<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[PorchLight Insights]]></title><description><![CDATA[PorchLight Insights]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/insights</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2026 22:28:58 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.porchlightinsights.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Back to School, Data and Performance Edition]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's Back to School time, and whether or not you have a personal connection to the academic calendar, it is in the air. A sense that summer is over, fall is coming, and it's time to get down to work. And as Meg Ryan emails in the 1998 classic rom-com "You've Got Mail":]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/back-to-school-data-edition</link><guid isPermaLink="false">8bd29105-c735-4ce2-adfc-6036e1b49a84</guid><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_e6d922344f5a49ff9a600bec25102024~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kate Bender</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Celebrating 4 Years of PorchLight Insights]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the winter 2021/spring of 2022, when we started planning what would become PorchLight Insights, the learning curve felt overwhelming - we knew very little about starting a business, and we felt especially inexperienced in branding and business development (just ask us some time about how we came up with the name).]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/celebrating-4-years-of-porchlight-insights</link><guid isPermaLink="false">4743e010-d640-4cfb-a30b-43a92b9fc6c8</guid><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_5c72b711dba24108b84a066864922eec~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Julie Steenson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Failure is an Option - Insights from ICMA 2025]]></title><description><![CDATA[At PorchLight Insights, we are big advocates for creating psychologically safe teams, workplaces, and communities. We introduced this concept in a previous blog post. Building on this foundation, our team underscored the importance of psychological safety in local government and highlighted concrete actions that managers can take to support it during the recent 2025 ICMA Conference in Tampa, FL. If we missed you in Tampa, here are some key takeaways from our session.]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/failure-is-an-option</link><guid isPermaLink="false">7db12c63-d588-49bd-b771-4330c04940fb</guid><pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2025 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_b69b97c4783649b782cdbff14b22308b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kate Bender</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nine Ways to Maximize Your 311]]></title><description><![CDATA[PorchLight Insights has worked extensively with city 311 systems over the years, most notably with our co-founders having firsthand experience with Kansas City's 311 during deployment and in the early years (shout out to the hardworking, lovely people of KCMO 311!).]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/nine-ways-to-maximize-your-311</link><guid isPermaLink="false">1c62385b-a915-4a49-9d24-0d9b0370374e</guid><pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2025 04:27:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_24430bb9f8c84a1b965602e7c9f8a3c8~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kate Bender</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lessons About Making Coffee]]></title><description><![CDATA[What can a process map about coffee teach you about your organization? Maybe more than you think.]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/coffeelessons</link><guid isPermaLink="false">c10d17d1-3844-45ad-8a82-748c886c6d75</guid><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_64e34923c5534598970005f72f869586~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_869,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Julie Steenson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Essential Ingredient of Performance Management: Psychological Safety]]></title><description><![CDATA[Performance management and data-oriented cultures are built on a foundation of psychological safety.]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/psychsafety</link><guid isPermaLink="false">efc4eaef-233d-4136-b67f-604bed598ff6</guid><pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_931b35bcac5c465fba26009b186f0486~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Julie Steenson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Being the Marie Kondo of Performance Measures]]></title><description><![CDATA[Are you hoarding your performance measures? Here's how to let go.]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/being-the-marie-kondo-of-performance-measures</link><guid isPermaLink="false">411fac5a-1b6e-4c0e-8866-5a17baca14ef</guid><pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2024 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_a4b9dead58e44177a6aa599fea37b0c9~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kate Bender</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lessons from Boeing for the Public Sector]]></title><description><![CDATA[Recent corporate issues at Boeing are more relevant to government and nonprofit organizations than we might think.]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/lessonsfromboeing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">94a7f959-4029-4562-adb9-e1fc690e3ee3</guid><pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_2ddf9a065a7046009b65b94ac2fabacf~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Julie Steenson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Join our team!]]></title><description><![CDATA[PorchLight Insights is adding to our team! See within for details on the position. Please apply by sending your resume and cover letter to info@porchlightinsights.com.]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/werehiring</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5e8fd799-23e5-4156-b318-99605b68e390</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Jan 2024 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_3b041acc625343518708e490f127e4a4~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kate Bender</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why you need a best friend at work]]></title><description><![CDATA[If someone asked you out of nowhere "do you have a best friend at work?", you might be hesitant to answer that question.  It feels both oddly personal and maybe even a little wrong.  Like, you might say to yourself, "I am not supposed to have a best friend at work!" because we have a cultural weirdness about close relationships in the workplace.]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/why-you-need-a-best-friend-at-work</link><guid isPermaLink="false">9465fc19-a9bb-4cc2-81b1-837e9a5ad84a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jun 2023 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_6f51fb0365da4ebca3c0cbbc159f7ff0~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Julie Steenson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[“I am not a data person”]]></title><description><![CDATA[Don’t think you’re a “data person”? Here’s why you can be and should be.]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/beadataperson</link><guid isPermaLink="false">06907bd6-7e90-4581-b98a-179d5cc7a161</guid><pubDate>Wed, 09 Nov 2022 06:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_6ebb5a79e3d443b8bc581a458e2e383a~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kate Bender</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pivot Tables: you can do them too.]]></title><description><![CDATA[We've seen a lot of data analysis tools over the years.  Software that promises big insights and business intelligence that will transform your work life.  Many of those analysis products are really great, but none are as "easy" and universal as good 'ole Microsoft Excel.]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/pivot-tables-you-can-do-them-too</link><guid isPermaLink="false">01994473-9146-493b-b35e-85a6bcb683d3</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Aug 2022 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="http://youtu.be/ytwa38GwDa4?si=0UL7z6NGfg1Lp11-" length="0" type="video"/><dc:creator>Julie Steenson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The secret to successful data storytelling]]></title><description><![CDATA[Building trust with your audience for a data story takes some effort, but the reward is worth it.]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/buildingtrust</link><guid isPermaLink="false">baf2685f-8f17-498f-a016-950aa806996f</guid><pubDate>Mon, 25 Jul 2022 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_9caa72b5a0ad4418a6d8d3b2ad9d9cf4~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Julie Steenson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Data Tells a Powerful Story]]></title><description><![CDATA[Co-founder Julie Steenson has spoken extensively on what survey data can do for your city.  In this vintage video from 2015, she explains that survey data is a powerful tool for decision-making and engagement.]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/your-data-tells-a-powerful-story</link><guid isPermaLink="false">64a9cdef-660c-48de-a1c7-96c6b4aec433</guid><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2022 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="http://youtu.be/16ik6Td7iyQ?si=dwupz5vgDpqIV5Vm" length="0" type="video"/><dc:creator>Julie Steenson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[“KC Startup launches with focus on using data to improve income, performance”]]></title><description><![CDATA[— Kansas City Business Journal, Christine McDonald June 13, 2022]]></description><link>https://www.porchlightinsights.com/post/kc-startup-launches-with-focus-on-using-data-to-improve-income-performance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">b4554c75-4c8f-4648-ba63-d8a8186d8267</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jun 2022 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/47907e_6f51fb0365da4ebca3c0cbbc159f7ff0~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kate Bender</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>