INTRODUCTION
Communities are continually seeking ways to improve the quality of life
of its residents. Addressing the basic needs of shelter, food, safety, and
belonging must come first on the road to helping residents thrive. Data
helps service providers and community organizers better identify the
needs of residents and track progress toward established goals.
In Central Indiana, SAVI (Social Assets
and Vulnerabilities Indicators) – the
nation’s largest and most comprehensive
community information system – plays
a significant part in helping various
organizations tackle these concerns.
SAVI helps its audiences understand
a community’s social, economic, and
demographic realities. It helps service
providers make more targeted decisions,
increase their capacity, solve problems,
and offer programs that will have a real
impact. SAVI puts data into context,
targets areas of concern, supports
funding requests, and helps plan and
evaluate programs in more than 2,000
Central Indiana communities.
Organizations that have experienced
success in using SAVI to make a major
difference in meeting the basic needs
of Greater Indianapolis citizens include
the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police
Department (IMPD) and the United Way
of Central Indiana.
“Utilizing data from SAVI, we have
been able to enhance and direct police
resources to address problems within our
community,” notes IMPD Chief Troy Riggs.
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“We are grateful for the partnership
between IMPD and SAVI.”
Ann Murtlow, CEO of United Way of
Central Indiana, added, “SAVI helps United
Way partner agencies identify client
populations, target their outreach efforts,
and better understand the communities
they serve. SAVI is an essential tool in
our effort to be a strategic, data-driven
organization. United Way of Central
Indiana and its agencies are partners in
a plan to add more information to SAVI
about the services that we collectively
provide and the outcomes that we
collectively achieve. This information will
help us invest more strategically in our
community and maximize our impact. In
essence, when we know more about our
neighbors and their needs, we can better
deliver the programs and services they
deserve.”
SAVI can help your organization have
greater impact, too. We encourage you to
check it out at savi.org, sign up for one
of our free training workshops, and get
started. SAVI has a lot of merit, but the
best part is, it’s FREE!