I design systems that collect, process, and present the data that matters most to you.
My name is Daniel Read, and I provide evaluation and data consulting services for non-profits. What this means is that I am here to help you collect data to inform your objectives, process your data, or fully evaluate your program. By working with me, I will help you leverage your data to its full potential and help you develop a data-savvy organizational culture.
Story
My professional career started when I volunteered at an afterschool program in Denver, and I’ve been hooked on youth development ever since. I fed my passion for this field by teaching abroad in Colombia, India, and Japan and then pursuing advanced degrees in education at Harvard University and the University of Virginia. Find my CV here.
For seven years, I worked with Denver Public Schools and the Denver Afterschool Alliance as the Senior Research Analyst. In this role, I supported data collection processes, created a system for managing data, and oversaw a citywide evaluation to show how afterschool makes a difference in the lives of youth and families. You can find an an evaluation of an afterschool capacity-building project, a status summary for a social-emotional learning initiative, and a public report on afterschool’s COVID-19 response.
Along the way, I have developed what I call “evaluation ajdacent” skills that help me collect and leverage high-quality data, including geospatial analysis and presentation, organizational capacity and risk analysis, and continuous improvement facilitation. I have also developed a series of innovative data collection tools that youth agencies can use to build their data and evaluation capacity, such as a hands-on resource on interim measurements and a virtual programs quality assessment tool.
Now I work as an evaluation and data consultant through my firm, Daniel Reads Data, LLC, where I get to help non-profits use data to enhance their work. If you would like to learn more about how I can support your organization, connect with me at danielreadsdata@gmail.com
Services
Each client brings projects with specific parameters, so I tailor my approach accordingly. Broadly speaking, I offer the following kinds of services to design and sustain a data-driven strategy or evaluation.
DATA PROCESSING
In many cases, organizations I work with have already begun collecting data, usually for reporting to a grantor or for fundraising purposes. In these cases, I start by auditing the data to ensure that it is accurate, and then I can begin creating a data structure for your purposes. After doing this, I can create longitudinal or multilevel datasets, which will allow you to fulfill grant requirements, develop a deeper understanding of your program, or comprehensively demonstrate your program’s impact.
PLANNING AND DATA COLLECTION
As you begin planning an evaluation or grant, I can align data collection efforts to your objectives. Depending on the project, I can help map your program onto a logic model, which will reveal the research questions, methods, and data that will evaluate your key outcomes. In projects where there is a clear direction for data collection, I can help create tools that will systematically capture the data you need.
EVALUATION CAPACITY BUILDING
In order to sustain these data and evaluation efforts, I can work with your team to create a data-savvy culture. By training your staff to take on data collection and processing tasks, they will be able to confidently execute evaluation tasks and lead your organization through inquiry cycles. To deepen the importance of evaluation, I can also work with your staff to increase your organization’s overall level of data literacy.
EVALUATION SERVICES
Working with an independent consultant allows you to bring in high-level expertise and add third-party credibility to your evaluations. If you have a project that requires start-to-finish evaluation services, I can help design, plan, and execute a full-service evaluation that meets your needs.
SKILLS
data merging | data quality auditing | survey analysis | longitudinal data structuring | multivariate and multinomial analysis | interviewing | observations | focus groups | case studies | data literacy training | evaluation capacity building | data literacy development | continuous quality improvement systems
TOOLS
NVivo | STATA | SPSS | Access | SQL Server
Contact
Is your organization looking for data or evaluation supports? If so, please contact me directly and let’s start talking.
720-883-2808