. You can create simple summaries , perform demographic analysis, or even statistical tests. If you don’t have time to do analysis because you spend so much time fussing with the data (i.e. entering, organizing, cleaning, arranging), then that's a sign something is wrong.
When data management is cumbersome and inefficient, it prevents your team from moving beyond basic reporting to deeper analysis and learning. This points to a need for better data management tools and processes.
Ways to Improve Your Nonprofit's Data
Standardize your data collection processes: Develop guidelines or standard operating procedures (SOPs) for what data to collect, how to collect it, and who is responsible. Staff should be well trained in these policies and comfortable with your preferred data management software.
Invest in technology: A well designed database or impact tracking software can centralize your data, reduce errors, and make reporting much easier.
Regularly review and clean your data: Regularly schedule time (e.g. weekly) to identify and correct errors, remove duplicates, and fill in missing information. Staying on top of your data will make it easier to handle last minute requests.
Focus on what matters: Collect data that brings value. It should align with your mission, measure progress toward program goals, and fulfill reporting requirements. Stop collecting data that doesn’t have a clear purpose or value to your organization.
Does your small nonprofit struggle with data? Maybe countbubble can help.
The Standard Plan is ideal for smaller nonprofits. that are ready to upgrade past spreadsheets. countbubble's free plan is perfect for small nonprofits that aren't ready to pay for better program tracking software.
Founder, CountBubble, LLC
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