Remember Larry Boy, Bob the Tomato, Junior Asparagus and the rest of the Veggie Tales gang? (Apologies if the mention immediately started you humming “Oh, where…is my hairbrush?”)
This is a different kind of veggie tale, a veggie tale for adults who care about church data. (And it includes zucchini – which, surprisingly, didn’t have a starring role in the animated series.)
Like most vegetables, zucchini has a short shelf-life, even when properly refrigerated. You want it to stay green and fresh, but it just doesn’t. If you can’t get to it in time, you have to throw it out and start over.
Data is the same way. No matter how carefully you try to keep your data clean, it will develop duplications and errors that ultimately threaten the reliability of your communication and metrics. Unfortunately, member-generated updates tend to be spotty at best (like zucchini gone bad).
Horse Before Cart
We’ve been encouraged by the rise of interest in data analytics in churches. Of course, diving into data analytics first often yields a bumper crop of “vegetables” you can’t use. (There’s still value, because you learn all the areas you need to learn more about!)
In vegetable gardening, you don’t start with harvesting–you start with the basics of soil, containers, fertilizer, seeds, etc. For trustworthy data, you start with the basics of data collecting, entry and organization.
Learn Data Basics over Lunch With our On-Demand Webinar Recording
How to manage data is one of the most popular topics in our RoadShow mini-conferences for customers. Best practices for handling data always reveal stuff you didn’t even know you didn’t know!
What You’ll Learn
We’re pleased to provide the recording of our first-ever live eCourse on this topic. In 35 minutes, you’ll learn the 3 basic areas of concern for all who manage data, which we’ll break down to:
- The 7 culprits that contribute to the decline of your data integrity
- 6 critical steps you must take to ensure your data is trustworthy
- 5 tips for data collection that streamline your data process
- A tried-and-true annual data refresh strategy
This visual and interactive online environment will feel like a real class. You’ll get a note-taking guide, opportunities to ask questions, and lots of additional resources on the topic.
And still have time for lunch (zucchini optional).
