How to migrate Clipfolio dashboards to Looker Studio (nonprofit playbook)

Why migrate from Clipfolio to Looker Studio?

• Easier collaboration + sharing
• Lower ongoing costs (Looker Studio is included with Google Workspace)
• Cleaner governance (permissions, ownership, standardized data sources)
• More flexibility as dashboards multiply across teams and locations (e.g., TV signage)

Before you start: define “success” for the new dashboards

• Who each dashboard is for (exec team, ops, development, finance, program leads)
• Where it will be viewed (desktop, wall TV, signage stick, mobile)
• The refresh requirements (near real-time vs daily/weekly)
• The single source of truth for each metric (finance, CRM, case management, spreadsheets, etc.)

Step 1: Inventory your Clipfolio dashboards (and clips)

Dashboard inventory checklist

• Dashboard name
• Intended audience
• Where it’s displayed (including which TVs / signage devices)
• A screenshot of the full dashboard
• Any filters or date ranges users rely on

Clip / visualization inventory checklist

• Clip name + screenshot
• Metric definition (what exactly is being measured)
• Data source (app + account + table/report)
• Refresh cadence
• Filters/segments (by location, program, date range, etc.)
• Known “gotchas” (manual cleanup, weird joins, missing fields)

Step 2: Map each Clipfolio clip to a Looker Studio equivalent

• Scorecards → Scorecards
• Time series charts → Time series
• Bar/column charts → Bar/column
• Tables → Tables with conditional formatting
• Multi-metric views → Blended data (when needed) or a modeled source upstream

Watch-outs during mapping

• If a clip depends on heavy transformation, it’s usually better to fix that upstream (in the data source or a connector layer) than to hack it inside Looker Studio.
• If you’re using multiple apps, plan for connector limitations and potential cost (some connectors are paid).

Step 3: Rebuild data sources (and choose connector tooling)

• Accounting systems (e.g., QuickBooks)
• CRMs and case management tools
• Custom APIs
• Non-standard databases

Data-source setup checklist

• Decide which account “owns” each connection (so it’s not tied to a single person’s login)
• Document credential access + renewal steps
• Standardize naming (e.g., “Finance — QuickBooks — Production”)
• Confirm refresh settings and data latency expectations

Governance decision: one shared data source vs per-dashboard sources

• Shared, reusable data sources for common metrics
• Clear ownership (who maintains each source)
• A “change management” approach so metric definitions don’t drift

Step 4: Recreate charts, filters, and layouts in Looker Studio

Rebuild workflow (repeatable playbook)

1. Create the report shell (layout, header, spacing, color palette)
2. Add the base data source(s)
3. Recreate the highest-value visuals first (the charts people actually use)
4. Add filters + date controls
5. Validate each metric against the old dashboard
6. Document “what changed” (if anything) and why

Validation checklist (per chart)

• Numbers match Clipfolio within an acceptable tolerance
• Filters behave correctly
• Date ranges and time zones are correct
• Any “rollups” (weekly/monthly) match expectations
• Performance is acceptable (dashboard loads quickly)

Step 5: Permissions, ownership, and long-term maintenance

Recommended governance setup

• Use shared ownership where possible (not an individual account)
• Create a simple rule set for:
• Who can edit reports
• Who can edit data sources
• Who can share to new viewers
• Document naming conventions and folder structure
• Keep an “audit checklist” for quarterly review (broken connectors, stale dashboards, permission drift)

Step 6: Deploy to TV signage / wall dashboards

• Confirm the report is readable at a distance (bigger text, fewer elements per slide)
• Use full-screen mode and test auto-refresh behavior
• Standardize the deployment method per location (so it’s not a one-off setup per TV)

TV dashboard design tips

• Prioritize 5–9 metrics per screen
• Use clear labels (no acronyms unless everyone knows them)
• Avoid dense tables unless they’re truly necessary
• Add a “last updated” timestamp somewhere visible

Migration timeline (example)

• Week 1: Inventory + data-source decisions
• Week 2: Rebuild core dashboards (the ones used daily)
• Week 3: Rebuild secondary dashboards + TV deployment polish
• Week 4: Cleanup, documentation, and handoff/training

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

• Rebuilding dashboards before clarifying metric definitions → define metrics first
• Connectors owned by one person → use shared ownership/credentials
• Dashboard sprawl → use a standard template + naming conventions
• Overcomplicating in Looker Studio → do transformations upstream when possible

Get help migrating your Clipfolio dashboards