What is a data culture? When we talk about culture, it's about an environment. It's about practices. It's about habits. It's kind of like the air you breathe—the part of an organization that's sometimes hard to pinpoint but is always there.

A data culture means creating an environment where the use of data is a priority in decision-making and is part of everything you do. You gather evidence, collect data, evaluate programs, and use this information to make decisions about management, fundraising, and more.

A data culture has several key elements, and we’ll cover five of them so you can understand what’s important for building an organization that uses data in everything it does. Data should not be an afterthought but a central part of how an organization operates, makes decisions, and evaluates its impact.

You’ll hear:

(03:11) How strong commitment from leadership drives a data culture

(05:52) Why data literacy is crucial across your organization

(07:10) What it means to make data accessible and usable throughout the organization

(08:59) The importance of establishing a framework for effective data management

(11:24) How to integrate data into daily decision-making processes

The 28208 zip code in Charlotte, NC, including the Lakeview neighborhood, is one of the city’s areas with significant economic challenges. Residents born in this neighborhood have less than a 5% chance of transitioning out of poverty into the middle class.

Originally established as a mill village for white workers in the late 1930s, Lakeview became predominantly Black in the late 1960s due to urban renewal and white flight. Today, the community faces ongoing challenges, including issues of trust, gentrification, and a lack of meaningful engagement.

Jamaal Kinard and Adrian Sundiata from the Lakeview Neighborhood Alliance (LNA) join us to discuss their efforts to improve the quality of life in the Lakeview neighborhood.

You’ll Hear:

(05:49) The origins of Lakeview as an exclusive park and neighborhood to its transformation and renaming, and how these shifts have impacted the residents' identity and unity.

(13:35) Why the Lakeview community has faced significant socio-economic challenges and what short-term and long-term efforts are being taken to address them.

(23:50) How the Lakeview Neighborhood Alliance rebuilds trust within the community and creates a solidarity economy.

(41:03) How the gift card program has evolved from a pandemic response into a tool for financial education and empowerment, serving nearly 170 residents in 2024.

(45:36) Why immediate relief should be balanced with advocating for systemic solutions like universal basic income and housing reform rather than relying solely on nonprofit efforts.

Connect with Jamaal Kinard and learn more about Lakeview Neighborhood Alliance.

Strong grant proposals use data to convincingly illustrate the potential impact and effectiveness of proposed programs. Yet, for many grant writers—whether applying for federal, state, or local funding—the evaluation section poses a significant challenge.

In the third installment of the Evaluation series, Drew discusses how to write about conducting data analysis when drafting successful grant proposals.

This episode is for those writing the evaluation section of grant proposals but aren’t necessarily experts when it comes to data and evaluation.

You’ll hear:

(02:22) How to align your data analysis with grantors' expectations and specific requirements.

(03:49) How to define clear objectives and goals to effectively measure and demonstrate program impact.

(05:44) Five ways to present quantitative data even if you’re not an expert in data analysis.

(11:18) How to incorporate qualitative data to provide depth and context to your findings.

(17:27) Why you should address potential challenges and limitations in your data analysis

Check out our recent blog post related to this podcast topic, ⁠The Evaluation Section Part #3: Data Analysis for Grant Proposals⁠.

Many children and young adults facing life-altering conditions, from severe illnesses to disabilities, may experience isolation and hopelessness.

Elizabeth Lindsey, co-founder of Dream On 3, joins us this week to discuss their work in bringing hope to these individuals through sports experiences.

Dream On 3 connects these individuals with athletes and teams, showing them that their dreams can come true despite their challenges.

You’ll Hear:

(01:28) A description of Dream On 3’s signature programs.

(08:42) How they measure the success of child and youth experiences.

(13:50) Why storytelling has been imperative in connecting with the community and showcasing the impact of their work.

(16:37) How they conduct follow-up and maintain a relationship with dream recipients.

(21:36) The transformative dreamer experience of a young girl, whose dream of hunting with a professional hunter was realized.

Connect with Elizabeth Lindsey and learn more about Dream On 3.

Sometimes it’s not about doing something new, it’s about doing what you do - even better.

This podcast episode focuses on the importance of maintaining an impact mindset as a nonprofit leader. Drew discusses why it’s important to avoid the temptation of novelty for novelty’s sake and make sure that impact drives the work of nonprofit and public-sector organizations. Drew identifies three traits of impactful nonprofit leaders and shares examples of how these leaders can apply an impact mindset into planning and decision-making.

In this episode:

Listeners will learn about three traits of highly impactful nonprofit leaders:

• Impactful leaders know: It’s not about them.

• Impactful leaders have a north star.

• Impactful leaders align what they’re good at with what the community needs.

Check out our recent blog post related to this podcast topic, 3 Traits of impactful nonprofit leaders.

Charlotte, NC is an “immigrant gateway” that has one of the fastest growing immigrant communities in the country. Over 30,000 students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools speak a language other than English at home. Immigrant students and their parents encounter all kinds of challenges at school, and immigrant youth often lag behind their peers in a variety of academic and social indicators.

To talk about the challenges immigrant families face, we invited Sil Ganzó of ourBRIDGE for Kids to talk about her work in providing services for immigrant and newcomer families to Charlotte, NC. On the episode, she discusses the importance of meeting families where they are, how to truly be community-centered and culturally-responsive, and ultimately how to help immigrant youth feel welcome in a place that can feel very unfamiliar - and at times uninviting - to them. Sil also shares great examples of how ourBRIDGE uses survey and focus group data to gather insights into the immigrant family experience, and how they used empirical data to show how youth and their families enrolled in their programs were able to develop an increased sense of cultural identity and pride. We also discuss the importance of ethical storytelling, building a team for evaluation, and share exciting news about the opening of the new Charlotte is Home Center.

This podcast episode focuses on planning for successful grant writing in prevention, with an emphasis on factors outside the proposal narrative that are critical to success. This podcast was generated following a workshop given by Drew in collaboration with the Southeast PTTC. Though the examples focus specifically on substance use prevention, many elements of this presentation are relevant for grant writing in any field.

Download the Prevention Grant Writing Toolkit which provides a step-by-step guide to winning your next 6- or 7- figure federal, state, or local grant. In this episode:

Listeners will learn how to:

• Identify and select grant opportunities that are a strong fit for their organization. Participants will know where to go to find grants and opportunities for their organization.

• Develop a year-long timeline for grant writing and reports to funders.

• Describe standard components of a grant proposal.

• Prepare pre-written materials that can be modified to meet grant requirements.

• Build a team to write the grant.

• Identify common frameworks, including SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework, to reference when writing prevention grants.

• Organize their work to meet grant requirements.

• Identify community engagement strategies to demonstrate your commitment to the problem and your relationships with existing partners engaging in similar work.

• Build effective partnership agreements to accomplish grant goals and document these through letters of support or memoranda of understanding.

Roughly 1 in 3 Latino adults do not have access to health insurance in Charlotte, NC - a rate much higher than other cultural groups. Lack of access to health insurance coupled with mental health stigma lead to significant barriers for Latino families in accessing mental health services and programs. As we celebrate May as maternal and mental health awareness month, we’ve invited Juliana Lozano of Despierta CLT to talk about her work providing culturally responsive mental health services and reducing stigma. We talk about the importance of community partnerships, use of surveys to gather community feedback and how referral processes can help clients get access to care. Juliana also shares two compelling success stories of clients who have been transformed through the work of Despierta. Roger, Juliana, and Drew also reminisce about songs that bring joy.