Narratus/Data In Action

An introduction to capacity building for non-profits

In the early 90's, commercial businesses realized a need to shift from error-prone, time-consuming, manual processes for operational data collection and reporting to automated systems that provided more accurate and uniform data. During that transition many for-profit companies spent millions of dollars not only to purchase but to implement and maintain such systems. The first major data warehouse built for Coca-Cola (by team members who eventually became Narratus) came with a hardware, software and services price tag of more than five million dollars. The work done for Wal Mart cost substantially more (although our part of the gig was "only" a few million).

Now, with the commoditization of hardware and some software as well as the significant growth and maturity of on-line technologies, the corporate sector has learned to collect and share data more efficiently without going broke trying to do it. The accuracy of reporting now results in increased productivity and increased profitability. Both of which might be called - capacity building. Today, Business Performance Management (BPM) solutions include applications and tools that build dashboards, scorecards, and alerts. They leverage existing information technology investments, are often user friendly, enhance communication, and enable better informed decision making.

Today, many non-profits find themselves where the corporations were in the 90’s. Not-for-profits often use multiple systems to track data, systems which do not “speak to each other,” thus creating unnecessary expense for:

time-consuming manual entry of data
unnecessary postage and excess collateral material
limited ability to track trends and improve performance and planning
limited means to connect with their stakeholders, clients, and constituents

Capacity building in non-profits is similar to a combination of organizational development, operational effectiveness planning, and enterprise performance management solutions in the for-profit world.

“We were extremely pleased with the work that Narratus undertook for Pitzer. As their name implies, they helped us to discover, clarify and tell stories that illuminated the core elements of our fundraising campaign. They captured people’s attention, and deepened our constituencies’ interest in our project which, then, led to strong philanthropic support. I would recommend Narratus to anyone.” ---Laura Skandera Trombley, President, Pitzer College

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		An introduction to capacity building for non-profits In the early 90's, commercial businesses realized a need to shift from error-prone, time-consuming, manual processes for operational data collection and reporting to automated systems that provided more accurate and uniform data. During that transition many for-profit companies spent millions of dollars not only to purchase but to implement and maintain such systems. The first major data warehouse built for Coca-Cola (by team members who eventually became Narratus) came with a hardware, software and services price tag of more than five million dollars. The work done for Wal Mart cost substantially more (although our part of the gig was "only" a few million). Now, with the commoditization of hardware and some software as well as the significant growth and maturity of on-line technologies, the corporate sector has learned to collect and share data more efficiently without going broke trying to do it. The accuracy of reporting now results in increased productivity and increased profitability. Both of which might be called - capacity building. Today, Business Performance Management (BPM) solutions include applications and tools that build dashboards, scorecards, and alerts. They leverage existing information technology investments, are often user friendly, enhance communication, and enable better informed decision making. Today, many non-profits find themselves where the corporations were in the 90’s. Not-for-profits often use multiple systems to track data, systems which do not “speak to each other,” thus creating unnecessary expense for: time-consuming manual entry of data unnecessary postage and excess collateral material limited ability to track trends and improve performance and planning limited means to connect with their stakeholders, clients, and constituents Capacity building in non-profits is similar to a combination of organizational development, operational effectiveness planning, and enterprise performance management solutions in the for-profit world. “We were extremely pleased with the work that Narratus undertook for Pitzer. As their name implies, they helped us to discover, clarify and tell stories that illuminated the core elements of our fundraising campaign. They captured people’s attention, and deepened our constituencies’ interest in our project which, then, led to strong philanthropic support. I would recommend Narratus to anyone.” ---Laura Skandera Trombley, President, Pitzer College Who We Are \| What We Do \| Our Clients \| the Narratus Difference \| Contact Us copyright � 2005 Narratus. All rights reserved.