Bee Measure

Get Direction From Your Data

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My Favorite Advice & Data Viz of the Month

My Favorite Advice

How to Be Smart About Measuring Your Success.

After political pollsters failed to predict Trump’s 2016 election win, you might think that they have little to teach us nonprofit folks about metrics and measurement. Not true, says this article in PR Newswire. According to the author, at least, the Biden campaign has done an enviable job selecting metrics that actually correlate to campaign success – instead of simply being visible and easy to measure. How does that apply to your organization? Well, don’t let your boss talk you into padding your monthly metrics report with Twitter impressions and website page views. It’s easy to get caught up in vanity metrics and false cause fallacy’s instead of collecting and analyzing the data that truly matters. I realize it’s easier said than done, but your whole organization should be on the same page about what matters and how to measure it.  Without a clear metric for judging the success of outreach or fundraising, you end up grasping at assumptions and are unable to correctly measure whether you actually reached your goals.

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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.”

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My Favorite Advice & Data Viz of the Month

My Favorite Advice

Your Guide to Technical SEO Success.

You’ve gotten the basics of keyword research and writing for SEO, now let’s take a look at the technical side of your website. If you’re promoting your nonprofit’s mission through content marketing, SEO is a key component to the success of your marketing plan. What I like about this article from Nonprofits Source is that it has a section on technical SEO that breaks down what you need to do specifically (with screenshots for each thing!). Not only that, it links out to helpful tools and resources to make sure you’re not overwhelmed. This is a great, comprehensive guide for nonprofits to read over and implement.

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Fundraising During a Pandemic, How to Run a Remote Workshop & the Non-Designer’s Guide to Data Viz

Results are in, and the Winner is… Facebook

Guess what’s back, back again? It’s the new M&R Benchmarks nonprofit report! The published findings can be found here and, let me tell you, it’s beautifully designed and incredibly comprehensive. A major finding for nonprofits: Facebook giving accounted for 3.5% of all online revenue. Giving Tuesday was a major driver. And given that “the vast majority of all Facebook revenue (97%) was donated through the peer-to-peer Facebook Fundraisers tool,” grassroots fundraising via social media is something to focus on in 2020.

It’s a Global Pandemic, but You Can Still Ask

Nonprofit leaders are reading the room right now and it’s filled with uncertain, fearful people. That said, we nonprofits still rely on donations. What should we do? This HBR article touches on exactly this — the right way to outreach during a challenging global time. As the writer says, “In the coming weeks and months, successful requests for charitable donations will need to be embedded in a larger expression of mutual support, empathy, and solidarity.” Be transparent about the suffering your donors are experiencing, offer support, and emphasize your mutual commitment to each other.

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Aid for Nonprofits, What’s Trending & the Rise of Digital Marketing

Aid for Nonprofits Dealing With COVID-19

The $2 trillion federal stimulus package, CARES Act, is expected to go into effect on Friday, much to the relief of thousands of individuals, nonprofits and organizations. If you’re currently struggling with shrinking operational funds, this article from Nonprofit Quarterly details how nonprofits may be eligible to access funds to avoid laying people off or closing your doors. From emergency support for nonprofits with less than 500 employees to loan support for larger entities, there’s relief for everyone… even donors.

Fewer Events, More Digital Marketing

Right now, I’m having trouble looking a few days into the future — not to mention several months of years. Nevertheless, I thought this analysis of how the coronavirus may change marketing (at least in the B2B space) was insightful. Budgets that were allocated for in-person events, retreats, conferences, fundraisers and trade shows are now being shifted to the online space for marketing. Whatever you do, don’t totally chop your marketing and communications budget! It’s important to stay connected with your audience and maintaining a sense of normalcy — even if the current situation is so unpredictable.

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