5 Oct, 2026

Define the Problem Before You Solve It

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2026-10-05T13:37:37-04:00October 5th, 2026|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: Capacity Building, Motivational Interviewing, Organizational Change|0 Comments

A few years ago, I wrote about the importance of making sure we’re solving the right problem. In 2019, I explored this through Design Thinking and the importance of defining a problem before generating solutions. In 2023, I revisited the idea from another angle: The people closest to a problem often have perspectives that can help us better understand it and identify solutions.

Those ideas have stayed with me because I continue to see how easy it is for organizations to move from recognizing that something isn’t working to deciding what should be done about it.

Last week, I explored Engaging, the first process of Motivational Interviewing (MI), and how leaders can better understand staff hesitancy around organizational change. The next process, Focusing, asks us to take what we’ve heard and get clear about what we’re actually trying to address.

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2 Oct, 2026

Ask Nicole: How Do We Engage Staff When Change Feels Like More Work?

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2026-09-25T12:40:44-04:00October 2nd, 2026|Categories: Strategic Planning & Sustainability|Tags: Ask Nicole, Motivational Interviewing, Organizational Change|0 Comments

Ask Nicole blog graphic featuring Nicole Clark smiling in a yellow top against a purple background. Text reads, “How Do We Engage Staff When Change Feels Like More Work?” Nicole Clark Consulting appears at the bottom. — Have a question youd like to be featured? Let me know.

During the first year of my MSW program, I had to choose between two elective courses: Motivational Interviewing and Social Work and Criminal Justice.

Motivational Interviewing (or MI) is a goal-oriented counseling style that encourages people to explore resistance or ambivalence about behavioral change. MI sounded more interesting, but with the guidance of my field placement supervisor, I chose the social work and criminal justice course. Her rationale made sense at the time, and the criminal justice course ended up being useful in my case management role post-graduation. Some of my clients engaged with the criminal justice system, and it helped me view my work through a systems-change lens. Years later, I realize that I should’ve taken the MI course.

My client work revolves around acknowledging resistance, securing buy-in, and listening to the day-to-day of staff who, though they understand that a new concept or strategy is intended to show the impact of their work, are more concerned about how this new concept or strategy will get in the way of their day-to-day work.

But what if organizational leaders could learn to work alongside their staff, acknowledge their resistance or hesitancy to change (and where it’s coming from), prioritize their well-being and perspectives, and encourage them to voice their own reasons for change?

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2 Sep, 2026

Ask Nicole: Your Data Is Only as Strong as the Hand-Offs

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2026-09-02T09:05:55-04:00September 2nd, 2026|Categories: Research & Evaluation|Tags: Ask Nicole, Collaboration, Data Driven|0 Comments

Ask Nicole blog graphic featuring a smiling woman in a yellow top against a purple background, with the text “Your Data Is Only as Strong as the Hand-Offs” and Nicole Clark Consulting branding. — Have a question you’d like to be featured? Let me know.

Organizations encounter data in many forms.

Research findings, program participant feedback, interviews, community stories, website analytics, service records, donor information, observations from frontline staff, and conversations with partners can all help an organization understand what is happening and what deserves its attention.

Because data takes so many forms, no single person or department can hold responsibility for everything an organization learns. Program staff gather information directly from participants. Researchers or evaluators examine patterns and help make sense of the findings. Development staff use that information to answer funder questions or strengthen a funding proposal. Communications staff translate a finding into an infographic, social media post, annual report, or story. Leadership rely on the same information to make decisions about strategy, staffing, partnerships, or resources.

Each person interacts with the data differently, and those differences matter. The strength of your organization’s data practice depends on how well people connect these roles.

