What’s New This Week?
Russia Funds Political Facebook Ads
Having covered various Facebook Ad drama, I didn’t think anything on the platform could shock me. But it can! Facebook disclosed on Wednesday (finally!) that a Kremlin-backed company funded $100,000 worth of Facebook Ads. The ads, which ran from June 2015 until this May, focused on divisive social issues, such as gun control.
Finding Donors in the Data
Turn on your speakers and check out this podcast from Blackbaud. The nonprofit tech company explains how nonprofits can use predictive analytics to find their most likely (and capable) donors.
Happy Birthday, Here’s the $$
Facebook rolled out a new feature that allows people to solicit birthday donations for their favorite nonprofit. It works like this: two weeks before your birthday, Facebook will prompt you create a fundraiser for an approved organization (There’s currently 750K). You set a goal and create a message. Then, Facebook notifies your friends on the big day. The catch: a 5% fee.
Data vs. Sandwich
Wawa sandwich sales don’t have much to do with your average nonprofit, but I enjoyed this interview anyway. Rather than pondering about the importance of data, it provide concrete examples of how data translates into actual business decisions.
… And in other links
On developing an algorithm to predict gentrification
I really enjoyed this nuanced and thought-provoking discussion about tech’s role in fighting white supremacy
I learned why us millennials are the most data-driven generation yet. You guessed it: the Internet.
Advice of the Week
Stop Ignoring My Reports, Please
I don’t think I can nod any harder at this article’s intro: “The main reason that reporting becomes a dreaded task is the report isn’t impactful enough and begins to feel like busywork.” I know the feeling. Here’s advice on making reports that actually grab people’s attention.
Cool Visualization of the Week
Data Gets a Makeover
If you love data visualizations, today’s your lucky day. This site features several new ones each week. Here’s the pitch: each Sunday, they pick an okay-ish visualization, link to the data set and ask designers to rework it. Last week, this take on sustainable development turned into this. I love seeing multiple visualizations of the same data.