It’s no surprise that nonprofit organizations providing health-related services are overconsumed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but what about other types of nonprofits?

According to CNM President and CEO, Tina Weinfurther, the pandemic has affected nonprofits in different ways. Some are running on fumes, while others have doubled in size and can’t keep up with the demand

CNM, formerly called The Center for Nonprofit Management, works with more than 700 nonprofits in North Texas annually.

Learn more about how CNM uses analytics in the cloud

In the video here, Weinfurther shares how three nonprofits used data analytics to personalize their services to better serve their communities during the pandemic. At SAS, we call that data for good.

COVID has caused a lot of nonprofits to step back and say, 'How is the world changing, what does that mean for us and what do we need to do differently?' Tina Weinfurther, President and CEO, CNM

Clients that have collected and analyzed the right data have been more effective and resilient during challenging times, says Weinfurther. Let’s review three lessons you can learn from their success.

1. Offer targeted services based on needs. For over 30 years, Austin Street Center has specialized in caring for the most vulnerable homeless men and women in Dallas. Before working with CNM, the center was providing a safe place to sleep, shower, and food for about 1600 people a year. After reviewing their data, they realized that everyone was being treated the same. Austin Street Center adopted a comprehensive personalized program focused on the whole individual including resources for mental health, education and employment. Today they serve 3000 people – nearly double – with the same amount of money and staff.
2. Expand to serve more. Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County provides approximately 1 million meals each year to elderly and disabled citizens. When the pandemic hit, people with underlying conditions no longer felt comfortable going to the grocery store. As a result of understanding their data and their community’s needs, Meals on Wheels secured funding and expanded to serve this new population. Now they are updating their strategic plan to re-imagine services post pandemic.
3. Pivot to support in-person and online needs. Cassata Catholic High School works with at-risk youth to help them complete their high school education. Since they only offered in classroom teaching, they had to pivot to continue to support this community during the pandemic. The school completed a total rewrite of their curriculum to personalize their services in multiple formats – in person, online, and a mix of the two. And now they're regularly collecting data and checking back with the kids, their parents and community stakeholders to assess what's working and what's not. Now they are in a better position to very quickly make changes.

The above examples illustrate just three of the many ways CNM continues to help nonprofits with data and analytics. In their 2020 State of the Sector Report, CNM found that North Texas public charities grew 20% in the past four years. Unfortunately, sheer number growth has not stopped the increasing rate of community issues. The report cited that only 20% of CNM’s clients were gathering the right data and were further challenged to interpret and act on their data. As a result, their client’s ability to serve the right people, with the right services, and in the right way, was significantly diminished.

Several years ago, the firm launched CNM-pact®, a service for nonprofits offering strategic data expertise paired with SAS’s leading-edge technology

“The nonprofit community is actually going to be a lot stronger because of what they've learned, how they've adapted, and what they can practice,” shared Weinfurther.

Please support your local nonprofits this giving season, especially the organizations that provide clear, data-driven outcomes for your community.

Read how analytics can help your nonprofit use data for good