BLOG: The Importance of Data

Habitat for Humanity's Tech Corner with logos of various tech products

Posted November 9, 2022

Often times we hear about big topics like Data Analytics, Data Mining, Data-Centered Decision Making, and other trendy phrases. But, how often do we take a second to consider how we as affiliates use our data?  

Another way to see it: what are the important data points that every person at the affiliate should know? Is it things like:  

  • How many homes or repairs did the affiliate do this year?  
  • How much did the ReStore bring in to help the affiliate?  
  • How many volunteer hours were done at the affiliate this month?  
  • How many homeowner inquiries did your homeowner services team receive? 

Why is this important?  

For any team to be successful, there needs to be buy-in to the mission and vision from as many people as possible. One effective way to do this is to give people memorable pieces of information that reenforce the mission and vision of the organization. Take an example from professional sports, when the Cleveland Cavaliers made their championship run in 2016, they had a puzzle of the Larry O’Brien trophy (the NBA championship trophy) that had 16 pieces to it. That represented the number of games they had to win in the play-offs to be able to win the championship. After every game won, the team added a new piece to the puzzle and it served as a constant reminder of what their collective goal was. That’s the kind of buy-in that makes for an effective team.  

Data helps us create concise narratives that have memorable pieces of information. What are the memorable pieces of information that can help your affiliate create a more effective narrative? How can your affiliate leadership use that data to help create buy-in from every person on your affiliate team? 

When we think about data, we should also think about the technology that helps us collect, visualize, and track our data points over a period of time. Tracking data helps us know where we’ve been so we can set goals for where we want to be. So as you’re examining the role that data plays in the narrative of your affiliate think about the tools your affiliate uses to obtain data. Are you utilizing it to its full potential? If you’re unsure, feel free to email me and we can chat through it and see what if any opportunities exist to help you and your affiliate have a better understanding of the impact you are having in your community. 

Ernesto Villarreal
Salesforce Administrator & Technology Coordinator