Webinar: Data & The Age of Transparency

Written By Editorial Staff

“We make decisions through data. We’ve proven our worth through data. Data helps us tell the truth. It’s not just about who we are.” - Sherrell Dorsey

Our Founder and CEO, Sevetri Wilson, hosted a live Scaling Impact Office Hours webinar earlier this week covering “Data and The Age of Transparency”, in which she interviewed Founder and CEO of The Plug, Sherrell Dorsey, on:

  • How to use data more effectively

  • How data is being used to hold organizations and corporations accountable

  • How we are redefining what this means in technology, philanthropy, the nonprofit sector, corporate giving, and beyond, and

  • When a newly formed charity or organization should begin to reveal data and information to the public

How to use data more effectively

Wilson and Dorsey discussed the impact of contextualizing moments by pulling together datasets to make great stories, and how to use data to make decisions, prove worth, and expose the truth.

How data is being used to hold organizations & corporations accountable

In June, The Plug, a digital news and insights platform covering the Black innovation economy, released a report that spurred headways by using data to call out corporations that made statements against racial and social injustice in America.

As the report surfaced throughout social media streams, Dorsey’s inbox flooded with Black employees concerned about racial injustices in their companies and were now using her platform’s data report to confront their organizations.

How we are redefining what this means in technology, philanthropy, the nonprofit sector, corporate giving, and beyond

“For technology, this means turning dashboards into a more tech-enabled, formal tool to measure discrimination,” Dorsey explained. “On the individual level, this means certain industries that support basic human rights should be especially transparent in terms of releasing data.”

Dorsey also noted that there was a recent study shared in a Stanford publication about the disparity in philanthropic dollars and funding, particularly to Black and Brown led organizations. “Evaluating these companies’ data would help to expose the truth about where disparity is happening,” said Dorsey.

Nonprofits have a responsibility to lead people through their vision, she explained. 

“What really matters is that the data component of all these great programs have been announced . . . how they’re actually working and what kind of impact they’re actually having,” Dorsey added.

In terms of corporate giving, Dorsey noted that if the company is a 501(c)(3), there is some reporting that has to happen, particularly with the IRS. “There's Form 990 and there's a couple of tools . . . ProPublica has a really rich database that you can look through, but anyone can actually go into government filings to see what donations have been made in real-time.” she explained.

When a newly formed charity or organization should begin to reveal data and information to the public

“[Organizations] can still get away with an end of the year report but… you have to get out [information] ahead of it. We’ve got to be as transparent as possible and provide people with what they need to know,” said Dorsey.

Wilson and Dorsey closed the webinar with shout outs to The Plug’s dynamic impact in the industry, challenging viewers to share the organization, join the community, and continue to host these conversations with their families.

Be sure not to miss our upcoming online Office Hours events! Get added to the list here.

Editorial Staff