Apra-IL Webinar:
Decision Intelligence - Designing Analytics That Drive Action
Organizations today are richer in data and more advanced in analytics than ever before, yet many of the most important decisions still stall or fail to translate into action. The challenge is rarely a lack of insight. It is the gap between insight and decision-making.
This session introduces a decision-centered framework for analytics that integrates game theory, human-centered design, behavioral science, and prescriptive analytics to better understand how decisions are actually made within organizations. Rather than treating analytics as a purely technical function, we explore it as a system shaped by incentives, trust, interpretation, and organizational behavior.
Attendees will learn how to move beyond descriptive and predictive analytics toward a more complete decision-support model that addresses not only what is likely to happen, but how stakeholders will respond and what should be done next. We will examine how incentives and competing priorities influence behavior (game theory), how design thinking improves trust and usability of insights (human-centered analytics), and how prescriptive analytics and scenario modeling can translate analysis into clear, actionable recommendations.
The session also introduces the concept of a “decision-making stack,” a layered framework that connects data, prediction, behavior, recommendation, and action. Using real-world examples from advancement analytics, we will explore why organizations often fail to act on good ideas and how analytics teams can design systems that reduce friction, clarify choices, and improve decision velocity.
Attendees will leave with practical strategies for building analytics systems that do more than inform. They enable better, faster, and more aligned decisions across their fundraising function.
Speaker Bios:
Palak Vora is the Senior Associate Director of Financial Analytics at the University of Chicago, where she leads the development of forecasting models, performance analytics, and decision-support systems for Advancement. Her work focuses on transforming complex data into actionable insights that help leaders make faster, more informed strategic decisions.
Drawing on expertise in business intelligence and data analytics, Palak develops analytical solutions that enable leaders to make more confident and effective decisions. Her work extends beyond measurement and reporting to creating models and frameworks that clarify trade-offs, anticipate outcomes, and help organizations translate analysis into strategy. Her interests lie in advancing decision support through thoughtful design, practical modeling, and a deep understanding of organizational behavior.
Palak holds a bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Mumbai and both an MBA and an MS in Business Analytics from the University of Illinois Chicago. She is a frequent speaker on advancement analytics and decision intelligence.
