Data Analytics - Protect Our Winters’ Athlete Alliance Program
The Problem
Protect Our Winters, a leading U.S. climate advocacy non-profit focused on mobilizing outdoor recreationists for climate action, wanted to understand the data relating to their volunteer program (they call it the “Alliance”) efficacy. I was tasked with gathering and cleaning the data, then creating a comprehensive annual report of the 2024 data that identified key trends and laid out recommendations for improving program efficacy and reach.
Approach
I used R Markdown to analyze and present the data so I could use a literate programming approach, where I could bring my analysis code, writing, and other pieces of media together in a single place.
Skills
Data cleaning / de-duplication
Data analysis and visualization
Some R or R Markdown-specific tricks to create a polished report, like the gt() package for beautiful tables, setting up custom theming, color palettes, and additional CSS/HTML to create a unified visual language, using inline code for dynamic calculations, the DT() package for interactive tables, and using a parent/child relationships between the analysis .rmd file and other .r scripts to create intuitive, modular code.
Predictive modeling
Results
The report itself is confidential, but I can share a nice recommendation from Graham Zimmerman, POW’s Athlete Alliance Director:
“I’m thrilled to recommend Nate Bender for his outstanding work analyzing and synthesizing our 2024 Athlete Alliance engagement data. As a professional runner turned data scientist, Nate brought a rare combination of deep athlete perspective and analytical precision to this project—allowing us to better understand the impact of our athlete community in the climate movement.
Tasked with compiling, deduplicating, and structuring engagement data from multiple sources—including Salesforce, newsletter reports, and social metrics—Nate not only organized the data with clarity but also identified key trends and actionable insights. His work helped highlight where our Athlete Alliance is thriving, where gaps exist, and how we can refine our strategies moving forward.
Beyond his technical expertise, Nate approached the project with professionalism, efficiency, and a keen eye for detail. He worked seamlessly with our team, ensuring that the final dataset was both accurate and useful for decision-making. Thanks to his contributions, we now have the most comprehensive view of athlete engagement in POW’s history.
For any organization looking for a data analyst who understands athlete networks, community engagement, and impact measurement, Nate is an absolute asset. We’re grateful for his work and highly recommend him.”
