Digging Into Data: Data Collection and Analysis at a Small Nonprofit

Abstract

Better Basics provides literacy intervention and enrichment programs for students in Central Alabama. Founded over 25 years ago, the organization has grown to support over 20,000 students annually. This quality improvement project examined the data collection process at Better Basics to determine how to design interventions to support the organization’s mission and vision. The theoretical framework for this study, the Quality Implementation Framework (QIF), helped to inform essential understandings of Better Basics process for collecting data and provided the background for the interview protocol and research questions. After conducting a review of the organization’s website and program descriptions and conducting interviews with Better Basics staff, four distinct findings emerged, and three recommendations for improvement were made.