Florence Nightingale + Good Data + Your Nonprofit

Did you know that Florence Nightingale did more than just light a lamp to check on hospital patients at night? She did more than inspire modern nursing and modern hygiene.  She also helped modernize storytelling for the public good by using graphs!

That’s right! The graphics that contribute to good nonprofit storytelling have roots that include Nightingale’s campaigns for basic sanitation.

In honor of her 201st birthday (May 12, 2021), let’s take a closer look.

Nightingale + Data

Florence Nightingale deserves recognition as more than a healthcare pioneer.  She pursued a passion for math and good record keeping in a time when society generally discouraged women from any role but homemaker.

While caring for the wounded during the Crimean War, she kept good mortality records in part to measure the effectiveness of basic sanitation measures that she introduced.  Back then, most people didn’t understand how sick you could get from dirty hands or even dumping animal carcasses in a well.  Her data, cleverly turned into graphs, helped change their minds and ultimately saved millions of lives.

The Power of Persuasion

Nightingale understood something that would take science 150 more years to measure with precision:  transforming data from tables into graphs (aka infographics) can create a powerful impression on their viewers in less than a second!  Yes.  It can really work that fast.

In other words, if you want to engage someone and recruit them to your cause: you can’t beat a good graph.

Lessons for Today’s Nonprofit

In the 1800s, Florence Nightingale effectively used data visualization (aka graphs) to make a significant impact in public health.  Although billions of people worldwide now can take basic sanitation for granted, nonprofits still have much work ahead of us to create the world we dream of. 

Modern technology makes it cheaper and easier than it was even 20 years ago to turn numbers into great graphics.

Does your nonprofit use its data graphically to tell its story, show its impact, and motivate donors?

Do you go the next step of bringing financial reports to life for your board and management?  If you haven’t, have you really informed and engaged them in strategic decision-making?

Have you automated your data collection and analysis so staff and leadership can see, monthly or even in real time, their progress towards goals?

If you have:  well done! 

If you haven’t:  the time has come.  The “Lady with the Lamp” has shown us the way and 21st century technology makes it easy and affordable, even for small nonprofits.

[Originally published in the Bloomerang Blog.]