Michelle Murrain, The Nonprofit Open Source Initiative Like many consultants, I deal with different kinds of data every day. These can be divided into four different types: data that needs analysis (income and expenses or web site hits, for example), data that is actionable (e-mail, to do lists, phone messages), data that needs to be accessible in a moment (client phone numbers, web site passwords), and data that can sit untouched until I need to find it.
Between my multiple computers, and my penchant for Web 2.0 applications, I have an unfortunate multiplicity of data locations, which I usually manage to back up, when I remember they exist. Of course, just about every single data type has its own interface: my address book holds addresses, a web application holds project management data, my hard drive is full of documents, and of course, my e-mail client is full of unanswered email.
I’m a science fiction fan. Science fiction lets us wish for all sorts of wonderful things. I remember a story where the protagonist had been out chasing aliens. He comes home, and a dulcet voice says something like, “You have 15 new messages. 10 are from colleagues, 3 are solicitations for products you are likely to be interested in, and 2 are from your mother. Which would you like to hear first?”
As part of our continuing coverage of data integration, we asked Dahna and Jennifer to guest blog on the topic. For an explanation of one possible solution to this issue, read our report How Open APIs Can Change How Nonprofits Manage Data.
By Dahna Goldstein from PhilanTech and Jennifer Bagnell Stuart from Innovation Network
"Can we talk?" If your donor database is asking your accounting software, the answer is probably "no." And this lack of communication between systems is causing increasing problems for nonprofit organizations.
Today’s typical nonprofit uses a variety of information management systems for collecting and storing data ranging from client and constituent contacts to program tracking and evaluation. While standards for data exchange and inter-software communication are developing in the nonprofit sector, the vast majority of nonprofit organizations face steep barriers to realizing the benefits and leveraging the power of technology.
A nonprofit’s greatest asset is its people. Human resources become even more valuable over time as they gain knowledge and increase their understanding of the organization’s mission, programs, and operational strengths and weaknesses. Indeed, the effective use of information and knowledge is critical to the survival and success of today’s nonprofit organization. Read more here.
