Towards a Shared Data Strategy for the Philanthropic Sector

CO-AUTHORS 

Stacey McDonald, Learning and Evaluation Specialist at Ontario Trillium Foundation

Ines Chaalala, Director, Learning and Partnerships, Philanthropic Foundations Canada

As we enter a digital era of exponential data growth – coupled with a pandemic that has severely impacted the global economy and harmed certain communities more than others – questions over the collection, use and ownership of all sorts of data have come to the forefront of the national discussion on philanthropy.

In the midst of such uncertain times, there seems to be more demand for data to help guide our work, and yet much of that needed data wasn’t readily available when it was needed most.

How can the sector handle and share data more openly, responsibly, efficiently, and for greater impact?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This report is part of a collaborative effort between Philanthropic Foundations Canada (PFC) and the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). The partners would like to thank the PFC members and key informants who generously shared their time and knowledge for the development of this report. Special thanks to Michael Lenzner and Jaimie Cudmore of Powered by Data for their contributions, Tim Ellis, former PFC research coordinator, Kubilay Ogutcu, Learning and Partnerships Coordinator at PFC,  Liz Forsberg at OTF and Erin Kasungu, consultant.