Impact Stories: Combining Stories and Data to Better Prove Impact
Description
The services that nonprofits and programs provide are life-changing. Unfortunately, many organizations struggle to capture, interpret and utilize their life-changing data in a meaningful way.
For many social workers, the anecdotes – or the stories of the people you work with – come naturally, but they have a harder time effectively blending the data and impact into more meaningful stories.
An impact story, or an authentic melding of data and empathy, can be used within an organization to prove community and participant impact. There’s tremendous power in how we share impact and how it’s put out into the community. The impact story can be used in a variety of ways: create infographics and flyers, include them in grant applications and present them to your board.
This session aims to explore reporting best practices and how to incorporate data to tell your program and participant stories and journeys fully.
Session Type
30 minute sessionLearning Outcomes
- Take away best practices and steps to craft an impact story that is both data-driven and emotionally appealing
- Share their impact story in a variety of ways to help secure more funding and engage the community
- Implement reporting best practices with technology to become more data-driven and prove your full impact
Target Audience
1) Exec directors, 2) Program managers, 3) Case managers, 4) FundersTags
Speakers
Jeffrey Melando
Director, Impact Partners
Social Solutions
Data-driven and adeptly analytical, Jeff Melando is a passionate philanthropic partner, dedicated to discovery and strategically sees solutions throughout the spaces he serves.
Charged by considerable coffee consumption, he is intrinsically inquisitive with a capacity for conquering challenges and creating connections. Witty, wise and a wizard with a whisk, Jeff is a sensible straight shooter who processes problems with practicality and pragmatism; a skillset that serves him both personally and professionally.
As an avid adventurer and amateur astronautical applicant, he has car camped cross-country, is a wealth of worthless wisdom thanks to trivia and is pretty partial to podcasts, as well as Prine playlists.
A beach buff (sans sand) and numbers nerd, Jeff graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a degree in Economics. He shares space with his wonderful wife and their canine compatriots, Chaco and Crosby.
Stephanie Fast
VP and Head of Impact Partners
Social Solutions
Stephanie is the Vice President and Head of Impact Partners at Social Solutions. She leads the company’s efforts to partner with philanthropic funders to scale nonprofit access to data and technology to accelerate greater community outcomes. She is a seasoned executive who is passionate about developing teams and driving change in a combination of for profit and non-profit environments.
Prior to joining Social Solutions, Stephanie spent 12 years at A Glimmer of Hope Foundation as the Chief Finance and Operations Officer. During her tenure she spearheaded the digital transformation of the organization—integrating financial, monitoring and evaluation, and legacy systems—allowing stakeholders across international offices to analyze data across platforms, and create and visualize information that is accurate, available and actionable. Previously, Stephanie spent eight years at Bear, Stearns & Co Inc. in the investment banking group. Her focus was on debt and equity transactions for companies located in the Southwest.
Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and is the proud mom of three grown daughters (Roll Tide, Hook ‘em, and Boola Boola).