Measuring the Networked Nonprofit

Graphs are a visual treat, as they can present complex information in a quick and easy manner. Mostly graphs are used to reveal a trend, compare statistics or

Curated by Beth Kanter

http://www.bethkanter.org

This is the second reference I've stumbled upon that talks about social media tracking/monitoring and metrics as "social data."   This is great reframing in the context of Networked Nonprofits - and measuring their activity. 

Here's the bit that caught my eye:

Whether it be for learning when is the best time to tweet for your audience or keywords that bring traffic to your website, data can be used in some form or another to influence communication strategy (including future social efforts), improve customer service (including resolving complaints), inform product development and understand consumer interests, habits and behavior.

In order for this to happen with nonprofits:

(1)  They already need to have a "data-informed" culture

(2)  They need foundational skills in collecting, analyzing, and applying social data.  This could be:

a)  Brand Monitoring

b)  Influencer Research
c)  KPI/Metrics to track performance of content on different channels, plus content analysis

Most importantly,  there needs to be someone on staff who is responsible for the task beyond a quick hit of looking a monthly spreadsheet.  Should also be an organizational process, given priority and importance. 

How does your nonprofit think about "social data" in the context of collecting data, sense-making, and applying it to decisions.