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Feb 20, 2019

The Triangle of Truth

I love this triangle diagram. Not only is it true for our business in data analysis and donor behavior research, but it can apply to many things in life.

The Triangle of Truth has three points: Quality, Time, and Cost.

You can choose any two points of the Triangle of Truth, but you can’t have all three.

Projects are all about priorities, and the triangle of truth can help clarify which qualities you choose to prioritize. If you want a quality and inexpensive project, you cannot expect it to be quick. If you choose quick and inexpensive, you cannot expect it to be quality. If you want quality and quick, you cannot expect it to be inexpensive.

In recent years, there has been a big push to automate analytics. When we evaluate automation with the Triangle of Truth, we see that automation values speed and low cost over quality.

At Analytical Ones, one of our core values is great work. And great work absolutely requires precision.

That’s why we have deliberate chosen not to automate our analyses. From the beginning to the end of each and every one of our projects we literally touch the data to ensure our analyses are high quality.

Some of our clients value low cost, while other clients need quick turn times. Whatever your needs when you work with us, you have chosen quality.

Part VI: The Environmental Impact of AI

Up to this point in our AI blog series, I have been discussing (some might say ragging on) the practical implementational challenges of AI in the nonprofit sector. In today’s blog, I’m shifting the focus on a more global issue: Is using AI environmentally sustainable?...

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First-half of 2025 Trends in Fundraising

I have four graphs that summarize what we are seeing across the fundraising arena. These come from our newest analytical report, The Single Largest Gift - Cohort Analysis (SLG-CA). I know, its name is a mouthful, but its insights are plentiful. Basically, the SLG-CA...

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