Data4Development was honored to be invited to present at the Salesforce Netherlands Nonprofit User Group earlier this week. The focus of the conversation was about getting a grip on data and data science.
Maaike Blom drove home the importance of embedding Data-driven decision making at the core of all non-profit organisations to reach lasting results and more impact. Myself, Anita Malpani a data scientist at D4D, used a simple case study to build a predictive model with a simple cleaned up dataset. The objective was to unpack statistical terms like regressions, correlation and coefficient and to extract insights from the data collected.
I personally gain energy as a Data Scientist when I am able to demystify complicated sounding statistical terms and help people see it’s not as technically daunting as it seems. I always advise people to use the tools they feel most comfortable with. When it comes to non profit efficiency, the key is to ask the right questions, and then pick accessible tools and actually collect the right data to answer them.
The ‘aha’ moment for me during the session was when someone in the room said “Now I see how that data we enter is used by Einstein Analytics to analyze”. (Einstein Analytics is used to explore data and provide advanced analytics in Salesforce).
Last but not least, we were impressed with how the co-leaders Ayako Sawada and Sjoerd Woltjer ensured that the whole group stayed engaged throughout and the bonus was a delicious Sushi dinner ;0).