The Human Side of Data: Why Numbers Alone Don’t Tell the Story

A spreadsheet can tell you how many households attended a community meeting. It can chart the number of jobs created, or show the percentage increase in access to fresh food. Those numbers matter. They help us track progress, secure funding, and see where we’re falling short.

But if we stop at the numbers, we miss the full story. We miss the reasons behind the change, the lived experiences that give those figures meaning, and the voices that deserve to be at the center of the work.

That’s why, in Lakeview, our approach to data is shaped by people first. The partnerships we’ve built with Common Good Data and Urban Data Trust reflect this commitment. Together, we’re working to collect and interpret data in ways that are culturally responsible, transparent, and rooted in community priorities—not just funder requirements.

When we measure progress through Equity in Care & Relief, we start by asking different questions:

• Who owns the data we’re collecting?

• Who gets to interpret it?

• Who benefits from how it’s shared?

In many communities, data has been used as a tool for control rather than empowerment—decisions made about neighborhoods without the consent or participation of the people who live there. We’ve seen how that erodes trust. So, we take a different path. Our residents are more than just subjects of the data—they’re co-authors of the story it tells.

POSSIBLE PHOTO IDEA: Residents reviewing large printed maps and charts at a community meeting
Caption: Data becomes more meaningful when residents help decide what it’s used for.

One of the clearest examples of this is our work on the Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) study, in partnership with The Leon Levine Foundation. The study tracks the effects of providing direct, unconditional income to residents. Yes, we’re monitoring financial outcomes—but we’re also documenting changes in stress levels, family stability, and the ability to participate in community life.

In the nonprofit world, “impact” often gets boiled down to a handful of key metrics. But lived experience can’t be condensed so neatly. A parent might use GBI funds to pay off lingering bills, reducing their anxiety and freeing up energy for their kids’ schoolwork. That improvement in well-being doesn’t always fit into a clean data point, yet it’s often the most important part of the story.

We also recognize that data without context can mislead. Numbers can tell us that graduation rates are improving, but without hearing from students, teachers, and parents, we don’t know if the change reflects real opportunity or simply shifts in reporting. Data might show a decrease in crime, but without resident insight, we might miss whether people actually feel safer walking home at night.

This is why our approach pairs quantitative data with qualitative storytelling. We invite residents to share their experiences alongside the statistics. Those stories give depth to the numbers, and the numbers help demonstrate patterns that can guide better decisions. One without the other is incomplete.

POSSIBLE PHOTO IDEA: Interview-style portrait of a resident, seated and speaking with a smile]
Caption: Every number has a story—and the person behind it should help tell it.

There’s also a broader accountability in this work. Sharing data back with the community—openly and accessibly—is part of our responsibility. It’s not enough to report upward to funders; we have to report inward, too. That means hosting community data nights, using plain language to explain findings, and asking for feedback before decisions are made based on those findings.

In the long run, this process builds trust. Residents see that their input shapes the work, and that the information they share is valued and protected. That trust makes it possible to tackle harder problems together—because the foundation is already in place.

We know this approach takes more time. It’s easier to collect numbers quietly, send them off to a spreadsheet, and move on. But easy isn’t our measure of success. If the goal is meaningful change, then the people most affected by the data have to be involved from the start.

The human side of data is about dignity. It’s about making sure the information we gather serves the people it describes. And it’s about using data not just to measure change, but to inspire and guide it.

Join us in redefining how communities use data. Share your story, attend a community data night, or connect with us to learn more about our partnerships with Common Good Data and Urban Data Trust. Together, we can make sure the numbers we collect work for the people they represent.