Data is everywhere and increasingly shapes the world in which we live. Today, more than ever, it is viewed as an important tool to help organizations do their work and make better decisions.
While opportunities to harness the power of data certainly exist, for organizations in the nonprofit sector the task can seem daunting. Concepts like open data or data portals are often unfamiliar, and many nonprofits don’t have the capacity to sort things out on their own.
Powered by Data, a new Tides Canada project, is here to change that. It’s working to create a data environment where it’s easy for communities to share their knowledge, for organizations to improve their work, and for funders to understand their impact.
The project was initially developed as the nonprofit arm of Ajah—a Canadian software company specializing in data-driven tools for nonprofits—before becoming a project on our shared platform.
Powered by Data strives to increase the amount of useful data available to the nonprofit sector. The project focuses on systemic and policy solutions that benefit the sector as a whole, rather than particular technologies or applications. The team is excited about advancing the conversation within the sector about the potential of data, and how to build organizations’ capacity to use it.
Powered by Data has worked with Philanthropic Foundations Canada, the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers Network, The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation to discover new opportunities in the data they already have.
“We’re excited to be launching on Tides Canada’s shared platform,” said Project Director Michael Lenczner. “We first started Powered by Data as a side-project — we wanted to share our expertise with the sector and tackle systemic challenges around data. The response has been stronger than we anticipated, and now Tides Canada is helping us direct that momentum into building a a more robust project.”
We welcome Project Director Michael Lenczner, Technical Director Jesse Bourns, Policy and Communications Director Bernard Rudny, and Solutions Designer Gabe Sawhney to the Tides Canada community. You can learn more about Powered by Data on their website or follow them on Twitter @pwrd_by_data.
