For the month of March, I'm challenging myself to write a weekly "Listicle" style article for the different communities and audiences that make up the TDAA readership. No matter how technical this blog veers, it is and always has been my way of writing love letters to social movement organizers. This is my core motivation for learning data/tech and for writing at all! So my first post is dedicated to you <3
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.
Steven Universe presents: Filter Views
Need to maintain multiple views of the same data? Learn about my "Filter Square Mindset" of applying Filter Views rather than Filters in Google Sheets! Plus, gifs, cartoons, puns, and more!
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!
rising to the occasion: two offerings
A template to track your donations and a resource guide for new protesters. Dreaming and building a world where #BlackLivesMatter.
borders / no borders
How do you apply borders and formatting to a spreadsheet, and then copy them somewhere else? When should you use borders? Are geopolitical borders wrong? Yes, we tackle all this and MORE! Plus, .GIFs!
beginner friendly
Inspired by Samin Nosrat, thinking about formats available to us for lists, spreadsheets, and more complex options - and when to pick the right one at the right time. Plus, gifs and memes!