The Importance of Data in Nonprofit & Social Sector Work — cityCURRENT Interview
Drew sat down with CityCURRENT show host, Jeremy C. Park, to chat about his journey from academia to launching his own company helping nonprofits and public sector organizations make a real impact through data.
During the conversation, Drew breaks down how nonprofits can use data to measure their impact, make better decisions, and improve outcomes for the communities they serve.
He shares his approach to building a “Culture of Data,” how to make data more accessible, and why it’s important for leadership to model data-driven practices. He also reflects on how this work fuels his own professional growth, while offering practical tips on using data for advocacy and strategic planning.
Topics discussed:
(01:02) Drew talks about his career in social work and what inspired him to start Common Good Data.
(02:08) His pragmatic approach about what ‘good data’ is and how it can serve a purpose in organizations.
(04:25) The first question he asks nonprofits—“What do you want the people you serve to be able to do as a result of your work?”—and how it shapes everything.
(6:12) Two practical tips on building a data-driven culture that not only informs decisions but also motivates employees.
(10:10) A success story of a community-based organization that leveraged the power of data to be more impactful.
(12:28) How his work with data has influenced his growth as a business owner.
(14:15) The motivation behind his work and the meaning behind the name ‘Common Good Data.’
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Intro: Welcome to the City Current Show, powered by Higginbotham Insurance and Financial Services.
This show focuses on sharing good news and powering the good in our community. Now here's your host, City Current CEO, Jeremy Park.
Jeremy C. Park: Welcome back to the City Current Show, powered by Higginbotham. I'm your host, Jeremy Park.
We're always honored to bring you inspiring stories of individuals and organizations making a difference, empowering the good. And in this case, we're talking about the power of data and how it helps nonprofits thrive. That's why we're honored to be with Drew Reynolds, Principal Consultant with Common Good Data.
How are you doing?
Drew Reynolds: I'm doing great. Thanks so much, Jeremy, for having me here.
Jeremy C. Park: Absolutely. So when you talk about your world of helping nonprofits, making powerful and better decisions, let's start with a little bit of your backstory, though, because you've got an interesting backstory, even tied to a PhD. So talk about your backstory and [00:01:00] what led you to launch Common Good Data.
Drew Reynolds: Yeah, absolutely. So I'm a social worker by training and started out in academia doing teaching and research, which I love. And, uh, for family reasons, I ended up moving from where I was working to the Atlanta area where I now reside. And I had kind of some questions professionally. What was I going to do?
And what I realized is that there were so many non profit organizations out there who were needing some assistance in being able to communicate and demonstrate their impact. And I had a skill set that could help that need. So I decided to start Common Good Data back six years ago to provide program evaluation services, data services to these non profits so they could better do that work.
Um, and I've been going ever since. So that's kind of how it got started.
Jeremy C. Park: Let's talk about the importance of having the right data because in some, you know, some organizations don't even know what to track, others don't know how to use it for the decision making. So when you talk about the power of data, and I think in many cases, too, we get lost in, you know, bigger is better and how do you create actual [00:02:00] impact?
So there's a lot to unpack here, but how do you start to define, you know, what is good data?
Drew Reynolds: Well, I think it's really important for organizations to take a really expansive view of what good data can be. Sometimes we get over focused on something like a statistic or some type of quantitative measure when really data, in my view, really serves a purpose.
I'm really pragmatic about it. What is it that you want it to do? Well, if you want to be able to communicate your impacts, you can do that in a ton of different ways. Statistics is one of them. Data can be one piece of quantitative measures, but also your storytelling aspects and other things too. Thank you.
You know, I'll tell a story. Um, I worked with one organization, which is a drug free community organization, um, that served Latino families. And they were trying to figure out ways to provide additional services to prevent substance use in the community. And they went and they did 172 one on one interviews with Latino parents in the community.
And what they found time and time again was that parents were telling them, Hey, it's not necessarily when you [00:03:00] need it. anti drug classes or education classes, but what they wanted to have were solid programs where their youth felt accepted, known, and appreciated, and that they had places that they could go after school to learn some of the skills that maybe they weren't learning in school.
And so that information came to this organization, and the, Adelante, which provides many of those types of programs and services. They did it in churches instead of in places where youth weren't being, um, after school, so kind of working in communities where people already were, and then also used that information from the community assessment to then have a conversation and dialogue with the local county, which was working on a behavioral health strategic plan, and that data actually then informed how that strategic plan was going to be written, um, and how the county was then going to focus efforts on serving the Latino community in that way.
And all that came by just simply having conversations. It was just like, go talk to people and write it down. And so sometimes we think, you know, you have to have some [00:04:00] really fancy surveys, some sort of quantitative measurement, but sometimes it's really just about listening and opening yourself up as an organization to really listening to the community that you serve and then finding ways to bring that voice into decision making.
Jeremy C. Park: When you're sitting down with a non profit, an organization, a social impact organization, and you're trying to kind of get a lay of the land and assess where are they now, where do they want to go, what are the questions you're asking, what are the things you're looking at?
Drew Reynolds: Well, it all comes back from a planning perspective, typically to something like a strategic plan.
Uh, it's sometimes used as a term. Theory of change or a logic model as well. You'll see those different terms come up depending on your field of practice and kind of your scope. But the key there is to really think a little bit about the question that I always think every organization has to ask, which is, what is it that you want the people that you serve to be able to do as a result of your work?
And if you can answer that question, well, you can measure it. Well, somebody will find, we'll find a way to do that, right? It doesn't really matter, but the key is getting some real clarity on what it is that they're going to be able to do that they would not have been able to do [00:05:00] without you. So, I had worked with one organization that does some work, um, around housing and homelessness and it supported students and families in school settings who were experiencing homelessness.
You might have heard the term McKinney Vento, um, which is the federal program that provides support, uh, to children who are, uh, experiencing homelessness in schools. And they said, we really wanted to focus on employment and housing. And what they found by focusing on those two things, we build up measures to do that, we found that when parents and families enrolled in the program, they found that, uh, 57 percent were employed at the beginning and then 70 percent were employed at closeout.
So we saw that growth in employment. And then also a jump in 24 percentage points in access to secure housing. So we were able to say, Hey, we're going to focus on these two indicators and we're going to measure them. And that's how we're going to end up showing our impact, um, overall. So the key is getting clear on what that metric is and then finding ways to measure it.
Jeremy C. Park: Like anything, it's one thing to think, okay, these are the things we have to collect, but then [00:06:00] making it institutionalized to where, you know, it becomes common practice, that's a whole nother piece to the equation. Talk about how you weave this mindset in into day to day operations.
Drew Reynolds: Well, I think when it comes to creating, I like to call it a culture of data in an organization.
And the idea here is that You know, we sometimes silo data. We say, Oh, that's only in the data thing that we have, or maybe there's one person that we call our IT or a tech person, and we kind of put it in a box and really what it, to create a culture of data, an organization that really said that the organization is going to make decisions from a, a data driven perspective.
It's got to start with leadership. Um, and for my recommendation to leaders out there who are thinking about how they can weave in data and evidence into their, into their work a little bit more. is to really focus on emphasizing learning over accountability. And I'm not saying that you shouldn't be holding people in your organization accountable, or you shouldn't use data to some degree in your performance, you know, evaluations of your [00:07:00] staff.
Sure, we all should do that. But if we get so focused on accountability, it almost hampers us. All we're doing is worrying about how we're perceived and how we're judged on something that's so impersonal as a data point or a statistic. That it actually freezes our minds that we're not able to actually use the information, which is what we're supposed to use it for, which is to help us make better decisions.
So focusing on learning over accountability can be really important. Um, I think also really focusing on training and capacity for, for everybody in the organization, you know, to that point I was making earlier, but not having just one person. You know, there might be members of the staff. I work with a lot of folks in social work and human services, um, which sometimes can have a perception of like, Hey, don't show me a spreadsheet.
I work with people. Um, but the reality is, is that if you can make data accessible, really anybody can have some good engagement. Um, you know, with data, and if we can do that, and you can model that as a leader, that really helps your entire organization get better at making decisions. And I think, too, that it comes down to [00:08:00] modeling that.
So when you're a leader, sometimes the temptation is to say, Hey, I'm the expert. I'm going to make a decision in this sort of, you know, situation. People will look to me for leadership and example. I got to be a strong leader. I actually think the best question you can ask as a leader when someone says, Hey, what should we do in this situation?
Say, turn around, go back to your side and say, what do you think? What do you think you should do in this situation? And then all of a sudden the staff is like, oh, what? You want me to decide? How am I going to decide? I'll say, well, you should decide the same way that I do, which is go back, find some data and evidence and make the best decision based on what you have.
It will be imperfect. There may be mistakes, but what you've then done is model how you make decisions as a leader for your staff so that they can then embrace those leadership skills for themselves.
Jeremy C. Park: And you look at sports, business, all using, you know, the analytics and the data to drive decision making.
Do we go for it on fourth down? Does the business invest in this versus that, right? Like, everyone is using data to inform decision making, and it's the same, obviously, with nonprofits. And I also think, too, [00:09:00] to your point about the team. The team is motivated. Not necessarily by the numbers on the spreadsheet, but really by the impact.
They want to know that their efforts are making an impact, making a difference in the lives of others. And I think when you can see the results and the percentages increase and the numbers, you know, and you start to see, yes, it's working, that becomes inspirational. And so I think there's a lot that goes into this data and the power of it, and also into funding because You know, funding community, the foundations, individuals, they want to see that it is making a difference and making an impact.
And how do you track that? And what do you use to drive your decision making? What programs are more impactful than others? And how do we lean in on those? So I think all of this is a very important conversation for us. for impact, making a difference, driving results, for funding, for sustainability. So, I mean, I think there's a lot that goes into just the importance of this conversation.
You've been sharing a number of success stories and, you know, impact stories throughout. Give us [00:10:00] one, you know, more that really stands out to you in terms of really leveraging the power of data to be more successful and impactful for a nonprofit.
Drew Reynolds: Yeah, you know, one example that comes to mind, I'm working with a community based organization that provides, um, services to a local neighborhood.
It's really neighborhood focused about improving the social and economic conditions of a community that's largely African American Black, um, in a city in the Southeast. And their approach, they had this, this great novel program called the Gift Card Program, which was, um, giving gift cards to residents as they participated in programs.
Um, both as a way of saying thank you for participating, but also to help on some of those economic conditions. But they ran into a challenge, um, out in the community because there's a lot of hesitance. from funders to use gift cards and other sort of means of direct assistance to, um, you know, families who are working poor, living in poverty, uh, because there's a perception around how that money might be spent.
And [00:11:00] so what they did was then to engage in a research of their, in collecting data themselves on how that, those resources were being spent. And they found that of all those who received gift cards, 93 percent were spending it on groceries, 72 percent on hygiene items. even on school supplies. And so they were able to then use the data that they gathered from their own information to then challenge a narrative around something that was really core to what they were trying to do around perceptions of people who are working, uh, who are living in, in conditions of poverty, who are living, um, as in, in working class conditions, right?
And so I think that we, organizations can think about data and statistics And, you know, uh, qualitative data and focus groups and things like that, as a means to start a conversation and dialogue around changing perceptions, around something important to your mission, right? It's not just about showing impact.
It's about teaching and advocating and telling people to think about something in a new and different way. And when we start to do that as organizations and start to [00:12:00] embrace that, Hey, we actually have a role to play in being, you know, in a position of authority and speaking about our topic. Um, that can really help educate our whole community about how to improve services, uh, for people.
