Guest writer Amaka Nwagbara, Member Engagement Manager at the Royal Statistical Society introduces the free organisation support from their community of statisticians.

Want to make effective use of your data? The Royal Statistical Society (RSS) runs a pro bono service that helps to secure the expertise of statisticians for third sector organisations.

Statisticians for Society connects organisations with volunteer statisticians who can provide help with collecting, analysing and presenting data.

It is open to third sector organisations based in the UK with an annual turnover of less than £500,000.

RSS would like to encourage organisations to apply, even if they are not sure of the support they need.

The work of the third sector is more vital than ever, but it has been greatly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

In response, many organisations are applying for funding and moving their operations online. Therefore, if you are looking to improve the way your organisation collects data or want to gather evidence to support your funding application or decision making, please get in touch.

You can read about the experiences of organisations that have benefitted from the programme.

How does it work?

The application process involves completing an enquiry form and, if eligible, you will speak to a member of a scoping committee who will help identify what support you need and if it can be delivered by a statistician.

RSS will promote the opportunity to members and, after 14 days, will allocate the project to a volunteer, or team of volunteer statisticians. 

The RSS team will remain in contact with organisations and volunteers until the work is complete and reviewed by an independent statistician.

See more about Statisticians for Society,

About the Royal Statistical Society

The Royal Statistical Society is a charity and professional membership organisation that promotes the importance of statistics and data.

It's a community of more than 10,000 statisticians and data analysts with a vision of a world where data are at the heart of understanding and decision making.