The database world is replete with options for "validating" data, but there is a huge missing link in our field, which for me boils down to VALIDATING HUMANS.
how to combine three contact lists
How to use simple spreadsheet formulas to merge three or more contact lists into one. Useful for data cleanup, data migration, surveys, event management, and email blasts!
introducing: xlookup
Puppies are organizing to convince the zoning board to protect their dog park! They need help from VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP to get the job done. Follow along as we learn the ins and outs of these powerful functions in Excel and Google Sheets!
Dear Spreadsheet Whisperer: Tzedakah Tsuris
What to do when you outgrow your grassroots spreadsheet systems? Try Airtable! It's flexible, freemium, and fun to use. Oh, and this is #NotAnAd!
hay in a needlestack
What to do when you find data discrepancies?! I kinda felt like I did 6 loads of laundry, came out with socks I didn't even know I had, and then figured out how to match them up. Also, Spongebob, Rubix Cubes, and pivot tables.
filter down spreadsheet formulas
Like a coffee filter, the filter functions that I'm writing about today help us get to the very essence of our data. Read on for examples of filtering and summarizing a complex dataset, informed by a recent consulting project for an emergency homeless shelter.
call me, maybe?
Getting ready for your Q4 fundraising phone-a-thons? Follow these simple steps in Excel or Google Sheets to format your phone numbers for optimum ease!
hide and seek
=IF(FIND(ers, keepers), "", "weepers"). In other words, using text functions to make sense of lists. Plus, gifs and my pet turtle, Prince!
may showers
What do nudity, surveys, and spreadsheets have in common? Read more to find out! ps... Eureka!
shape shifter
From a downloaded file with weird fonts and titles, wacky colors, no wrapped text, superwide columns, and repeating header rows, I was able to create a useable, sortable, shareable, printable, filterable, not-make-you-want-to-throw-your-computer-out-the-window spreadsheet. And you know what the best part is? You can too!