Before investing in a dashboard, ask this first: “What problem are we trying to solve with data?” Not every organization needs the same kind of dashboard. And in many cases, the right solution is simpler—and far less expensive—than people expect.
For many small nonprofits, the biggest need isn’t a complex reporting system. It’s a clear, compelling way to:
show outcomes to funders and board members
summarize program results for planning and evaluation
communicate impact in reports or on the web
In those cases, a simple dashboard or small set of visuals (sometimes built in Tableau Public, which is free) and updated periodically may be all you need. Creating these can be relatively low-cost and doesn’t require ongoing software subscriptions.
Dashboards become a bigger investment when they need to:
include sensitive or internal-only information (like client names or addresses)
connect to live databases
show different data to different users based on permissions
At that point, a secure internal dashboard can save staff time, reduce reporting headaches, and improve decision-making. And that’s when a larger investment starts to make sense.
The smartest dashboard decision is often choosing just enough dashboard. I’m always happy to talk through your organization’s needs. Feel free to schedule a free consultation.
Let’s talk about YOUR data!
Got the feeling that you and your colleagues would use your data more effectively if you could see it better? Data Viz for Nonprofits (DVN) can help you get the ball rolling with an interactive data dashboard and beautiful charts, maps, and graphs for your next presentation, report, proposal, or webpage. Through a short-term consultation, we can help you to clarify the questions you want to answer and goals you want to track. DVN then visualizes your data to address those questions and track those goals.
