Big data is big news for community development
There are always lots of great ideas to help neighborhoods grow and thrive. But how can foundations, cities and community groups figure out which ideas are really effective? Until recently, the only way to find out was to fund studies that looked at individual neighborhoods or projects — larger studies cost too much for most non-profits. But LISC has been using the power of big data to analyze the effectiveness of its programs without breaking the bank. In What Counts: Harnessing Data for America's Communities, Susana Vasquez, executive director of LISC Chicago, reveals how to get bigger and better data.
The excerpt below is from:
"Everything Old is New Again: Building Nonprofit Capacity in the Age of Big Data"
by Susana Vasquez and Patrick Barry, LISC Chicago
Everything Old is New Again: Building Nonprofit Capacity in the Age of Big Data
Can local organizations make their neighborhoods stronger and healthier? If they can, how do they provide evidence that they are making a difference?
These are important questions, especially as millions of data points on neighborhoods become accessible via mobile apps, Web portals, and powerful databases. But these questions are not new. Former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke made the case for data-informed analysis of community work at the 2003 Community Development Policy Summit in Cleveland, suggesting that groups could raise funds and other types of support more effectively if they would “capture intangible social benefits, such as those that accrue to a neighborhood as residents become engaged in community planning activities, improve their financial literacy, and increase their access to employment opportunities through job training.”[1]
Using data to demonstrate these types of effects has become a higher priority in recent years, as both foundations and government seek validation for the work they are supporting. But it’s a tricky proposition, because first you have to show that something good has happened and then link those good results to a specific community improvement strategy, as opposed to a strategy or force from outside a specific organization’s control. Continued[+]...
