Business Data Storytelling Workshop in Northern California: Turning Numbers into Impactful Stories
- Roseanna Galindo, CCBA, CAVS
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 22 hours ago
Nonprofit decision-makers are surrounded by data.
Program metrics. Volunteer hours. Patient experience scores. Scholarship recipients. Community outcomes.
But collecting numbers is only part of the work. The real challenge is communicating what those numbers mean.
When data is difficult to explain, even meaningful results can go unnoticed. Reports become dense. Charts feel confusing. Important outcomes fail to capture the attention of boards, funders, and community partners.
In other words, the impact is there—but the story isn’t always getting heard.
That’s exactly the problem a new regional data storytelling workshop aims to address.
On May 7, 2026 nonprofit business leaders from across Northern California—including the Sacramento Valley, Chico, and Redding region— will gather in Orland for a hands-on professional development data storytelling workshop focused on turning numbers into clear, compelling stories.
A Northern California Workshop for Nonprofit Leaders
The workshop, “From Data to Story: Communicating Impact That Gets Heard,” is a half-day professional development experience designed for nonprofit professionals responsible for communicating outcomes and results.
Date: May 7, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Glenn Success Square Conference Center, Orland, CA
Format: In-person | Half-day workshop
Registration: $75 (all proceeds support NVHEF healthcare scholarships)
This hands-on professional development workshop will help nonprofit leaders turn program data into clear, compelling impact stories.
Register here: https://givebutter.com/data-storytelling-workshop
Hosted at the Glenn Success Square Conference Center in Orland—just off the I-5 corridor—the workshop is designed to be accessible to nonprofit leaders throughout the Sacramento Valley and Northern California, including communities from Sacramento to Chico and Redding.
Participants will learn practical strategies for:
Organizing data around a clear message
Identifying the story hidden in common nonprofit metrics
Choosing visualizations that clarify rather than complicate
Communicating results in ways that resonate with decision-makers
This is not a theoretical lecture on analytics. The session is designed to be hands-on and immediately applicable.
Participants will leave with a simple framework they can use to strengthen:
Board reports
Grant narratives
Program evaluations
Community impact communications
Fundraising conversations
Why Data Often Fails to Get the Attention It Deserves
Many nonprofit organizations are already collecting valuable data. The challenge is rarely a lack of numbers.
Instead, leaders often face two common barriers:
Barrier #1 | The Impact Is Hard to Communicate
Important metrics sometimes fail to capture attention simply because they are difficult to explain clearly.
When the message isn’t clear, the result can be predictable:
The data gets skimmed instead of studied.
Strong results become buried inside reports.
Decision-makers miss opportunities to act on valuable insights.
“The challenge isn’t collecting the data. The challenge is communicating the story it tells.”
Barrier #2 | Visualization Feels Intimidating
Many leaders assume effective charts require advanced analytics or specialized software.
In reality, some of the most powerful visualizations are also the simplest. Choosing the right chart or graph—or eliminating unnecessary visual clutter—can dramatically improve how quickly an audience understands the message behind the numbers.
Learning a few practical techniques can make a significant difference in how confidently leaders communicate results.
These challenges are exactly why many organizations are beginning to focus on data storytelling—the practice of organizing data, narrative, and visualization to communicate meaning clearly.
What Participants Will Learn
During the four-hour workshop, participants will work through a practical process for transforming data into meaningful stories.
They will learn how to:
Turn metrics into messages that clarify the significance of results
Select simple visualization techniques that make insights easier to understand
Draft an impact story that can be adapted for reports, presentations, or funding conversations
Each participant will also draft an impact narrative they can refine and use in their own organization.
These ideas form the foundation of the Data Storytelling Essentials framework used in PeriscopeBPA training programs
To support continued learning, registered participants will receive post-training access to select on-demand learning modules, allowing them to revisit key data visualization and data narrative concepts and reinforce the techniques introduced during the workshop.
A Professional Development Event That Supports Healthcare Education
This workshop is presented as a collaboration between Periscope Business Process Analysis (PeriscopeBPA) and the North Valley Health Education Foundation (NVHEF).
While the event provides valuable professional development for decision makers, it also serves an important regional purpose.
All registration proceeds support healthcare education scholarships through NVHEF.
The foundation helps students from across Northern California pursue careers in healthcare fields including:
Nursing
Medicine
Allied health professions
By supporting students pursuing healthcare careers, NVHEF contributes to strengthening the future healthcare workforce throughout the region.
For workshop participants, this means their professional development investment also contributes to expanding educational opportunities for healthcare students.
