Qualitative data — stories, observations, open-ended feedback — is often seen as messy or anecdotal, yet it holds the power to surface nuance and lived experience that numbers alone can’t capture. This session explores how nonprofits can make sense of qualitative data at scale — from collection and structuring to analysis and integration with quantitative insights. We’ll share stories and challenges from working with large, distributed teams capturing observations, narratives, and open-ended feedback — and how we’ve learned to systematize this using OKF (Open Knowledge Framework), a platform built for qualitative data at scale.

This session is ideal for nonprofit professionals, researchers, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) teams, program staff, and data storytellers looking to bridge stories with strategy across domains like public policy, social impact, product research, or communication.