Superhighways and Think Social Tech launched the Small Charity Data Journeys research report on 27 November 2023, bringing together funders, infrastructure organisations and data providers to talk about how we can help small charities and community organisations to move forwards on their data journeys.
The report's findings, based on qualitative research with 36 small charities and community organisations in London, illuminates when key challenges emerge and where additional support or collective intervention could help them progress.
Attendees discovered what a typical data journey experienced by small charities and community organisations may look and feel like, highlighting:
Pathways: Distinct entry points and goals for moving forwards with data
Swamps: The key challenges and areas of data work where they get stuck
Bridges: Key factors which help to avoid or move on from swamps, making the journey easier
The research has been funded by the Cornerstone Fund via City Bridge Foundation, as part of Datawise London, a partnership programme led by Superhighways.
48 number of people attended the launch, alongside the Superhighways team and Think Social Tech.
Presenting findings from the report
Next steps
We are thankful for the insightful questions, ideas and generosity of pledges that will help us take the next steps forward in implementing systemic change in small charity data use in London and beyond.
Datawise London, led by Superhighways, is building working groups and delivering on a number of workstreams:
- Data about the sector
- Data platforms and tools (including Customer Relationship Management systems)
- Data learning resources
- Communities of practice / peer learning
Data journeys was the first workstream, with the findings now underpinning our ongoing systems change ambitions.
If you are funding small charities and community organisations or helping them to use data to improve their services and influence change, please get in touch with us to find out how you can get involved.
