Making data management exciting!

Name: Merry Renduchintala

Role at Foodshare): Database Analyst:  Work with the in-house and on-line constituent and donor databases, maintain data integrity, prepare reports and statistics, oversee gift entry and acknowledgement process, prepare mailing lists, locate problems and find solutions to data related issues.

How long have you been with Foodshare? 3 months, 2 weeks

Hobbies: Gardening!  Cooking, reading non-fiction, yoga

Why I do what I do: I want to optimize the use and efficiency of the technology tools we pay for.  I want the most out of these products!

Most recent accomplishment: Shortening the time in which food donations are acknowledged.  I moved the process from an automated one to a high touch manual system of data entry.  It allows us to be aware of exceptions, on top of errors, and there is no substitution for a human managing information!  I think Steve Slipchinsky and Ernie Pitti have been very happy with the timeliness of the new acknowledgement system.

Last read: A Language Older Than Words

What was the hardest thing you’ve had to learn at Foodshare? Patience!

What has changed the most at Foodshare in your time here? The workload now that the holiday season is upon us.

What has stayed the same? The unbelievable staff who are always offering their help, knowledge, and advice to me.  They are just great people.  I’ve never worked with a more consistently and genuinely helpful group of people.

If you could be, or do, anything else – what would it be?  I’d like to have my own non-profit someday that takes in rescued farm animals.  I want it to be a place families can come and learn and enjoy together.   I’d like to include a fabulous library for kids and adults about the natural world and self-sufficiency skills.

What one word would you use to describe yourself?  High energy

What are you most proud of? Continuing to learn and teach myself things, and not move into middle age in a rut!

What other people say about Merry: Her excitement and energy about maximizing the sue of our data base are inspiring even to the non-techies in the crowd!

Anne Frank once said that in spite of everything, she believed people were basically good. Do you agree or disagree? Why? I absolutely agree.  Because it’s in people’s biological history to live as a village and support one another.  I think there a lot of modern day “inventions” and pressures that are hampering this biological tendency and those things cause conflict within people and moves them to act against their good nature.