What Do I Do With Data?

Nov 20

A Practical Guide for Food Rescue Teams

If you work in food rescue, you already know this: things move fast. One day you’re coordinating five pickups, the next day you’re responding to a last-minute pallet of produce, volunteer schedules shifting in real time, and a partner agency calling to say they can take “just a little more, actually.”

It’s a lot.

And somewhere in the middle of all that motion, someone inevitably asks: “Do we have the data on this?”

The answer is almost always: yes — but it may not be organized yet.

Data can feel like an add-on task (or a guilt trip), but when grounded in purpose, it becomes one of the most powerful tools we have for strengthening impact, telling our story, and making decisions with confidence.

Earlier this month, I presented a workshop on food recovery data. This post offers the highlights for a simple approach to collecting, analyzing, and actually using your data, no matter your size, technology, or staffing.

Start With Your “Why”

Before choosing tools, spreadsheets, or data fields, ask:

Why do I want this data?
What decision am I trying to support?

Some common “whys”:

Your Why = What the Data Helps You Do

Day-to-Day Decision Making —> Decide when a pickup is worth the effort
Long-Term Planning —> Forecast staffing, storage, and vehicles
Mission & Impact Clarity —> Ensure you’re aligned with your values and priorities
Starting with why keeps data collection useful — not just something you’re doing because a funder once asked.

You Probably Already Have More Data Than You Think

Even without fancy software, most food rescue organizations already collect data through:

Spreadsheets
Food Rescue Apps (e.g., Food Rescue Hero, Rootable, Knead, etc)
Volunteer Sign-Ups
Text messages + shared calendars
Even someone’s memory of “how it usually goes”

And this data roughly falls into four categories:

Donor Data: Who donates, how often, what type of food
Food Data: Pounds, category, storage time
Recipient Data: Where food is going and how it’s used
Logistics Data: Who transported it, how long it took, travel distance

You don’t need to start by collecting or looking at everything.
Start small, ‘what aligns with your why?’

How to Use Your Data to Make Decisions

Here are three real-world examples:

1. Is this pickup worth doing?

You can calculate efficiency: Total Pounds Recovered ÷ Total Volunteer Hours

If one pickup consistently results in 0.5 lbs per volunteer hour…and is stressful to coordinate…maybe it’s worth letting it go.

2. Do I need more staff?

Look for trends over time:

Pounds per month
Number of shifts
Staff and volunteer hours

If you see steady monthly growth, that’s evidence you can bring to funders — not just a feeling.

3. Are we living our values?

Compare total pounds donated by recipient type:

If community fridges or mutual aid groups represent 20% of partners, but only receive 8% of food, that’s a conversation starter — not a failure.

Remember, don’t stop at the numbers. Data doesn’t tell us what to do.
It helps us ask better questions.

BBCos Top 5 Tips for Making Data Work
(Without Burning Out)

Pick a compelling and useful question to answer
This way you are motiviated
Start with what you already have.
Don’t redesign everything on day one.
Collect consistently, not constantly.
Quarterly updates > real-time dashboards you don’t have time to maintain.
Design for the person who inputs data.
If volunteers collect it, make it fast and simple.

5. Finally, start on the right foot with an outside perspective.

Someone slightly outside your day-to-day can help identify the questions you don’t have time to ask, and even sometimes rangle the data for the first go around. Universities and companies love data-related volunteer projects. But if you need more capacity, I specialize in building practical, human-centered data systems — including:

✅ Spreadsheet-based systems (for teams not ready for custom software)
✅ Dashboards and reports, no matter the system you use
✅ Data cleanup and analysis
✅ Strategy + evaluation guidance
✅ One-time or ongoing support

First call is free. Let’s talk about what you’re dealing with and find a path forward.

Elise Springuel