Data For Good

Data for Good

An initiative linking data professionals to agencies in need

PPL, in partnership with Tableau®, launched its “Data for Good” initiative in April 2019.

Using our quarterly meetings of the Rhode Island Tableau Users Group (RITUG) as an engine for social good, we are able to match the data science skills of professionals across many sectors with non-profit and government agencies that lack staff expertise in these areas.

Non-profits looking for help gaining insight from their data and data professionals interested in volunteering time for social good are invited to contact Bill Rebello or Christopher Bourret.

Completed Data for Good projects:

 

SEPTEMBER 2021 -- STUDENT CLINIC FOR IMMIGRANT JUSTICE (SCIJ)

The Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice (SCIJ), which trains and mobilizes college students to provide pro bono representation to asylum seekers and to organize for immigrant justice, collaborated with the Data for Good team to (1) understand the impact of SCIJ's mission over the past year, and (2) develop visuals to convey this impact. Through their work together, SCIJ and the Rhode Island Tableau Users Group were able to show the overwhelmingly positive feedback given by trained students and partner attorneys, the ways SCIJ saved partners considerable time and expanded their capacity to provide representation, and ways that SCIJ can improve.

Partner Attorney Survey/Immigration Advocates Survey
Attorney Survey Results

JULY 2021 -- JULES HOPE CHEST PROJECT

In an expansion of our Data For Good Program, PPL digital literacy instructors, along with students in our digital literacy classes, helped out a local nonprofit Jules Hope Chest. We took that organization's participant registration paper data, compiled it into Excel and made succinct visualizations that can help Jules Hope Chest in its reporting and grant writing efforts. Staff and students also created an online Google Form that Jules Hope Chest can use for participant registration going forward. This project is a win-win for our students, who gain real life experience inputting, checking and cleaning data, while at the same time helping a valuable local nonprofit increase its ability to better understand its participant data to drive its mission of helping families and children in need.

JUNE 2021 -- RI TECH GAP ANALYSIS
In a project for PPL and the RI Adult Education Community, the D4G volunteer team took pre 2020 Census data to do a zip code by zip code analysis of populations that don't have adequate Internet access or access to digital devices. The data helps PPL and the wider Adult Education community advocate for funding around trying to alleviate digital literacy gaps around Rhode Island.

 

April 2021 -- Rhode Island Salt Pond Coalition

The Rhode Island Salt Pond Coalition is to protect and enhance the health of the salt ponds for the benefit of wildlife and people.

 

January 2021 -- Women's Fund of Rhode Island

The Women's Fund of Rhode Island's mission is invest in women and girls through research, advocacy, grant-making and strategic partnerships designed to achieve gender equity though systemic change.

Women’s Well Being Index

November 2019 -- Hope's Harvest Rhode Island

Hope's Harvest RI is a non-profit organization that mobilizes volunteers to rescue produce from farms that would be typically plowed under to be sent to food pantries across the state.

Hope's Harvest by the numbers - an overview
Farms to Agencies
Geographic Crop Distribution
Hope's Harvest - Pounds donated, rescued, distributed

September 2019 -- Inspiring Minds

Volunteer Education Analysis
Interesting Insights
Top 100 Words
Students ID
Volunteer Educational Level
STAR Score Improvement, Math & Reading
STAR Score Improvement by Year
BIMAS vs Volunteer Education
Volunteer Ratings for Inspiring Minds Encounters

April 2019 -- Rhode Island Office of Innovation

Open Textbook Initiative