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Stats4Good: The (Higher) Power of Data for Good

1 June 2018 1,208 views No Comment

This column is written for those interested in learning about the world of Data for Good, where statistical analysis is dedicated to good causes that benefit our lives, our communities, and our world. If you would like to know more or have ideas for articles, contact David Corliss.

David Corliss With a PhD in statistical astrophysics, David Corliss works in analytics architecture at Ford Motor Company while continuing astrophysics research on the side. He serves on the steering committee for the Conference on Statistical Practice and is president-elect of the Detroit Chapter. He is the founder of Peace-Work, a volunteer cooperative of statisticians and data scientists providing analytic support for charitable groups and applying statistical methods to issue-driven advocacy in poverty, education, and social justice.

Data for Good volunteers can be found in many places and situations—at work, Data for Good organizations like Statistics without Borders, DataKind, and topic-driven organizations focused on a particular subject such as supporting a school. One area attracting volunteers for good causes are faith-based organizations. Obviously, Data for Good brings in people across the spectrum—from entirely secular to religiously motivated, from every faith and none. For those connected to a faith-based group in some way, Data for Good volunteers can be an invaluable resource.

Many faith-based groups have turned to statistics and data science as critical components of achieving their mission of serving people and the community. Identifying drivers of poverty and homelessness, survey design and analysis, models to improve the effectiveness of refugee programs, discrimination and injustice research, and data-driven guidance for reform initiatives such as prisons and sentencing are a few examples of how faith-based groups are using statistical volunteers today. The most common use of statistics, however, is in operations research for the organization itself—surveys to understand the needs and interests of members, increasing membership and fundraising, and optimizing the use of space and other resources.

A great example of what can be done at a local level can be found at a synagogue in Chicago, Congregation Rodfei Zedek. Located near The University of Chicago and with many people having analytic experience in the congregation, Rodfei Zedek has formed its own informatics committee. Led by congregation member and statistician Andrea Frazier, the team’s goals include building stronger relationships and fostering data-driven decision-making.

An important analytic use case for any membership organization is … membership! The informatics committee at Rodfei Zedek needs to track both individual and group memberships—classes and activities, households, and larger family associations. The informatics team digitized all the records, cleaned the data, established variables for various group memberships, and flagged special skills—for example, informatics! All members are matched to roles in which they possess the requisite skills to broaden the number of people participating. This database has resulted in more efficient program management, improved program participation, and better use of member resources.

The informatics team also evaluates programs. Surveys are conducted using one of the common online survey tools and the data analyzed and visualizations created to better understand how people feel about programs. Analysis produces data-driven insights to guide improvements. Predictive modeling is used to understand the key factors driving member engagement and estimate the attendance to be expected for a given event. Events can be selected based of the level of interest within the group and planned with clear expectations of the amount of participation. An event that will attract dozens or more can be placed in a larger room and more volunteers recruited to support it.

As people involved with charity management will be familiar, some important activities will attract just a handful of people. Predictive analytics can direct these toward smaller meeting rooms, or even other locations such as people’s homes.

Many important religious celebrations occur on different days in the civil calendar each year. Easter, for example, falls on the Sunday after the first full moon in spring, while Diwali falls on the new moon in the period from late October to early November.

Predictive analytics can describe the interaction of these “moveable feasts” with the civil calendar based on day of the week and other events. Analytics predicting attendance—and therefore required resources—can also address over-crowded holiday periods. Predictive analytics can support an answer to those who want to push one more event into an already over-crowded holiday period by giving solid estimates of the number of volunteers required and how many people will be able to participate.

Statistical science can analyze and identify the challenges facing the wider community, enabling closer partnerships and helping to address the sadly common issue of congregations that have grown away from their surrounding community. Frazier emphasizes the diverse purposes Data for Good can serve, which can be used “to save the world, but it’s also valuable for enhancing your own community. … It’s a great tool for the greater good!”

Once an informatics team is developed, it can take on challenges well beyond the walls of the congregation. Assessing the needs of the community, fighting poverty and homelessness, supporting local schools—almost any objective of the community groups you are active in can be helped by a Data for Good team.

While the Rodfei Zedek informatics team was developed to use the analytic resources available within a particular community of faith, the model can be applied to many kinds of organizations. School support groups, service organizations (e.g., Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.), alumni organizations, and many more can benefit. As long as there is a large group of people, especially where there are many professions, there is likely to be a subset with the analytic and data skills needed to form an informatics team.

Does your community, civic, faith-based, or other organization use statistics and data science for projects in your community? Let us know! We are always looking for inspiring examples of Data for Good to feature in this column.

For new Data for Good opportunities this month, consider having a look at Statistics Without Borders. It’s a great organization with many wonderful opportunities to work in Data for Good. Also, Peace-Work is looking for people interested in homelessness solutions to study the Utah program that has reduced homelessness there by 91% in recent years and perform economic analysis of the feasibility of doing the same in the investigator’s home state. You can contact them via their website.

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