Podcast: BI and Nonprofits

September 22, 2009

Ross on BI and Nonprofits:

If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, you know that if I could do it all over hollyross again, I would have paid more attention in math class. Though my high school calculus class actually made me break out in hives — it was the most stressful experience of my life — I adore data. I want to eat statistics for dinner. I would marry a good data visualization. Mashups make me want to sing!

I love this stuff because, to me, data done right is empowerment. I look at it this way: a piece of data can tell you where you are, today. If you collect and analyze data over time, it can tell you where you’re headed, tomorrow — and that can help you make better business decisions.

That’s when data becomes intelligence.

The field of Business Intelligence (BI) is growing by leaps and bounds as technology tools make getting, combining, and visualizing data easier than ever before. I’d like to stress that even though it has a fancy name and is used at large corporations, BI is something we all can do, no matter the size or scope of our organization.