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Boston Cares Data Analytics Presentation

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Joel Samen

Using data mining techniques on its volunteer database, Boston Cares found that smaller group volunteer opportunities, graduate degree education levels, environmentally-oriented opportunities, and volunteer leader roles correlated with longer volunteer lifespans. The findings suggest Boston Cares should improve marketing at large events, partner with graduate schools, increase environmental projects, and consider these factors when engaging volunteers. The study also revealed lessons like data is often poorly documented, data scrubbing requires significant effort, assumptions must be scrutinized, and there is usually more relevant data to analyze.

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Analytics in the Field: Using Data Mining to Improve Volunteer Retention Abram Guerra, Eric Whitney Manoj Prakash, Joel Samen December 5, 2011
What is Boston Cares? Boston Cares mobilizes more than 25,000 volunteers annually in support of Greater Boston schools and non-profit agencies. We offer a wide array of programs and opportunities that make it easy for you to volunteer no matter how busy your schedule is.1 Organization Volunteer with Project Boston Cares 1www.bostoncares.org/about_us
Boston Cares Has a Wealth of Data 1,796 Organizations 3,597 Opportunities 20,071 Occurrences Database 43,531 Volunteers
Connecting the Dots
Missing Data Values
Calculated Variable: Distance Volunteer Home Addresses Volunteering Locations
Our Target Variable Orientation Volunteer Instance Volunteer Instance Time Lifespan
Moving to SAS
Interesting Initial Findings
Setting Up in SAS
The Story the Data Tells Us Parameter Coefficient Explanation Avg_Group_Size -0.9 Smaller-group volunteer opportunities help increase the lifespan of an active volunteer. Education Level 139.4 Volunteers with graduate degrees volunteer more Graduate degree than 4 months longer. Education Level -41.3 Volunteers who have only partially completed their Some college education are active volunteers for less time. Education Level -44.6 Some high school Environment_ZeroesAdded 26.1 Each time a volunteer participates in an environmentally-oriented opportunity, they are likely to volunteer for another month. Profile Name Volunteer -128.1 Volunteer Leaders (as opposed to regular Volunteers) are active more than 4 months longer. Reliability -74.90 The most reliable volunteers are active for shorter periods of time.
So What? Finding from Data Managerial Recommendation Volunteers who participate in large- Improve marketing efforts at large-scale scale, one-time events may have no ties events to raise brand awareness of Boston to Boston Cares Cares Volunteers with graduate degrees are Work with graduate schools to get students more likely to have longer lifespans involved with Boston Cares, create alumni events that focus on service Volunteers who participate in an Increase availability of environment-based environment-based project are likely to community service partnerships, finding have longer lifespans more of these kinds of events for participants
Lessons Learned Data is Often Poorly Documented Scrubbing Data is a Full-Time Job Be Aware of Assumptions SAS is a Tool There is Always More Data You Want
Boston Cares Data Analytics Presentation

More Related Content

Boston Cares Data Analytics Presentation

  • 1. Analytics in the Field: Using Data Mining to Improve Volunteer Retention Abram Guerra, Eric Whitney Manoj Prakash, Joel Samen December 5, 2011
  • 2. What is Boston Cares? Boston Cares mobilizes more than 25,000 volunteers annually in support of Greater Boston schools and non-profit agencies. We offer a wide array of programs and opportunities that make it easy for you to volunteer no matter how busy your schedule is.1 Organization Volunteer with Project Boston Cares 1www.bostoncares.org/about_us
  • 3. Boston Cares Has a Wealth of Data 1,796 Organizations 3,597 Opportunities 20,071 Occurrences Database 43,531 Volunteers
  • 6. Calculated Variable: Distance Volunteer Home Addresses Volunteering Locations
  • 7. Our Target Variable Orientation Volunteer Instance Volunteer Instance Time Lifespan
  • 11. The Story the Data Tells Us Parameter Coefficient Explanation Avg_Group_Size -0.9 Smaller-group volunteer opportunities help increase the lifespan of an active volunteer. Education Level 139.4 Volunteers with graduate degrees volunteer more Graduate degree than 4 months longer. Education Level -41.3 Volunteers who have only partially completed their Some college education are active volunteers for less time. Education Level -44.6 Some high school Environment_ZeroesAdded 26.1 Each time a volunteer participates in an environmentally-oriented opportunity, they are likely to volunteer for another month. Profile Name Volunteer -128.1 Volunteer Leaders (as opposed to regular Volunteers) are active more than 4 months longer. Reliability -74.90 The most reliable volunteers are active for shorter periods of time.
  • 12. So What? Finding from Data Managerial Recommendation Volunteers who participate in large- Improve marketing efforts at large-scale scale, one-time events may have no ties events to raise brand awareness of Boston to Boston Cares Cares Volunteers with graduate degrees are Work with graduate schools to get students more likely to have longer lifespans involved with Boston Cares, create alumni events that focus on service Volunteers who participate in an Increase availability of environment-based environment-based project are likely to community service partnerships, finding have longer lifespans more of these kinds of events for participants
  • 13. Lessons Learned Data is Often Poorly Documented Scrubbing Data is a Full-Time Job Be Aware of Assumptions SAS is a Tool There is Always More Data You Want

Editor's Notes

  1. Clarity is vital data definitions, note keeping on calculations