Many of us have been using Excel for years for our research or Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning work. It has many analytical advantages. However, when working in teams, over time and across multiple projects at an organizational level, some challenges arise. This is especially true when you have both qualitative and quantitative data that you need to analyze over time.

Unless everyone is on the same page regarding rules of formatting, data cleaning, and documentation of changes made to the dataset and data analysis choices over time, a range of things can go wrong, creating an unreliable database. This could include issues such as cells being accidentally deleted or changed without others’ knowledge, information being copied and pasted in the wrong places, misspelling or coding errors going unnoticed, comments that track important changes made to the dataset being hidden or deleted over time, etc.

Excel works well because of our familiarity with it and for many use cases, but it doesn’t mean that it is the most accurate, efficient, and productive analysis tool for your organization’s data, grantmaking, and impact tracking.

Shifting from Excel to a robust, mixed-method analytical software like ImpactMapper offers a wide range of benefits:

• Organize your grants, projects, or portfolio data and access diverse analysis and visualizations over time.
• Create as many projects as you want from the same overarching database for different analysis purposes and access instant base analytics, saving you valuable time and energy.
• Work seamlessly in a team in real-time, conducting qualitative and quantitative data analysis and visualization together in the same project. Never lose track of the right version of a survey analysis or document or interview analysis again.
• Manage multiple projects all in one place and analyze quantitative and qualitative data with your own custom taxonomy so you can communicate your outcomes more effectively to your board of directors, stakeholders, and wider community.
• Share surveys and tagged reports across projects for faster analysis.
• Save a significant amount of time by visualizing your data through beautiful charts.

With all of these benefits, your team can report and track impact in a more rigorous, consistent, and efficient way over time.

If data analysis in Excel is causing you and your team headaches and many hours lost trying to keep track of your data over time, then it may be time to consider upgrading to a data analytics and visualization software to streamline your impact reporting processes.

Our ImpactMapper software is the best solution for the impact sector so far because it has been built and tailored by and for impact professionals, donors, and nonprofits.

Are you considering making the shift to software? Let’s talk, schedule a free discovery call with us here or easily register for a license here if you are ready to get your analysis started today.

Interested in upcoming events and trainings? Check out these opportunities below to learn in interactive sessions and network with other colleagues from different parts of the world.

• Free Webinar: AI Tools for Impact Tracking: On November 6th at 5.m. CET, we will cover key areas and share practical examples of how AI tools can be used for impact analysis and reporting, including a demo of some new ImpactMapper AI features. After the presentation, we will have a live Q&A session. Free register here.
• Participatory Methods for MEL: On November 13th, we will launch a live online training with a focus on 9 participatory methods and best practices for impact tracking and MEL in a programme or organizational context.  Learn more and register today here.
• 2026 Storytelling for Impact Online Program for M&E Professionals: This special training will bring together leaders that support impact and sustainability to explore concrete strategies for optimizing impact tracking and storytelling in their organizations. This hallmark online program of 6 training sessions and 2-month free access to full ImpactMapper software will help you learn the power of storytelling methodologies; offer a practical step-by-step guide on how to design, develop, and collect stories and outcomes in workshop; and prepare you with insights on how to analyze qualitative and quantitative data more effectively in line with your theory of change or strategic plan, and how to strengthen impact reporting in your organization. Secure your spot here.

‍