The Secrets to Finding Critical Data
Data is the lifeblood of successful proposals, marketing collateral, and presentations. Yet, many of my clients struggle to identify the specific data sets needed for their projects.
Today, I’m walking through my data strategies, drawing on a recent case study where I assisted a non-profit in securing funding for their homelessness initiatives.
The non-profit's mission centered around homelessness, a topic often plagued by data inconsistency across local areas. Existing statistics can be outdated and lack uniformity, which can be a significant challenge for creating a compelling funding proposal.
To overcome this issue, I used a strategy of both secondary and primary research methods.
Secondary Research: I conducted a comprehensive search in government databases, NGO reports and academic literature to identify data sets. This included trend analysis to examine patterns in demographics, service utilization, and socio-economic factors contributing to homelessness.
Primary Survey: Recognizing the limitations of secondary data, I then launched a targeted survey of the organization's stakeholders and outreach coordinators. This primary data provided valuable insights specific to the non-profit's local area and service population.
This dual approach offers several advantages:
Cost-Effectiveness: Using secondary research is extremely cost-effective, which is very important for non-profits with limited budgets.
Data Specificity: Primary research fills any secondary data gaps which is critical for building an accurate “current state” of any organization.
Enhanced Credibility: Using a blend of secondary and primary data, the non-profit's funding proposal gained greater credibility with donors and government agencies.
Before starting primary data collection, it is a good idea to explore existing data through secondary research. A thorough search of government reports, market studies and academic publications can often give an incredible data pool.
Are you ready to start your data project? I can help! Contact me here or in the options below.
When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
Research Subscriptions: Stay massively informed on any topic, competitor or industry with my weekly and monthly research subscriptions. And you can set up as many subscriptions as you need.
Custom Research Project: Perfect for ad-hoc research needs including market research, general research, trend identification and competitive reviews.
Schedule a 1:1 Coaching Call: Need guidance on your project? Not sure how to approach a research project? Have a small budget and want to know exactly how I would tackle it? Set up a call with me.