The APRA Online Solutions Workshop is a new Web-based pilot program that allows APRA to partner with companies to deliver free, real-time workshops to members who want to learn about solutions that can change the way they work.
APRA will announce upcoming sessions soon. The first Online Solutions Workshop was:
Creating Visual Thinkers
in the Fundraising Research Community
Presenter: Kevin Brown, Vice President, Tableau Software
Ask a group of researchers whether they consider themselves visual thinkers. Most will answer yes without really considering what this means. Why is this so? Maybe it’s because people “with vision” are admired among their peers. Perhaps visual thinkers are superior problem solvers and, thus, rise to the top positions in an organization. Though it’s hard to say why, people like to be known as visual thinkers.
It’s unfortunate, then, that some researchers aren't given the opportunity to share new ideas, develop effective business practices or adopt new tools that embrace visual thinking and communication in their shops. This seems unusual given today’s ever-expanding volume of data and focus on organizational performance.
This workshop is designed to help people “think different” and to stimulate new ideas and discussion by:
- Describing the connection between vision and cognition
- Introducing the concepts of data visualization
- Presenting visual examples of good and bad choices for reporting and graphical displays
- Demonstrating new techniques for effectively analyzing and displaying data
About the presenter
Kevin Brown, a 25-year veteran of the software industry, has held executive leadership positions in several prominent companies and has extensive experience starting new companies. In addition to his industry experience, Brown was a professor of computer science at Boston College and now is a frequent lecturer at the University of Washington as well as in corporate settings. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Boston College.
Note: Complimentary Online Solutions Workshops are available only to APRA members.
Learn about APRA membership