Don’t turn the page on last year’s data
Back in the olden days, we read actual books in elementary school—paper pages, big headphones, and a cassette or CD that played along while you followed the text. My favorite part was always the voice that said, “BEEP… turn the page.” I still say it. Yes, it dates me. And yes, January is absolutely BEEP… TURN THE PAGE month.
Many of us metaphorically (or literally) turn the page once year-end reports are submitted and grant deadlines are met. Onward. New year. Fresh start. But hang on.
There were a lot of good things that happened last year. You served people in need. You experienced growth that was sometimes planned and sometimes hard-earned. You showed up for your community in ways that mattered. Turning the page doesn’t mean pretending last year didn’t happen. It means bringing forward what you learned.
So what are you bringing forward to 2026?
Nonprofits collect a lot of information, but too often it all gets filed away and forgotten once the boxes are checked. Reports are submitted, surveys are closed, and spreadsheets are saved “just in case.” But data isn’t just something to report. It’s something to listen to. Before rushing ahead, it helps to pause and ask what last year tried to teach you, what patterns keep showing up, and what choices you might make differently now that you know more.
Client and participant feedback, in particular, holds powerful insight—if you let it. It can feel vulnerable to read, especially when comments are mixed or critical. It’s easy to fixate on scores or one hard response, but the real value lives in the themes. What are people consistently grateful for? Where do they feel confused, stuck, or unsupported? What barriers show up again and again? Using client data well doesn’t mean fixing everything. It means identifying a few clear signals and intentionally responding to them—adjusting communication, refining program design, or clarifying expectations. When people see their feedback reflected in real changes, trust deepens.
Program data also deserves more than a quick glance and a pass/fail judgment. Numbers without context can be misleading. A dip in outcomes might reflect increased complexity of need, changes in staffing or delivery, or intentional shifts in who you serve. Strong use of program data starts with curiosity: What external factors were at play? What trade-offs were we making? Where did effort and impact not line up the way we expected? From there, data becomes an engagement and planning tool. It helps you decide what to scale, what to adjust, and what might need a different approach this year.
The most powerful thing you can do with all of this information is share it. When teams reflect together, naming what they see, what surprises them, and what feels most important to act on, data becomes less intimidating and far more useful. It stops being about justification and starts being about learning. Reflection builds clarity, and clarity builds momentum.
January isn’t about judgment or fixing everything at once. It’s about learning from the work you did, and using that wisdom to make more grounded, intentional decisions going forward. So yes, BEEP … turn the page. Just don’t skip the chapter that explains how you got here.