5 Ways to Use mySidewalk's CoWrite Feature

Introducing a groundbreaking method for crafting data narratives.

In today's data-driven world, narrative and context are essential for interpreting data and making informed decisions. That's why mySidewalk has developed CoWrite, an innovative AI writing assistant feature.

With CoWrite, you can effortlessly craft compelling data stories that frame, contextualize, and showcase the insights from your data visualizations. This powerful tool helps you connect the dots for your audience, enabling you to create better and stronger stories in less time.

1. Prepare a presentation for policymakers.

It can be a daunting task, but with the help of CoWrite, preparing a presentation becomes a seamless and efficient process. Whether you are advocating for a policy change or presenting data-backed insights to policymakers, CoWrite is the tool you need to put together persuasive and impactful narratives.

Taylor Carter who works at the Center for Public Health Initiatives (CPHI), says that she  uses CoWrite to build custom reports for Pathways to a Healthy Kansas communities.

"Our team provides technical support and assistance for these communities, and as part of that we provide them with reports from mySidewalk with data about their community," she says. "The purpose of the reports is to provide them with data that they can utilize to make progress on their Pathways work, whether that looks like discussions with policymakers and other stakeholders."

mySidewalk's extensive community data library powers CoWrite, so you can support your presentation with the most reliable and up-to-date information. From statistics on social issues to trends over time, CoWrite references from a wide range of data points that can strengthen your argument.

Once you have collected and/or built your data visualizations, you can generate captivating and precise stories that effectively communicate your message to policymakers in a few clicks. By providing instructions on the tone and style you prefer, CoWrite can create a tailor-made story that perfectly aligns with the policymakers you are presenting to. This level of customization ensures that your message is clear to your audience, increasing the likelihood of achieving your desired outcomes.

Whether you need a headline that grabs attention or a summary of strategies to address a specific problem, CoWrite can produce a first draft in seconds.

2. Create reports on high-interest topics.

Whether you need to develop stories around trends in crime rates, the impact of climate change on a specific region, or potential socioeconomic factors affecting educational attainment, CoWrite has you covered.

Once you have data visualizations in your dashboard or report, CoWrite makes it easy to add contextual narratives for your audience to better understand the insights you uncover. You'll be able to highlight key findings, provide context, and offer actionable recommendations in seconds.

"This year, we provided each [Pathways to a Healthy Kansas] community with two reports," Taylor says of her work at CPHI. "The first focuses on key demographics while the second focuses on healthy eating and physical activity."

You can choose from a variety of suggestions that have proven effective, or you can provide CoWrite with specific instructions to create a story that resonates specifically with your target audience. From the tone and style to the inclusion of relevant data points, CoWrite can adapt to your needs and help you build reports and dashboards that effectively communicate your message. Whether you're presenting these reports to stakeholders, sharing them with the public, or using them to inform decision-making, CoWrite ensures that your reports are informative, compelling, and impactful.

"When we have made these reports in the past, we have had to ensure that the wording provided within the reports was generic enough to be manually edited/added to as we developed the reports ... but with CoWrite, we didn't have to worry about that nearly as much," Taylor adds. "CoWrite gave us the ability to customize each report for each community that we serve. It allowed us to easily investigate and describe public health data in a meaningful way. Plus, it was super easy to use! I was amazed at all of the different prompt possibilities and was grateful to have the examples provided by mySidewalk."

3. Apply for funding.

Securing funding for your projects or initiatives is crucial for their success, and CoWrite can help you draw attention to effectively communicate your needs and goals. By leveraging CoWrite, you can provide additional information to put the spotlight on evidence and insights that support grant applications, letters of intent, requests for a proposal, and more.

Whether you need to showcase the need for or benefits of your initiative, CoWrite can provide you with the data-driven narratives that funders are looking for. Using CoWrite, you can more easily demonstrate the impact and potential of your project. By tailoring your narrative to the specific funding organization or grant program, CoWrite ensures that your application stands out to key donors and investors.

Additionally, CoWrite can assist you in highlighting the unique aspects and value proposition of your project. It can help you emphasize the innovative approaches, community engagement strategies, or partnerships that set your initiative apart from others. By effectively conveying the potential impact and sustainability of your project, CoWrite increases your chances of securing the funding you need to make a difference in your community.

4. Report progress on strategic initiatives.

Keeping stakeholders informed about the progress of strategic initiatives is crucial for maintaining transparency and accountability. With CoWrite, you can easily build comprehensive reports that showcase the advancements and impact of your initiatives, address goals and benchmarks, and the headway your organization is making toward change.

By leveraging the data gathered from your projects, CoWrite enables you to generate data stories that highlight key milestones, outcomes, and challenges faced during the implementation of your programs. CoWrite can help you articulate the measurable results achieved, such as the number of individuals impacted, the improvements made, or the goals accomplished. 

While it is true that visual elements can provide clearer and visually appealing representations of the impact and growth of your initiatives over time, many people need extra context to understand and appropriately apply data to decision-making. By combining data narratives with visualizations, you can convey complex information in a more accessible and engaging manner, ensuring that your progress is clear to your audience. With CoWrite's assistance, you can ensure that your reports are comprehensive, compelling, and facilitate informed, impactful decisions. By presenting these kinds of data stories with transparency, you can demonstrate the value and effectiveness of your work to stakeholders, fostering trust and support.

5. Engage followers on social media.

Speaking of transparency, in today's digital age, social media has become a powerful platform for sharing information and connecting with residents, community leaders, politicians and celebrities, supporters, and strategic partners.

With CoWrite's assistance, you can harness the power of data narratives to engage and captivate your followers on social media. Whether you're posting on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, you can tell CoWrite to help you craft data-driven copy that grabs attention and sparks conversations.

Need to customize your social media content to suit each platform's unique requirements and best practices? No problem. Whether you need to optimize your post for character limits, incorporate relevant hashtags, or use the appropriate tone and style, CoWrite can adapt to the specific needs of each social media platform. You can create concise and impactful social media captions that effectively communicate your message. Whether you need a catchy headline, a thought-provoking question, or a compelling call to action, CoWrite can generate engaging content that encourages your followers to like, comment, and share.

Additionally, CoWrite helps you increase the appeal of your posts by incorporating data visualizations into your social media content. From eye-catching charts and graphs to informative infographics, these visual elements enhance the visual appeal of your posts and make complex data more accessible and understandable for your audience.