Cultivating a Data Culture Is Mission-Critical At Waikiki Community Center
by Adriann Gin, Hawai‘i Data Collaborative
Earlier this year, we met with Caroline Hayashi, executive director of Waikiki Community Center (WCC), to learn about WCC’s work and how well data enables their ability to carry out their mission. Expecting to hear about the data challenges they experience, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they consider data essential in their ability to do their work. And despite being a small and humble team of 30 with limited access to funds, I was fascinated to learn about their commitment to refining and growing their services by employing a very simple data strategy that has continued to serve them well for the past nine years. WCC is a great example that demystifies a common assumption that data and data strategy development is complex, requiring expertise and significant investments in technology and staff development.
In our work supporting non-profit service providers, we have learned that collecting and analyzing data to assess outcomes and impact can sometimes be a daunting, labor-intensive, and expensive task. Despite limited resources, however, the team at Waikiki Community Center has managed to cultivate a data culture that weaves data practices and considerations throughout the organization, equipping their team with the data they need to track programmatic goals and assess impact. With a diverse range of programs that include operating a preschool and helping kupuna access needed care programs, the key to sustaining and growing WCC’s services is their commitment to a simple but sound data strategy aligned with their mission and the impact they seek to have on their clients and community.
Connecting the Dots
“We all want to know that what we’re doing is making a difference. Data helps us understand why we chose to have certain goals and if our programs and services are supporting our mission.” – Caroline Hayashi
Photo credit: Waikiki Community Center
When Caroline joined WCC in 2013, one of her very first tasks with the team was to instill the importance of data. At the time, staff were well aware of WCC’s financial issues and underutilized services, but they didn’t know why – they needed data. By surveying current and past clients, and asking the community for feedback, the WCC team uncovered why services and programs were going underutilized. Grounded by these insights, WCC adjusted their offerings, and began to see an increase in clients coming through their doors. Once they addressed their problem of underutilized services, their question then adapted – now that clients are coming, how do they know if they’re helping them?
Just as the community's needs evolve, Caroline shared that WCC’s data strategy “is not static, we are always adjusting and changing,” which ultimately ensures that their programs and services continue to serve their mission.
The Transformational Power of Data
In our work supporting service providers in building their internal data capacities, we have seen that developing and implementing a data strategy starts with a strong commitment to fulfilling an organization’s mission, which then inspires providers to prioritize data strategy through ongoing data collection for program evaluation. For the team at WCC, Caroline shared that the importance of data became even more apparent years ago when WCC began providing information and referral services for kupuna. How these initial services evolved into a robust case management program for kupuna is an example of the transformational power of data:
“We were able to see all the barriers that prevented access to services and the challenges low-income kupuna experienced when trying to navigate multiple needs at various sites. There was no program to help kupuna and no funding for case management at the time. Kupuna were falling through the cracks.”
With their community facing a dire need, and in the absence of funding to address that need, WCC combined service coordination with its other existing kupuna programs, increased outreach efforts, and started collecting data to document outcomes. The result? WCC was able to demonstrate a real need in the community, create a stand-alone service, and garner funding support to sustain and grow the program.
In addition to program-specific data collection efforts, WCC also desired to understand their overall impact on their community. In an effort to uncover these insights, WCC made a big push towards collecting outcomes data. By engaging an external evaluation consultant on a very specific task to keep costs low, WCC developed a simple annual survey – one page, consisting of no more than 10 questions. Nine years later, WCC continues to use the same questionnaire, with minimal changes since its first iteration, enabling them to see their impact on their community over time, and share that back with the clients they serve.
Photo credit: Waikiki Community Center
Data Tips for Non-Profit Service Providers
Interested in getting your organization started with data strategy? Here we share some practical tips from Caroline that other service providers can use to lay the foundation for a data strategy that serves the mission of any organization:
Make sure your team is on board and understands the importance of data. Data is the expectation.
Build sustainable data capacity. WCC leveraged low-cost, external support from data experts to build foundational infrastructure and processes for their data strategy. Over time, by developing their own internal capacities around these processes and infrastructure, WCC has been able to sustain and adjust as the needs of their community evolve.
Make sure data is infused into your organizational culture. For example, staff meetings can be a great time to provide encouragement and create a stronger sense of purpose by sharing stories from staff that demonstrate impact based on the data they collected.
Identify a technical or detail-oriented person who enjoys working with data, perhaps starting as an additional duty for professional development. This employee can develop to become the organization’s point person on data.
Data collection doesn’t have to be an ancillary, expensive proposition. Design and build data into your operations.
Create a short list of the critical data points your organization needs to understand the impact your services and programs are having, and align these to your data collection efforts.
Keep surveys as user-friendly as possible (i.e., easy-to-read font, simple language, make it look fun and/or inviting). One page maximum!
Leverage data to uncover the full story of your organization's impact. As your organization provides services to the community, it is important to continually assess whether you're having the impact you desire.
Data is part of storytelling. If you can tell your story to show you’re meeting the community’s needs, the funding will follow.
As the community’s needs change, the metrics of your programs will also change. This should be reflected in your surveys.
Iterate, iterate, iterate - avoid letting perfection be the enemy of good!
WCC's data strategy journey is a helpful case study of the transformative role data can play for service providing organizations, even with limited resources. At the Hawai‘i Data Collaborative, we strive to be a resource to support service providers in developing their own data strategy, and when needed, offer the capacities necessary to enact that strategy. Please feel free to reach out to us at info@hawaiidata.org.
The views and opinions expressed in this piece are those of the person interviewed, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Hawai‘i Data Collaborative.