How has this
Jeremy C. Park: helped you as an entrepreneur? So when you talk about what you do and all of these, you know, stories of impact and helping nonprofits and, you know, driving data, how has this helped you as an entrepreneur in your own world?
Drew Reynolds: Yeah, I actually, you know, it's, it's funny you asked that because I focus a lot on the clients and then I, it's only been the last couple of years.
I'm like, I gotta start tracking myself a little bit more here, you know, to see what we're doing. So I've built in a lot of my own kind of metrics for tracking things financially, tracking how I'm engaging with people and whatnot, and trying to set little goals around, you know, uh, outreach and engagement in the community, things like that.
But I've also learned, you know, as a business person to start to get a little bit more pragmatic than maybe I used to think as an academic around data. Um, such that [00:13:00] I really have started to value experience and your intuition and knowledge as something that you integrate with data and evaluation.
Cause sometimes we say, no, I'm going to let the data drive it. Sometimes I'll see a football coach on the sideline and their, their analytics person is like telling them what to do on the fourth down, and it's like, Yes, like you need to have that knowledge, but sometimes you just need a gut instinct and like recognize that those two things are, um, not one is more important than the other, but you're using both to kind of drive your decisions.
So, as a business person, I've come to realize that you actually don't have to have a ton of data to be able to make good decisions. You just have to have enough to make a good decision and then commit to yourself to be willing to fail, to willing to start over, learn from it, and do it again. And there's nothing wrong with that as an organization.
I think that's true of business owners, and I think that's true of people in nonprofits as well.
Jeremy C. Park: Touch on the ripple effect of this, because as you're helping nonprofits, social impact organizations to be more impactful with their [00:14:00] efforts. You're really lifting the communities in very large ways. And so talk about your efforts as a catalyst to really make a larger difference, this ripple effect out in the community and how important that is to you personally.
You know,
Drew Reynolds: I have gotten into this work because I believe very strongly that, um, in this notion of the common good, that's why I call my company Common Good Data. Which, uh, you know, is understanding that, to use a quote from Jane Adams, that the good we secure for ourselves is not, it's precarious. It's uncertain until it's secured for everyone.
And for me, I've kind of, you kind of have to ask that question as an individual person, as a business owner, as just a person in the community, what is the skillset that you have that can help, you know, advance that goal? And I realized that I had the skillset that there was a need in the community. And so that was kind of how I started this business.
And when I've come to realize, at first, sometimes, you know, initially in my, in doing this, I just tried to figure out a handful of projects, you know, you're just starting a business, you're just trying to figure out how to survive. But it's only been [00:15:00] the last couple of years that I've started to realize, hey, the better I do this business, and the more people that I'm able to serve, the more that some of these organizations that I've worked with are going to start to find success in their work, and in turn, in the communities that they serve.
And so seeing that link between being someone who's engaged in business and practice, but also seeing that it sort of catalyzes a social good. It's a deeply fulfilling thing. That's the reason why I get up every morning. That's the reason why I allow this work to kind of consume all of my thoughts during the day and that sort of entrepreneurial way where they're like, you're thinking about your business all the time.
Um, it's really the people who are served by it that I think drives that for me.
Jeremy C. Park: Wrap up with where we can go to carry this conversation forward. So website, social media, where do we go?
Drew Reynolds: Check us out at www.comandgooddata.com and, uh, always, I'm very active on LinkedIn too, so look up Drew Reynolds on LinkedIn.
You'll be able to see us there. And we also have a podcast called the Common Good Data Podcast, where we have a mix of conversations around data, but also the stories of nonprofit professionals, [00:16:00] public sector professionals who are talking about how they're using data to drive their work. So check us out there also on our website, common good data.com/podcast.
Well,
Jeremy C. Park: Drew, thank you for all you do to power the good. Greatly appreciate it. Thank you for coming on the show. Hey, thanks so much, Jeremy. Appreciate it.
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