Rebuilding a non-profit data stack: From Google Sheets to the Modern Data Stack from Coalesce 2023

"When you are a data engineer or an analytics engineer…you see a problem and you go, ‘I know there's a better way to do this,’ and that's what I did."

Lauren Benezra, Senior Analytics Engineer at dbt Labs, shares her experience of using data tools to streamline the operations of a cat rescue–from capturing data about incoming cats to reporting on the organization's activities. The session covered the setup of a data stack using tools like Airtable, BigQuery, Airbyte, dbt, and Census.

Data management is crucial for non-profit organizations

Lauren demonstrates the importance of data management for small-scale, non-profit organizations such as animal rescues. She stresses that effective data management can greatly enhance the efficiency and impact of these organizations.

"We have several segments of our organization. We have a trap-neuter-return segment. We have volunteers. We have foster homes. We have adoption applications… So, we have tons and tons of data that just compiles over years and years," she explains.

She highlights how unstructured and unmanaged data, often stored in Google Sheets, can become cumbersome and confusing over time. To resolve this, she proposes a more structured and modern data management solution using tools like Airtable, BigQuery, and dbt Cloud.

The importance of simplicity and user-friendly interfaces in data capture tools

Lauren emphasizes the need for data capture tools to be user-friendly and intuitive for volunteers who may not be data-savvy. She explains that if a data capture system is cumbersome or complicated, it discourages use and leads to poor data management.

"Data capture is really the absolute hardest part of this project. We are all data engineers, right? …We know that we can figure out the backend of things. But on the front end, the data capture has to work for humans. It has to be efficient. It has to be easy to use, and it has to have an intuitive workflow. It cannot be cumbersome in any way, or they will not use it.”

Lauren suggests using Airtable for data capture due to its customizable features and ability to store photos within rows, noting it was a useful feature for her cat rescue organization.

The power of data in driving non-profit operations and funding

Lauren underscores the importance of data in driving the operations of non-profit organizations and securing funding. She illustrates how data could be used to track the organization's impact and demonstrate its effectiveness to potential donors.

"We are able to use all of this data in our grants to ask for funding. Cat rescues, animal rescues, any sort of nonprofits need data in order to actually say, 'Hey, we're doing such a good job. Please give us money.' That's really, really important."

Lauren also encourages others with data skills to lend their expertise to non-profit organizations, highlighting that their contributions could have a significant impact. "You have special, ninja cat data skills. I really want to emphasize that this is not that much work. You can apply them anywhere: small organizations, rescues, whatever it is. Use your knowledge. You can literally save lives with everything you know today."

Lauren’s key insights

• Data is essential in managing rescue operations, from tracking individual cats to reporting on the organization's activities
• Tools like Airtable, BigQuery, Airbyte, dbt, and Census can be used to set up a data stack for small organizations
• The data capture process is the most challenging part of setting up a data stack, as it requires careful consideration of the end-users' needs
• Even with a small budget, it's possible to set up a robust and effective data stack
• Using data in this way can make a significant difference in the operations of small organizations and nonprofits