You don’t need more data. You need a better story.

In this episode of the Common Good Data Podcast, Drew Reynolds and Roger Suclupe sit down with Candice Jordan, Chief Development Officer at Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, to explore how nonprofits can turn data into compelling stories that actually drive funding.

Many organizations collect data. But the real challenge is knowing how to use it strategically.

Candice shares how the most effective organizations take a backwards design approach starting with a deep understanding of their funders, and then shaping their data, stories, and visuals to align with what those funders care about most.

This conversation explores:

• Why more data does not automatically lead to more funding

• How prospect research helps you understand what funders actually value

• What it means to “reverse engineer” your story around your audience

• How to combine quantitative data, qualitative stories, and visuals for maximum impact

• Why participant voice is often your most powerful source of insight

• The difference between outputs and outcomes and how it affects your funding success

One of the most important takeaways from this episode is the idea of intentional storytelling using data not as the starting point, but as a tool shaped by your strategy, your audience, and your message.

If you are involved in fundraising, development, nonprofit leadership, or communications, this episode will help you rethink how you position your work and connect with funders in a more compelling way.

Learn more about Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, explore our free course, Break the Starvation Cycle, and take the Nonprofit Clarity + Impact + Funding Resilience Scorecard.

Why do strong behavioral health programs still struggle to demonstrate their impact?

Many of the organizations I work with are doing incredibly important work. You are supporting prevention initiatives, expanding access to treatment, helping families navigate mental health challenges, and strengthening communities.

But when it comes time to demonstrate impact and secure funding, many leaders feel less confident than they should.

In this episode, I walk through five common challenges I regularly see across behavioral health organizations and explain why these issues are rarely about lack of commitment or effort. More often, they come down to systems, strategy, and alignment.

In this episode I discuss:

• Why fragmented reporting systems make impact difficult to track

• What happens when no one clearly owns data and evaluation

• The difference between measuring outputs and demonstrating outcomes

• Why many organizations have the data but struggle to tell a compelling story

• How leaders often become the bottleneck in reporting and evaluation systems

I also introduce a framework I use with clients to think about alignment across clarity, impact, and funding, and share a short diagnostic tool designed specifically for behavioral health leaders.

You can take the Clarity, Impact, and Funding Resilience Scorecard here:

👉 https://commongooddata.scoreapp.com

The assessment takes about 5–10 minutes and provides a personalized report that can help you identify where your organization may need stronger systems to demonstrate impact and secure sustainable funding.

If you work in behavioral health, nonprofit leadership, prevention, or public health, I hope this episode helps you think more strategically about how your organization measures impact and communicates its value.

Subscribe for more conversations about data, evaluation, and strategy in the social sector.

Are numbers enough to tell the full story of your impact? In this episode of the Common Good Data podcast, Drew Reynolds sits down with Cheralynn Corsack, founder of Local Insight Studio, to explore how mixed methods evaluation can produce deeper, more actionable insight, especially in rural communities.Evaluation conversations often center on numbers. Outputs. Outcomes. KPIs. But data alone rarely captures the nuance of lived experience. Cheralynn explains how pairing quantitative data with qualitative insight, including interviews, focus groups, and participatory analysis, reveals dimensions of impact that surveys alone cannot surface.The conversation explores:• What mixed methods evaluation actually means in practice• Why participatory approaches are especially powerful in rural communities• How qualitative insight can reshape and deepen quantitative findings• The challenges of data access and representation in rural contexts• Moving from deficit based narratives to asset based framing• Translating evaluation findings into language communities can understand and useCheralynn also discusses the importance of relationship building, trust, and co-creation in evaluation work, and why sharing findings back to communities is not optional but essential.If you work in nonprofits, philanthropy, or community initiatives and want your evaluation work to be rigorous, human centered, and useful, this episode offers practical insight you can apply immediately.Learn more about Cheralynn and Local Insight Studio at localinsightstudio.comExplore Common Good Data’s free course, Break the Starvation Cycle, at commongooddata.com/coursesSubscribe for more conversations on evaluation, strategy, and data for social impact.