2024 Iowa Nonprofit Summit

Training Track: Advocacy Track

Topic of Workshop: data, research, advocacy, free tools

Title of Workshop: Information Wants to Be Free: Becoming a Data Detective

Workshop Description: This workshop will share tips and tricks for nonprofit advocates about researching, collecting, analyzing, and sharing data on state expenditures, program statistics, survey data, lobbying and campaign spending, and more. Discover useful databases, free tools to share and visualize data, and how to request information from the state. Up your advocacy game and become the PI of your NP!

Learning objectives:

• Understand a variety of data sources that are publicly available and how to access them
• Learn basic data analysis and interpretation practices and resources
• Utilize free data visualization tools to communicate data in an interactive way

Training Track: Various Topics Track

Topic of Workshop: Dashboarding and performance scorecards

Title of Workshop: Visualizing Your Data:  Building a Meaningful Dashboard for Your Work & Impact

Workshop Description: Develop a systematic approach for organizing the data you already produce as an impactful nonprofit to better tell your mission story. This session would help you create and plan an at-a-glance tool that would be useful in monitoring key indicators of success and make your data more consumable for better programming, decision making, staff planning, and budgeting. Begin to make your own data work for you and better tell your story and see where you need to focus more informed efforts around program enhancement and/or organizational efficiency.

Learning objectives:

• Identify and design strategies for measures key data and performance indicators for your field of work and organization.
• Evaluate approaches for easily collecting important data within your work.
• Craft strategies to identify key surveillance data from the field, from your clients/stakeholders, your operations, and your learning agenda. You’ll leave with examples and a desk reference to begin your own data journey.

Training Track: Advocacy Track

Topic of Workshop: Advocacy for volunteers, Board members, and the general public

Title of Workshop: Empowering Supporters with a Robust Advocacy Toolkit

Workshop Description: An effective advocacy strategy requires a well-stocked tool box. Learn how the Cedar Rapids Public Library has developed a myriad of tools to engage, support, and empower their advocates. Whether board members, volunteers, partner organizations, or the general public, advocates are ready to tell your story; your role is to prepare them for success. The Library will share how they work to help their advocates understand the “who, what, where, when, why, and how” of effective advocacy, how to make on-going advocacy communication sustainable, and how to open up dialogue to gather stories from those in your community who can speak to the impact of your organization. You’ll walk out of this session with a list of options to explore and a template to start building or expanding your own advocacy toolkit. 
Learning objectives:

• Develop an advocacy plan to mobilize supporters and provide them with the tools and information to be successful
• Identify tools you already have or can easily create to foster communication with your advocates 
• Create a plan to gather stories from your stakeholders that can be shared in advocacy efforts