Harnessing the Power of Data

with Houston in Action & the Houston Endowment

Scroll to read more

Red downward pointing arrow on a black background.
A person holding a small sticker that says 'I Voted' with a mountain and sun design in the background.

Here’s how Pivot structured a two-year capacity-strengthening program to help Houston in Action’s large network of community partners learn more about collecting, analyzing, and telling stories with data to strengthen their voter engagement efforts. 

68

Partner Organizations

282

Participants

2

Years

A city skyline with tall modern buildings across a river, with a bridge and green parks in the foreground during twilight.

Meet the clients

Houston Endowment, Inc. is a perpetual, place-based, private foundation that exists to serve the people of Greater Houston. They fund Houston in Action (HiA), a collective impact organization focused on supporting a network of 68 non-profit organizations to integrate voter engagement into their mission work.

Houston Endowment and Houston in Action were looking for a partner to develop a data and evaluation training program for their network partners.

Houston Endowment logo with stylized H and E initials and company name
Logo with a hexagonal shape containing the text "STON IN ACT" with a black background.
A promotional banner with the text "Harnessing the POWER OF DATA" with Photos of diverse people engaging in voting or community activities, on a colorful background with sketches of checkmarks and charts.

Project goals

Close-up of a perfume bottle with a black cap on a white surface

  • Strengthen the organizations’ abilities to collect, analyze, and utilize data to power strategic decision-making

  • More effectively gather data that assesses the relationship between voter engagement efforts and voter turnout

  • Foster a long-term culture where data is leveraged as a learning tool, driving future community engagement efforts

  • Build connections between partner organizations

Two people reviewing and annotating colorful business reports and charts on a table, using a pen and pointing at data.
People sitting and working at tables in a well-lit room with large windows and white walls, some using laptops and others engaged in discussions.

Relationship-driven Planning

An integral part of Pivot’s approach is the time we take getting to know our clients before kicking off a project. During a 6 month planning phase, we took the time to hear their insights about the organizations and conducted a series of partner interviews to learn about their strengths, interests, and goals.

Program partner

"Every single person on the team has made an effort to make that human connection first before we got into the nitty gritty, and that is more valued than you can realize…to have a team that's genuinely not only invested in your growth as a professional but also your growth as a person as well, that really speaks to how much [Pivot] genuinely cares about this program and cares about the people."

Two women having a conversation inside an office building near a large window with a cityscape view.
A man wearing glasses and a turquoise T-shirt with the words 'Art in the Heart' is working on a laptop at a table in a busy indoor event space.

Program in Action

In June 2023, the Harnessing the Power of Data program went into full effect! We are working with the member organizations through a combination of workshops, peer networking calls, online courses, and coaching calls.

Two men engaged in a close, supportive conversation indoors, with one man having his arm around the other's shoulders and the other holding his waist.
Two people, a woman with braided hair and glasses and a man with short hair, are sitting back to back in a room, working on their laptops.
Abstract geometric design with a dark teal semicircle on the left and a yellow semicircle on the right, separated by a black vertical line.

Workshops

Throughout the two-year program, Pivot hosts hands-on, interactive workshops where partners work together to refine their data and evaluation skills. Topics include “Identifying Metrics that Map to Your Campaign Strategy” and the "Data Collection Bootcamp.”

Abstract geometric logo with teal and yellow shapes.

Online courses

We are releasing more than 20 lessons over the course of the program, accompanied by toolkit resources to put the lessons into practice. Topics include “Data for Power Building,” “Cultivating Community Trust with Data,” “Identifying Metrics,” and “Designing Visually Engaging Annual Reports.”

Two yellow circles and two teal squares arranged in a geometric pattern.

Peer networking calls

In the interest of cultivating a dynamic community, Pivot hosts peer networking opportunities over the course of the program. These events provide partners with a dedicated space to not only share their experiences but also celebrate their work and establish meaningful connections for potential collaboration.

Abstract geometric design with a large teal circle, a yellow quarter-circle, and a black square overlapping each other.

Coaching Calls

Pivot offers tailored coaching sessions to bolster organizational capacity in data collection, analysis, and evaluation. Each of the organizations are paired with a Pivot coach who collaborates with them, through monthly one-hour sessions, to identify learning priorities and provide individualized data and evaluation support.

Program partner

“Great resource to know that [my staff] have in their back pocket… they can go to it at any time.”

People sitting at a wooden table, taking notes during a meeting or discussion.

Pivot Impact

The partners made great strides, as seen in our evaluation:

  • Data quality jumped 32%, up from 55% to 87% within a year.

  • Nearly all participants (97%) valued our workshops as beneficial.

  • Team enthusiasm and confidence in handling data significantly increased.

  • Data collection became more streamlined and efficient.

  • Partners improved how they communicate their impact to the community.

Woman sitting at a reception desk with a coffee cup, sanitizer, and office supplies, in a room with wooden and white walls and a blackboard in the background.
Empty classroom with tables arranged in rows, each table set with pens, papers, and small promotional cards, some with QR codes. There are chairs around each table, some with scuff marks, and various small supplies and promotional items placed on the tables.
Young man in a classroom with other students, looking focused, wearing a black shirt with white floral pattern.

What People Are Saying

“Part of [our organizational shift] was the encouragement from Pivot, but also a come-to-Jesus moment for us where we realized we can't operate in the old way anymore…so we're using data and technology to the best of our abilities…I think Pivot has given us the confidence to do so.”

— Program Participant

“Thanks to Martena and the team, I feel like I am more knowledgeable in how to properly capture data so that way I can responsibly give it back to the community.”

— Program Participant

“If I'm really talking about empowering and really helping my community, it's introducing these concepts to them while also preserving their history and their stories. That's why I realized that data...and voter engagement [are] not separate to our organization’s mission.”

— Program Participant

Partner spotlight

BRIDGES TO EMPOWERMENT

Bridges to Empowerment is a nonprofit private foundation dedicated to creating a restorative justice system that reduces criminal activities and brings an end to mass incarceration.

In its initial coaching session, Bridges to Empowerment expressed a desire for a more efficient method of collecting and summarizing canvassing data, which it had historically done through sign-in sheets and other paper forms. 

With support from Pivot, Bridges to Empowerment used coaching sessions to create a Google Form, allowing the organization to track real-time metrics (e.g., number of doors knocked on, number of people contacted). Bridges to Empowerment successfully implemented the tool, collecting more than 270 entries between two coaching sessions. We also helped the organization create an automated dashboard that summarizes the data from the form in an easy-to-understand snapshot. 

The Bridges to Empowerment team now has the ability to develop quick insights into the reach and effectiveness of their work, track progress over time, and build relationships with potential voters. 

To learn more about how Bridges to Empowerment takes a creative approach to voter mobilization, check out the video and follow them on Facebook.

A woman points towards the camera, wearing a white t-shirt with a drawing of a bridge and the words 'Empower' underneath. She is surrounded by other people, some wearing green shirts, and there are blue and white light effects around her head. The text 'GO VOTE' is prominently displayed in yellow at the bottom of the image.

Stroll up to the polls and vote by HiA

Watch Video
“[Now we] have a database of people who told us that we can reach back out to them when it’s time for primary voting to start…And because we’ve developed a relationship with them already…they know that we’re not just waiting until election time because we’re also reaching out to them and inviting them to come to meetings [and community events.]”
— Koretta Brown, Founder