Qualitative research is a powerful tool for understanding the experiences, perspectives, and needs of the people and communities that philanthropy aims to serve. However, to ensure that qualitative research is inclusive and representative, it requires careful planning, execution, and analysis. Here are some ways to achieve this goal.
Before you start your qualitative research, you need to have a clear purpose and scope for your inquiry. What are the main questions you want to answer, and why are they important for your philanthropic mission? Who are the key stakeholders and beneficiaries of your research, and how will you involve them in the process? How will you ensure that your research is ethical, respectful, and culturally sensitive? Having a well-defined purpose and scope will help you design your research methods, select your participants, and frame your findings.
Qualitative research can use various methods and tools, such as interviews, focus groups, observations, surveys, case studies, stories, or participatory approaches. Depending on your purpose and scope, you need to choose the methods and tools that best suit your research questions, your target population, and your available resources. You also need to consider how to collect, store, and analyze your data in a secure and reliable way. Some methods and tools may require more training, time, or technology than others, so you need to weigh the pros and cons of each option.
If your desired research participants are hard to reach, there is low trust in you or the organization conducting the research among the research participants or there are language barriers, you could consider asking people within the communities you want to research, to conduct it for you. For example, people can interview their own community members, share observations or fill in a diary probe. Essential here is compensating such participatory researchers, provide proper research tools (such as the diary probes or a voice recorder) and clear guidelines what constitutes valid data needed for the research. Make sure you launch the method among a diverse range of people to make the research results as inclusive as possible!
One of the main challenges of qualitative research is to recruit and engage diverse participants who can provide rich and relevant insights for your inquiry. You need to consider how to reach out to potential participants, how to obtain their informed consent, how to compensate them for their time and contribution, and how to communicate with them throughout the research process. You also need to be aware of any biases, assumptions, or power dynamics that may affect your relationship with your participants, and how to address them in a respectful and transparent way.
First off, in the area where the research will be conducted I would map all the existing communities and hubs. Think different sport and hobby clubs, but also bars and event places where you see different cultural groups appear. Depending on how appropriate it is to approach these different communities, you can for example pay a visit, talk with its members, provide flyers or post Facebook messages to promote becoming a research participant. Be sure to make clear what the benefits are for your audiences to participate. You can also ask community members that trust you to help spread your message. Try to approach as many of the communities you've found in your initial mapping to make inclusive research as probable as possible. Good luck!
Qualitative data analysis and interpretation involve identifying, organizing, and synthesizing the main themes, patterns, and meanings that emerge from your data. You need to use a systematic and rigorous approach that can capture the complexity and diversity of your data, while avoiding overgeneralization or distortion. You also need to acknowledge and reflect on your own positionality, perspective, and influence on the data analysis and interpretation process. Additionally, you may want to involve your participants or other stakeholders in validating or co-creating your findings.
Essential in doing inclusive research is the ability for research participants to self-interpret their input. This ability is critical as it removes the opportunity for professionals conducting the research to leave out any minority views emerging from the research results. One of the most straightforward approaches to self-interpretate data is done by asking participants an open question (to share an experience or a story around a topic), followed by quantitative questions such as scales or circle diagrams. Participants then choose where in for example the scale they think their story is best located. Additionally, working with this approach creates immediate (inclusive) data to work with, as much interpretation has already been done!
The final step of qualitative research is to share and apply your findings in a way that can inform and improve your philanthropic practice. You need to consider how to present your findings in a clear, concise, and compelling way, using different formats and channels for different audiences and purposes. You also need to consider how to incorporate feedback, suggestions, or critiques from your stakeholders, and how to use your findings to inform your decision-making, strategy, or action. Moreover, you need to evaluate the impact and value of your research, and how to improve it in the future.