Lumen Impact Group
Lumen Impact Group

Turning the Mirror: How We Collect Data that People Trust and Actually Use 

Published: August 26, 2025

By Cori Egan, Partner

At Lumen Impact Group, we take data collection seriously, but not stiffly. One of the Lumen Ladies said it best in a recent team meeting: good data starts with making people comfortable and asking good questions. That simple reminder guides everything we do, from a hallway conversation with a teacher to a statewide scan of policy trends. 

Below is a quick look at how we blend human-centered conversations with by-the-book research methods to help schools, nonprofits, and state agencies see what’s really happening and act on it. 

Start with people, not just numbers 

When we support a strategic planning or expansion process, we “turn the mirror” for our partners. That means talking with people inside the system so leaders can see what’s happening under the hood clearly, and without judgement. 

  • In a school: we may interview principals, teacher teams, and student support staff; run focus groups with parents; and meet with board members. We explain why we’re there, how their input will be used, and how we’ll protect confidentiality. The result is candid insight: what’s working, what’s shaky, and where energy for change already exists. 
  • In a nonprofit: we could speak with staff across roles, clients/members, and potentially funders to map strengths, priorities, bottlenecks, and mission alignment. 
  • In a state agency: we might connect program leaders with front-line implementers to surface policy-to-practice gaps and real-world constraints. 

The goal in all cases is the same: create a safe space, ask clear questions, and listen for patterns, not just opinions. 

Do it “by the book” (and make it feel human) 

Warm conversations still deserve rigorous methods. Our data team is trained in both qualitative and quantitative research, and we use standard, transparent practices because we know: 

  • Semi-structured protocols keep interviews focused while allowing authentic stories to surface. 
  • Sampling with intent (multiple roles, campuses, socioeconomic groups) brings more diversity of perspective to feedback. 
  • Anonymized notes and confidentiality reduce risk for the participant and encourage candor. 
  • Triangulation cross-checks themes from interviews, surveys, and performance data to make sure we keep the analysis true to the data. 
  • Member checking (anonymously repeating back emerging findings mid-interview) helps us ensure we heard people right and to discern whether others agree with what we’ve heard.  

Pair voices with visible facts to tell the story

Conversation alone doesn’t steer sense-making for the path forward; it needs to connect to hard data. We bring together: 

  • Quantitative indicators: like enrollment and attendance trends, assessment growth, staff retention, survey data, and budget and program metrics. 
  • Qualitative insights:  like stakeholder perspectives, focus groups, visioning that asks stakeholders to dream about what is possible, and observation data. 

The synthesis is where the insight lives. For example: If staffing data shows that turnover has been greater than 25% for three consecutive years, and staff focus groups highlight burnout, that their voice isn’t heard, or frustration with opportunities for growth and development, then together the numbers and voices point toward investing in a stronger organizational culture and creating clear opportunities for advancement. 

Why this approach works 

  • Trust unlocks truth. When people feel safe, you hear what performance dashboards can’t show. 
  • Rigor prevents drift. Standard methods keep insights reliable and decisions defensible. 
  • Synthesis drives action. Voices + numbers = priorities you can implement Monday morning. 

If you’re looking to collect data to inform your future direction, whether you are a school, nonprofit, or state agency, we’d love to help you turn the mirror, see clearly, and move confidently. Let’s make your data feel human and your decisions feel clear. 

Testimonials

"They don’t tell you what you want to hear. They tell you what you need to hear. That makes a huge difference. We needed to understand our weaknesses in order to make the organization work right, and I was overwhelmed by how they really got it and they helped us to get it too. They were able to do it in a way that really made me want to understand the goals we needed to focus on. I believe Lumen was absolutely the best we could have found."
Barbara Sellinger
Cresthaven Academy
"I’ve been in nonprofits for 30+ years and have used the services of many consultants, but I have never been so comfortable with their commitment to helping us. It was as if the Lumen team shared our need to have a successful outcome and they were committed to the notion that they would indeed bring value to what we were doing. "
Caroline Novak
Alabama School Readiness Alliance
"The Lumen team did a really good job sharing the hard truths with us. Their findings were different from what we were expecting, but they used the information to push us farther than we originally planned. They were candid and didn’t hide anything from us. We’re now on the path to developing products that are very different from what we’ve done before but are hopefully much more useful for the people we serve."
Drew Jacobs
National Alliance of Public Charter Schools
"The management of a federal CSP grant is a really niche area that requires a tremendous depth of expertise and technical know-how. You need to have a microscopic attention to detail when it comes to compliance and reporting timeliness. The Lumen team is excellent at all of the above. "
Tyler Barnett
New Schools for Alabama
"In my coaching, we make really strong, specific plans for next steps and then we follow up on them in our next conversation. We try to keep those next steps really manageable. When I’m busy, I can’t layer a ton of personal growth on top of my other responsibilities, so we make plans for growth that are baked into the work I’m already doing. That has been really helpful for me. "
Kristen Forbriger
City Fund
"With everything in the CSP world, Lumen has someone on their team with the experience and focus to guide you through the processes. They partnered with us through what would have been a very difficult process had we tried to stumble through it on our own... we probably could have muddled through it as a team, but with their support it was much more smooth, efficient, and professional."
Shannon Greer
Utah Association of Public Charter Schools
"As I got to know the Lumen team, their questions and willingness to support us made it clear they were a good match. They were very engaged, quick to respond, and aligned with how we think as an organization."
Donterrio Marzetti
KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools