Dig Into Your Data to Tell Stories that Matter
August 21, 2025
By: Peter Panepento
Social good communicators love to tell stories about people.
After all, most of us are drawn to stories about people overcoming challenges, achieving remarkable things, or defying the odds.
But not every powerful story is a human one.
We can also find compelling stories in the data we collect.
Every organization — no matter its size or mission — has access to data that can tell a meaningful story.
And when you know how to find stories in your data, you create an engine for content and thought leadership that raises your organization’s profile, inspires people to take action, and builds your pipeline of potential donors and partners.
Yet many nonprofits and foundations struggle to identify these stories. This is understandable — since it can be a challenge to find compelling information hidden within rows and columns of spreadsheets.
So, how do you make it happen?
It starts with asking smart questions.
In the same way you interview people to gain insights, it’s helpful to "interview" your data. Asking the right questions allows you to uncover stories that lead to compelling content and unearth insights that help your organization better understand – and communicate about – its work.
Here are some interview questions for your data or research.
What’s changed?
If your data spans a period of time, the first thing to look for are changes within that timeframe. These changes can often point to interesting trends or demonstrate the impact of your organization’s work or grantmaking.
Is your organization serving more people? Are test scores rising? Is the income gap in your community widening?
Once you uncover these trends, you can then dig deeper.
Often, experts within your organization can explain these trends or put them into context — and by looking at how those changes correlate to specific activities or events, you can begin to generate fresh insights.
What are the outliers?
Some of the best stories can be found in the outliers — data points that fall outside of the norm.
When reviewing your data, isolate these outliers and investigate why they occurred and what they mean for the larger dataset.
Is there a grantee achieving outcomes that are off the charts? Does a neighborhood in your community perform way ahead of, or behind, other neighborhoods on a key measure?
Exploring these outliers can reveal a germ of a compelling case study or surface an important insight that makes your audience want to learn more.
How can we group information?
Grouping information within your dataset can help you find great stories.
You might group your data by the demographics of those who receive services, the home neighborhoods of your supporters, or the income of people who support a key piece of legislation.
Sorting your information in different ways can reveal patterns among these groups. When patterns emerge, explore why they're happening and if they provide an important insight.
What is surprising?
We all love a story with an unexpected twist.
If your data surprises you or challenges what you thought you knew, it will likely be compelling to your audience as well.
Creating Your Story
When you’re ready to create content from your data, the key rule is to keep it simple.
Focus on one or two key findings and make them the core of your piece. This will help you avoid overwhelming your audience with statistics.
Numbers are powerful in (excuse the pun) small numbers.
Be judicious and remember you can always save some of your data discoveries to help create future content.
If you interview your data with curiosity and a keen eye, you’ll soon be filling your editorial calendar with compelling storylines that have been hiding in plain sight.
