Anti-Racism in Data Viz’s, Charitable Giving & COVID-19 & Taxing Internet Ads

Anti-Racism in Data Visualizations

“Photos are powerful and important, but so is the data that illustrates the disparities in our country.” As someone who looks to data to find opportunities, make decisions, and see the bigger picture, I came to this same conclusion. This article explains why data visualizations of COVID-19 — but not the Black Lives Matter movement — are so prevalent in our news cycle right now. And data viz designer Amanda Makulec lists 5 questions to ask ourselves when thinking about how we “data people” play can play a key role in the current anti-racism movement.

The Work-from-Home Guide to Filtering Google Analytics

With many organizations working remotely, now is a great time to talk about how to filter your employees out of your Google Analytics. Why is this important? So they don’t skew your stats! Data is only helpful if it’s accurate. And if you’re curious which method to employ since Simo Ahava gave a few, here’s what he suggests: “the URL query parameter solution is simple, because optimally your users only need to do this once per browser.”

COVID-19’s Impact on Charitable Giving

This Nonprofit Times article unveiled a lot of interesting statistics from a recent Gallup poll about charitable donations. For one, giving is at an all-time low, even surpassing the prior low from the Great Recession era. It’s no surprise given that “30% of Americans reported some direct financial harm from the coronavirus pandemic.” If your organization is looking for coronavirus-related donations, higher-income adults as well as Americans with higher educational attainment have reported more likely to give.

The Governor Vetoed This Bill

Sales tax on e-commerce took 25 years and plenty of debate to get off the ground. But if leveling the playing field for local organizations is the goal, this is the wrong way to do it. There’s got to be a different way to tax larger businesses to increase state revenue. There are arguments on both sides here, but the side I’ll be on is this: It’s been done before and it hasn’t been successful. According to Christopher Oswald, senior vice president for government relations with the Association of National Advertising, “Arizona, Iowa and Florida have passed broad advertising taxes before, only to repeal them, because they hurt local economies and proved impossible to administer.”

The Data’s In: Lean Into Existing Donors

This article from Forbes outlines 13 fantastic ways your nonprofit organization can adapt its fundraising strategy during this time. Donors are more likely to fund organizations they already have a relationship with. They trust them, already know what they are capable of, and understand the impact they have. Strengthening existing relationships with donors is a strong strategy moving forward. You can start with an email or a personalized letter and go from there.

Pandemic Fatigue? Well, Here’s More Data

I don’t blame you if you’ve had your fill of COVID-19 data visualizations. But if you can’t get enough of metrics, this Axios round-up has that and more. Be in the know about recovery numbers as well as how to protect yourself as states and countries reopen.