Our team recently took the stage at ObservePoint Edge to share insights on building effective web data governance programs, highlighting our ongoing partnership with The Salvation Army. This iconic nonprofit faced a common challenge: managing the complexity of data, martech, and adtech across a within a large organization. As The Salvation Army undergoes a digital transformation, we want to emphasize the crucial role that governance is playing in this journey.
Too Many Watches, Different Times
A saying we heard recently perfectly captures the challenges of establishing and managing data governance: “A man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never quite sure.” The Salvation Army certainly faced this dilemma. The organization’s multiple “watches”—disparate data systems and a variety of tagging technologies—led to inconsistent data quality, which hampered everything from campaign effectiveness to decision-making.
This isn’t unique to The Salvation Army. Many of our clients face similar challenges when developing governance programs. To gauge the prevalence of this issue, we polled our audience during the presentation and uncovered some striking insights: 59% reported their programs were either misaligned or nonexistent. Digging deeper, we found a more nuanced picture. While only 15% lacked governance measures entirely, a significant 44% struggled with siloed systems and insufficient organizational alignment.
Governance Headwinds
What’s holding organizations back? A follow-up poll revealed that people and culture were the primary barriers to success. Responses to the question “Which barriers have you faced when implementing governance initiatives in your own organizations?” included:
- Limited time and resources (85%)
- Lack of leadership support and direction (64%)
- Fear of slowing down innovation and agility (55%)
- Resistance to collaborate across departments (55%)
While these findings weren’t surprising, they reinforced a core principle of our Smart Governance framework: successful governance isn’t achieved through top-down mandates alone. It requires careful attention to organizational culture, people, and processes to unite departments behind governance efforts.
From Fragmentation to a Solid Foundation
Clearly, The Salvation Army isn’t alone. Although their digital ecosystem has empowered local fundraising efforts, it has also created data silos and compliance risks.
As The Salvation Army prepared to build a next-generation digital experience, we needed to assess their existing digital ecosystem and understand the full scope of these challenges. Using ObservePoint, we conducted a comprehensive audit of their digital infrastructure, analyzing over 8,000 pages. The findings were revealing:
- Hundreds of different Google Analytics accounts existed across sites, creating conflicting versions of truth.
- Hundreds of third-party cookies slowed page load times by up to 25%.
- Redundant ad pixels on single pages caused campaign conflicts.
Recognizing the need for a new approach, The Salvation Army partnered with us to reimagine their governance framework.
Applying Smart Governance principles, we developed a strategy to enhance data access, sharing, and use while ensuring compliance and accuracy. For The Salvation Army, success has hinged on addressing organizational barriers. Education and stakeholder buy-in have been crucial to their governance efforts—and will remain essential for sustainable success.
Governance as a Strategic Imperative & Force Multiplier
Our key takeaway is simple: Governance isn’t just a technical necessity; it’s a strategic imperative requiring careful attention to people, processes, and culture. Far from being a limiting force, it’s a force multiplier. By centralizing data and marketing technology efforts, The Salvation Army is better positioned to improve efficiency, ensure compliance, and prepare for a privacy-first future where third-party cookies take a backseat (see this post for more on cookies), all while maintaining trust with supporters and beneficiaries.
If your organization is operating with “unsynchronized watches,” it might be time to rethink your governance strategy. We’re here to help.
Want to see our full session from ObservePoint Edge? Watch the video below!