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26 Aug, 2026

More Data Doesn’t Lead to Better Decisions

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2026-08-26T12:16:44-04:00August 26th, 2026|Categories: Research & Evaluation|Tags: Accountability Data, Data Driven, Learning Data, Nonprofits, Philanthropy|0 Comments

A woman with a medium brown skin tone sits at a desk, appearing to be overwhelmed, while reviewing a stack of papers, with the text “More Data Doesn’t Lead to Better Decisions” displayed over the image. — ***Collecting more data does not guarantee better decisions if you can’t explain why it exists or how you plan to use it.***

If your organization stopped collecting a particular data point tomorrow, who would notice, and what decision would become harder to make?

Over time, “we’ve always collected this” starts to function like a justification, even when nobody can explain what decision it informs, or whether anyone would notice if it disappeared. A question can remain on a survey for years. A reporting template still asks the same metrics long after a program’s activities have changed. Staff may spend hours entering information into a database simply because the organization has built a routine around collecting it. Eventually, the process itself can make the data feel necessary.

For staff responsible for overseeing data collection, questioning those routines feels risky. You may inherit reporting systems that existed long before you joined the organization, manage requirements established by funders or leadership, or oversee information that several departments use differently. Still, regularly asking why your organization collects something is important. Data should have an identifiable purpose, whether that purpose involves learning, accountability, decision-making, or some combination of the three.

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19 Aug, 2026

Try This: The Purpose-Meaning-Action Data Framework

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2026-08-19T12:44:37-04:00August 19th, 2026|Categories: Research & Evaluation|Tags: Accountability Data, Data Driven, Learning Data, Nonprofits, Philanthropy, Try This|0 Comments

On the road to becoming data-driven, collecting useful data starts with understanding why you need it.

Some data helps organizations demonstrate accountability to funders, boards, leadership, participants, and other stakeholders. Other data supports learning by helping staff understand what’s working, where challenges are emerging, and how programs might improve.

Often, the same data can contribute to both purposes. The important part is determine the role the data is playing.

Understanding the purpose of a metric is a first step. Programs staff may need to consider what the information actually means and what conclusions it can reasonably support. Attendance may tell you how many people showed up yet offers limited information about what participants learned or experienced. Likewise, collecting meaningful information has limited value if no one uses it to make decisions.

The Purpose-Meaning-Action Data Framework brings these considerations together so your team can examine whether the data you’re collecting is helping you understand and strengthen your work.

Try this exercise with your staff and let me know if it’s useful for you.

Objective:

This exercise is designed to help teams examine the purpose, meaning, and potential action behind the data they routinely collect.

This Activity Is For:

Nonprofit program, evaluation, communications, development, and leadership staff who collect, review, or use organizational data
Philanthropy staff who develop reporting requirements, review grantee data, or work directly with funded organizations
Data and evaluation staff who want to engage colleagues in conversations about how information supports learning and decision-making

What You’ll Need:

Plan for approximately 50 to 60 minutes for this exercise. If your organization collects a significant amount of data, focus on one program, reporting process, survey, dashboard, or other manageable set of measures rather than trying to review everything at once.

For an in-person session, you’ll need:

A current report, survey, data dashboard, tracking form, or list of metrics your team regularly collects
Sticky notes
Pens or markers
Three sheets of flip-chart paper labeled Purpose, Meaning, and Action
A timer

For a virtual session, you’ll need:

A digital copy of the data collection tool or report you’re reviewing
A shared virtual whiteboard, spreadsheet, or collaborative document
Three sections labeled Purpose, Meaning, and Action
A timer

Before the session begins, select approximately three to five data points for the group to review. Choosing a smaller number allows the team to examine each one closely instead of rushing through a long list.

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Define the Problem Before You Solve It

Ask Nicole: How Do We Engage Staff When Change Feels Like More Work?

Ask Nicole: Your Data Is Only as Strong as the Hand-Offs

More Data Doesn’t Lead to Better Decisions

If your organization stopped collecting a particular data point tomorrow, who would notice, and what decision would become harder to make?

Try This: The Purpose-Meaning-Action Data Framework

Objective:

This Activity Is For:

What You’ll Need:

This Is A Custom Widget