Advanced Training

Level 3: Basic Analysis Techniques (Prerequisite: Level 1)

Basic Analysis Techniques

This course introduces participants to basic concepts and considerations when searching for and analyzing data, including data collection methods, understanding data limitations, appropriate uses of data, and making meaning out of data. You will learn how to interpret maps and charts, how to select the appropriate parameters of your data, and how to analyze change over time. This course provides an important foundation in using and understanding data that is necessary for the level 4 workshops.

Level 4: Topic-based workshops (Prerequisite: Level 1, Level 2 and 3 also preferred )

Using SAVI to Support Grant Applications

SAVI provides a powerful set of tools to support the development of reports and grant requests. This workshop will begin with a brief introduction on the basic components of a successful grant. It then will explore the ways in which SAVI can support a grant application, including such areas as identifying community need, program evaluation, measuring program outcomes, and identifying potential community partners. Modeling real examples of successful grant applications, you will learn how to use SAVI data to identify and understand community issues and to create maps, charts, and tables that you can incorporate into your application. Many of the concepts presented in this workshop are also applicable to creating information for use in other types of reports.

Using SAVI to Support Community Assessments

Community assessments use objective data to assess the current social conditions and needs of a specified community or target area as well as the community’s capacity to meet those needs. This is often the first step in strategic planning, program planning, and resource allocation. In this workshop, you will use several of SAVI’s tools to assess existing social conditions and identify services in the communities. For example, you will use charts and graphs to view trends over time and compare conditions to other communities. You will use the mapping feature to assess geographically how your community or target area compares to its surrounding communities and to visualize community context. You will explore community profiles and other tools to capture an overview of the community’s demographic composition and needs.

Using SAVI to Support Strategic Planning

Most organizations conduct strategic planning periodically or at some point in its life cycle to envision its future direction and to develop a strategy for achieving its goals and objectives. SAVI provides a significant amount of local data and a variety of tools to support this effort. In this workshop, you will learn how to apply these resources to identify community needs, explore trends, map existing clients/members to identify and understand your service area, locate target populations based on selected demographic or socio-economic profiles, assess opportunities by determining existing (or lack of) services, and track progress toward identified community-based goals.

Level 5: Beyond SAVI (Prerequisite: Level 1)

Google Earth and Google Maps for Nonprofits

In this session, you will learn how to use Google Earth and other Internet tools to map your own data for purposes of raising awareness, educating target audiences, supporting advocacy efforts, and more. Topics will include: Google Earth; Google Maps; creating points, lines, and areas; integrating SAVI data; and example applications of these tools for nonprofit uses.