Yesterday in Oakland, California I had the privilege of speaking at a conference entitled "Become a Data-Driven Organization," hosted and supported by the United Way of the Bay Area and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

As part of the Impact Learning Circle initiative to educate nonprofit administrators and staff about the purposeful use of data, this conference brought together staff from agencies across the San Francisco Bay Area to learn about how to use data effectively in outcomes measurement, staff management, and external communications.

TechSoup Global has its roots in supporting social benefit organizations and understands the power of organizing data into meaningful information, and we continue to provide resources in that regards as part of our DNA and mission. In my talk Data Points to Success, I emphasized the importance of understanding the data process - rather than the actual piece of software - in order to create a data-driven culture.

With me on the panel was Jill Kenney from Salesforces.com Foundation, who went over the Salesforce.com package that is  widely adopted by nonprofits thanks to their product donation program, as well as Cori Manthorne from CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse), who spoke to her experiences choosing a database. She is now able to easily find the data she needs to demonstrate the impact her organization is making in the community.

In talking to many organizations throughout the day I realize that many readers are probably in the same situation: you understand the value of data and databases, but lack the resources to implement or execute a database plan. My advice would be to be, have a clear understanding of your achievable goals in the short/mid/long-term, and do it right the first time such that you will derive efficiencies from a good database throughout the organization. Easier said than done, I know. The data that can be collected from your organization's activities will only grow exponentially, but you have to have the proper mindset to utilize and manage it.

Externally, data such as website visitors, social media interaction like Twitter and Facebook activities, and geolocation data from your supporters and users is creating a world of big data. Innovative organizations, such as EARN who spoke on "Using data in Marketing and Communications," are learning to use this data to inform their programs and tell their stories.

Although resource-constrained organizations are often struggling to keep their programs up and running, learning to be more data-driven is possibly one of the most cost-effective initiatives you can adopt.

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