Build your skills. Support a future healthcare workforce.
Who Should Attend a Business Data Storytelling Workshop in Northern California
This regional professional development workshop is designed for leaders responsible for communicating organizational results, including:
Executive directors
Program managers
Development professionals
Board members
Nonprofit leaders responsible for impact reporting
No prior data analytics experience is required.
When leaders can clearly explain what their numbers mean, data becomes more than
reporting—it becomes a tool for data driven decision-making and influence.
The focus of the session is practical communication techniques that can be applied immediately within nonprofit organizations.
From Data to Story: Communicating Impact That Gets Heard
Date: May 7, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Glenn Success Square Conference Center, Orland, CA
Format: In-person, half-day workshop with breaks
Registration: $75
All registration proceeds directly support healthcare education scholarships through the North Valley Health Education Foundation.
Printed workshop materials will be provided as available, and participants will receive follow-up access to Data Storytelling Essentials on-demand data visualization and data narrative learning modules to reinforce the concepts covered.
Although the workshop takes place in Orland, California, the goal is to bring together nonprofit leaders from across the Sacramento Valley and Northern California region.
Organizations from communities including Sacramento, Chico, Redding, Yuba City, and surrounding rural counties often face similar challenges when it comes to collecting, interpreting, and communicating impact data. Creating opportunities for regional learning helps leaders share ideas, strengthen their organizations, and improve how they communicate the outcomes that matter most to their communities.
Communicating Impact Is a Leadership Skill
Nonprofit leaders already know their programs make a difference.
But ensuring that difference is understood—by boards, funders, and communities—requires more than numbers alone.
It requires the ability to translate metrics into meaning.
Learning how to communicate the story in your data is one of the most valuable skills nonprofit leaders can develop.
This Northern California data storytelling workshop offers an opportunity to strengthen communication skills while supporting healthcare education in the region.
Build your skills. Support the future healthcare workforce.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is data storytelling?
Data storytelling is the practice of organizing data, visuals, and narrative to clearly communicate the meaning behind numbers. Rather than presenting raw metrics alone, data storytelling helps leaders highlight the insights and impact those numbers represent.
For nonprofit organizations, this approach is particularly valuable when communicating outcomes to boards, funders, and community partners.
Who should attend this data storytelling workshop?
This workshop is designed for any business leader, in particularly nonprofit professionals who need to communicate program outcomes, community impact, or organizational results.
Participants may include executive directors, program managers, development professionals, board members, and nonprofit leaders responsible for reporting impact or results.
No advanced data or analytics experience is required.
Where is the Northern California data storytelling workshop being held?
The workshop will take place at the Glenn Success Square Conference Center in Orland, California, conveniently located along the I-5 corridor.
This central location makes the event accessible for nonprofit leaders traveling from across the region, including the Sacramento Valley, Chico, and Redding areas.
What will participants learn in the workshop?
Turning nonprofit metrics into clear impact messages
Shaping narrative around the key story hidden in program data
Choosing visualizations that improve understanding
Communicating results more confidently to boards and funders
Each participant will also draft an impact story they can adapt for reports, presentations, or funding conversations
How does the workshop support the North Valley Health Education Foundation?
This workshop is presented as a collaboration between Periscope Business Process Analysis and the North Valley Health Education Foundation (NVHEF).
All registration proceeds directly support NVHEF healthcare education scholarships, helping students in Northern California pursue careers in nursing, medicine, and allied health professions.
How do I register for the workshop?
Registration is $75, and all proceeds support NVHEF scholarship programs.
Participants will also receive post-training access to selected on-demand learning modules so they can revisit and reinforce key concepts after the workshop.
Summary
Workshops like this one sit at the intersection of two important ideas: strengthening nonprofit leadership and investing in the future of healthcare in our region. By helping leaders communicate their impact more clearly, organizations can make better decisions, build stronger partnerships, and demonstrate the value of their work.
At the same time, the proceeds from this event help the North Valley Health Education Foundation expand opportunities for students pursuing careers in healthcare. When leaders learn to communicate impact effectively, and when communities invest in the next generation of healthcare professionals, the entire region benefits.
Roseanna Galindo is Principal at Periscope Business Process Analysis, specializing in organizational learning and development. She is dedicated to advancing data literacy, enhancing healthcare experiences, and empowering nonprofit leaders.
Explore Roseanna’s expertise and insights on her blog, The Periscope Insighter, starting with the opening post.
Roseanna offers a range of professional development services, including training workshops, keynote speaking, and executive coaching.
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