I’ve been reflecting on this year in preparation for the next; in summary, D3 did some amazing stuff in 2017…
We started the year embracing new team members and facing a whole bunch of work to be done. Collectively, we created great work that we can be proud of, on time and (mostly, of course) on budget. In the controlled chaos, we stuck to our tried and true processes, we flexed where we needed to, and we continue to have a portfolio of work that is fully mission-aligned.
Some highlights from the year:
- Our work on Turning the Corner helps Detroit lay the groundwork for a more inclusive turnaround than any previous major American city. Our partnerships with Capital Impact Partners and the Center for Community Progress enable our data and research to be used by organizations with great potential to alter capital deployment, supporting greater inclusivity and actually changing policy for the better. Microsoft has been supportive of our efforts for outreach, greater information accessibility for more Detroiters, and testing new civic apps and websites for usability among the population these tools are intended to serve.
- We’ve supported the nationally renowned Urban Institute on a variety of projects in Detroit. D3 continues to be a lauded NNIP partner, now represented on the Executive Committee, and we even won an award for Network Steward of the Year. We wrapped in the fall on a project in partnership with Urban to support the development of two nascent local data intermediaries in Richmond, VA and Memphis, TN, which also resulted in documenting collective wisdom that can and will be used by organizations across the country.
- We participated in several major initiatives with the potential to change the game for our sector moving forward. With Building the Engine of Community Development in Detroit, our community development sector is coming together to carve a new, more effective, and more data-driven path for Detroit from the ground up. Our baby, the Metro Detroit Data Alliance, has gained traction with our pilot partnership downtown, support from Microsoft because they see how important this is, and is starting to get attention from other large institutions in our region. We’ve contributed time, attention, expertise, research, and more to support the successful development of the Hope Starts Here framework, an initiative which aims to dramatically improve experiences and outcomes for children and families in Detroit.
- At the same time, we managed a complete overhaul of our internal server infrastructure, which is no small feat. We also designed and are nearly ready to deploy our brand new website, aiming to correct the mistakes of the 2015 launch we’ve been living with for some time. We also tested a new online communication format (the Early Childhood Development vignette) with our partner Milo Detroit, which so far has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, and we’ll be launching a full online campaign to get the word out over the next three months. We also worked in partnership with longtime partner NiJel to create a beautiful and functional online tool (State of the Detroit Child) which is likely to become a cornerstone tool in D3’s toolbox. Oh, and lest I forget, we have been working through the design of D3 as an employee-owned social enterprise, which has been no small feat.
After many years of building our capacity and networks, and now with the right team and the right infrastructure at the right moment, D3 is poised to be a crucial and relevant organization in Detroit’s turnaround. This moment in our city’s history will be studied for decades to come, and here we all are supporting the information system that can and will drive more effective decision-making for all the impact organizations across the city and region.
So thank you to the D3 team. I am profoundly grateful to be part of this team, and I am thankful for your support of one another and of me.
Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and stay safe and warm over the holidays.
Sincerely,
Erica