Notes on Looker Studio Dashboard Presentation

  • Introduction

    • Presenter's motivation to showcase Looker Studio
    • Audience includes resource-constrained organizations and movie aficionados

  • Overview of Looker Studio

    • Described as a versatile, no-cost solution for creating dashboards
    • Comparison to traditional, costly BI tools

  • Purpose of Presentation

    • Share experiences and insights on using Looker Studio
    • Provide examples of dashboards created, such as:
    • Purple Gold Pipeline
    • Portfolio reviews
    • Gift pyramids
    • Initiative reports
    • Principal giving profiles
    • Fundraising progress
    • Free samples to attendees

  • Personal Introduction

    • Presenter: John Carison, director of prospect management and analytics at Williams College
    • Discusses long history attending relevant conferences and the inspiration from the film "Scarface"
    • Introduced team member Nicholas as a key collaborator

  • Williams College Overview

    • Located in the Berkshires, rural setting with a small student body of around 2,100
    • Demographics: 45% students of color, approximately 29,000 alumni
    • Financials: Endowment of $3.7 billion, recent campaign achievement of $707 million from a $650 million goal
    • Financial aid policy: offers all grant aid, no loans
    • Current challenges with alumni participation rates dropping (44%, projected 40% by 2030)

  • Prospect Management Evolution

    • Transition from older CRM systems (Lucy Advance) to modern solutions like Slate
    • The need for proficient data analytics highlighted by the Montana maxim of philanthropic analysis

  • The Montana Maxim of Philanthropic Analysis

    • Importance of obtaining and analyzing data:
    1. Get the Data:
      • Emphasizes the significance of strong data collection
    2. Create Dashboards:
      • Dashboards are crucial for answering key questions in fundraising decision-making
    3. Push Fundraising to the Limit:
      • Importance of using data-driven insights to enhance fundraising strategies

  • Dashboard Creation

    • Acknowledgment of using Tableau but decision to utilize Looker Studio for flexible, cost-effective dashboard creation
    • Detailed walkthrough of several dashboards showing various metrics

  • Dashboard Features Showcased

    • Alvaro Hancock Center for Rhinoplasty Dashboard:
    • Total funds raised metrics, specific donor amounts within a gift pyramid format
    • Proposal Pipeline Dashboard:
    • Displays outstanding asks and anticipated funding, strategic next steps
    • Gifts Level Fundraising Dashboard:
    • Breakdown of top donors and their campaign contributions
    • Portfolio Reviews Dashboard:
    • Performance metrics for staff assigned to various donor portfolios

  • Rules for Effective Dashboard Creation

    • Prioritize flexibility in design, so various filters and metrics can be applied
    • Emphasize simplicity in user interface while keeping comprehensive data
    • Potential for one underlying metric to power multiple dashboards

  • The Future of Looker Studio

    • Recognition of limitations in data integration and user experience
    • Transitioning toward more robust BI tools like Power BI, attributed to institutional capacity to invest financially

  • Concluding Thoughts

    • Despite mixed experiences, Looker Studio remains a viable option for short-term budget-constrained needs
    • Equipped audience with insights and templates for future dashboard projects