I love data.

I love it because it helps me understand things, and because I believe it helps us do better. That belief has shaped how we operate at Ve’ahavta. We’ve built data into almost every aspect of our work – from client surveys to increase the impact of our pre-employment programs, to capacity studies to optimize the efficiency of our administrative departments – in a constant effort to learn, improve, and strengthen what we do, and it really has helped make us better.

But over time, I’ve come to see that collecting data is only the beginning. Learning from it, and actually using it, especially when it leads you somewhere uncomfortable, is something else entirely.

A few years ago, we faced one of those times.

We had a much-loved program for people facing homelessness. It brought people together. It created pride. It helped participants see themselves differently and feel seen by others.

By many measures, it was a success.

But, as we deepened our understanding of what actually helps someone facing extreme poverty move forward in a lasting way, the data began to tell a more complicated story. Although the program definitely created meaningful experiences, it wasn’t changing what someone’s life looked like a year later.

At the same time, in our pre-employment programs, we were seeing something completely different. People were building confidence and community, but they were also gaining skills, going back to school, finding work, and moving toward real and lasting stability. They were changing the trajectory of their lives.

I knew what the data was telling me.
I just wasn’t sure I was ready to act on it.

There were real people behind this beloved program. People I respected deeply. Volunteers who had invested countless hours and a donor whose creativity, generosity, and belief in the work had helped it grow into something revered.

But when I asked myself: Are we here to run programs that feel good or are we here to help people change their lives, the choice was obvious.

If we are asking people who have faced incredible hardship to trust us with their future, then we have a responsibility to be trustworthy.

At Ve’ahavta, our north star is the people we serve. Not what is liked. Not what is easiest to fund. Not even what is best for us as an organization. The stars we chart our course by are the ones that actually help people move forward.

Since we redirected resources into our pre-employment programs, they have grown from about 150 spots in 2021 to 460 this year. That’s more than three times the people moving from instability to independence; from uncertainty to purpose; and from surviving day-to-day to building a life with real pride.

This experience changed how I think about data.

Data invites us to think about things differently, to change course, and sometimes, to make hard choices in service of our north star.

Real-time feedback, combined with intentional analysis, provides us with the direction we need to best support the people we serve. Our data-driven approach to decision-making doesn’t only apply to our programmatic path forward, and to operating a lean and efficient administration.

It also applies to how I communicate with you.

These monthly messages are part of that. They are an opportunity to share how I think, how we make decisions, and what we, as an organization, are learning along the way. But like anything else, they can always be better. So, I’d genuinely value your feedback. What resonates? What doesn’t? What would you want more or less of?

Please fill out this 10-second survey.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from our data-centric approach, it’s that learning only matters if you’re willing to act on it.

With gratitude,

Cari Kozierok,
CEO, Ve’ahavta