9:30am - Noon: Build Better Surveys and Forms

Surveys and forms are powerful ways for gathering information about your programs, clients, and services - but designing effective ones requires thoughtful planning, attention to detail, and time. Too often, we collect data only to realize we didn’t ask the right questions to get the information we actually needed. In this workshop, you’ll learn a process for creating clear, intentional surveys and forms that collect meaningful, actionable data - no matter your audience or goals.

Morning learning outcomes:

• Be able to develop questions that result in meaningful data collection.

• Write survey questions using best practices.

• Create a high-quality survey.

Noon - 1pm: Lunch (included in ticket price)

1pm - 3:30pm: Demographic Collection

Nonprofit organizations play a pivotal role in addressing societal issues and fostering positive change. To truly understand and maximize their impact, it is essential for nonprofits to understand who they are serving, as well as who they are not. However, asking questions about identity is complex. Identities are multifaceted and nuanced, and it is virtually impossible to create a checklist of options that everyone can neatly fit into. If not done carefully, it can lead to oversimplification and exclusion. This workshop will help you develop the demographic questions you need to fully understand the impact of your work while respecting and uplifting the diversity of those who engage with it.

Afternoon learning outcomes:

- The importance of collecting demographic data

- The challenges of asking questions about identity

- The ethical considerations involved in collecting demographic data

- Best practices for developing inclusive demographic questions and collecting demographic data

Contact: For any questions, please contact Jackie at jackie@ctdata.org

Accessibility: CTData is committed to making our workshops as accessible and barrier-free as possible. If you have any accessibility needs or require accommodations to participate, please contact Jackie at jackie@ctdata.org. Our goal is to make our workshops accessible to everyone, and we welcome feedback on how we can improve.

A note about the fee: We offer our workshops at a low price to ensure they are accessible to everyone. Fees cover the instruction time of the instructor and refreshments (in-person only). If you are unable to pay, please contact Jackie (jackie@ctdata.org) to possibly attend this workshop at a further reduced price.

We have all seen or created charts depicting data that have resulted in confusion, or worse, have unintentionally mislead readers. If you need to communicate data to any audience, this workshop will give you foundational knowledge and skills to become a Data Storyteller.

In Data Storytelling you will learn:

• What a “data story” is and how it differs from data reporting.

• A process to create clear and compelling data stories.

• How to combine your insights and findings with a visualization to help readers remember the story - and guide them to action.

Becoming a Data Storyteller is a practice. By applying what you learn in this workshop, you can learn to create data stories that will not only help readers remember what they’ve seen, but will help you guide your audience to action.

Covid Protocol

This workshop will be held in the CTData office space at Trinity College Action Lab. In keeping with Trinity College’s COVID protocols, attendees must wear a mask and show a vaccination card to enter.

A note about the fee:

Workshops build skills, clear up confusion, and enhance professional development, but you didn’t need us to tell you that. Studies have found that by charging a small fee, it increases the likelihood that you will attend this workshop and reap the benefits of the training. For this reason, we charge a small fee to cover the cost of parking and food. However, if you are truly unable to pay the fee, please contact Sarah (sarah@ctdata.org) to attend this training free of charge.

Data is all around us. We hear about it in news stories, read about it in the paper, and try to learn from it to improve our work. Yet, with this data all around you, you still may feel overwhelmed when it is presented, and may not know how to increase your comfort using data.

During the Basics of Data Literacy, you will learn how to evaluate whether the data you use or generate is of high-quality, how to evaluate the quality of data other people create, and how to understand more of the data that is being presented to you. You will be able to take when you leave the workshop to improve your own data work. You will leave this workshop:

• Understanding what “data literacy” is, and why it is important for making good decisions.

• Being more critical consumers & creators of data conclusions from data.

• Being more careful “appliers” of data interpretations.

• Having a better understanding of data literacy & ways to immediately change how participants engage with data.

This introductory workshop will provide you with skills you can apply to improve your own ability to read, communicate, and use data. You will come away with a greater understanding of data collection and analysis and a more critical eye towards data encountered in everyday life.