Data + Story: Mixed-Methods Evaluation in Rural Communities

Are numbers enough to tell the full story of your impact? In this episode of the Common Good Data podcast, Drew Reynolds sits down with Cheralynn Corsack, founder of Local Insight Studio, to explore how mixed methods evaluation can produce deeper, more actionable insight, especially in rural communities.Evaluation conversations often center on numbers. Outputs. Outcomes. KPIs. But data alone rarely captures the nuance of lived experience. Cheralynn explains how pairing quantitative data with qualitative insight, including interviews, focus groups, and participatory analysis, reveals dimensions of impact that surveys alone cannot surface.The conversation explores:• What mixed methods evaluation actually means in practice• Why participatory approaches are especially powerful in rural communities• How qualitative insight can reshape and deepen quantitative findings• The challenges of data access and representation in rural contexts• Moving from deficit based narratives to asset based framing• Translating evaluation findings into language communities can understand and useCheralynn also discusses the importance of relationship building, trust, and co-creation in evaluation work, and why sharing findings back to communities is not optional but essential.If you work in nonprofits, philanthropy, or community initiatives and want your evaluation work to be rigorous, human centered, and useful, this episode offers practical insight you can apply immediately.Learn more about Cheralynn and Local Insight Studio at localinsightstudio.comExplore Common Good Data’s free course, Break the Starvation Cycle, at commongooddata.com/coursesSubscribe for more conversations on evaluation, strategy, and data for social impact.