About Shared Data & Charity Finder
What is Shared Data?
Shared Data is an initiative by the Foundation for Shared Impact (FSI) that aims to aggregate, analyse, and share data for the benefit of donors, charities, and members of the public.
We believe that by collecting objective, quantifiable data, social impact actors will better be able to identify problems and intervention points within their own organisations and use the information to improve processes and projects. Multiplied across the sector, the sector will drive a more inclusive, innovative, and resilient society that can effectively enact change and expand its impact.
Why do we need Charity Finder in Hong Kong?
Despite being one of the most technologically advanced jurisdictions in the world, Hong Kong with a robust social impact and charity sectors, it ranks below many other countries when it comes to data transparency and usage in the social impact space.
The 11,028 registered charities (17,566 when including subsidiaries) are closed off and disparate. There is no public website or database that lists all the charities, who runs them, who funds them and how they spend their money.
Donors are left with little clarity on how their donations will be used, and NGOs are not sure about their beneficiaries' feedback. With philanthropic donations in Hong Kong amounting to more than HK$12 billion annually, it is crucial that we ensure the money is being utilised effectively.
Many foundations spend a large chunk of time simply researching potential beneficiary organisations meaning that, rather than actually focusing on ensuring the impact of their work, Hong Kong's foundations are spending most of their time simply trying to learn about funding applicants. Charity Finder simplifies and streamlines this process.
How data is being used to drive social impact
Around the world, data collection and usage is being used in a myriad of ways to drive social impact and systems change. There are several ways that Shared Data hopes to bring best practices here:
- Organizational Transparency: In many other countries around the world there are public websites and resources that show what social impact organisations do, who is involved and what their beneficiaries think of them. This democratisation of philanthropy allows funders to know exactly who and what they are funding and how the money is used.
- Data Aggregation and Collaboration: Social problems cannot be solved by individual organizations, no matter how large they are. Accordingly, it is essential that organizations collaborate to aggregate, share, and analyze data.
- Government Transparency (Open Data and Policy Directives): By publicly posting government data in ways that are understandable for regular citizens, we can help organizations and people better understand how their government can improve its effectiveness.
- Industry Transparency: By aggregating and visualizing information about entire social impact industries we can see where philanthropic and government funding is being spent, and which areas still require funding or assistance.
Who would use Charity Finder?
To begin with, the Charity Directory will be most useful for corporate donors and large philanthropic foundations who can search for non-profits. These funders will better be able to understand the work the non-profits do, how they spend their money, how their beneficiaries rate them and view past collaborations as part of due diligence research, bringing transparency and efficiency to the sector.
For non-profits, beyond ensuring their details are up-to-date on Charity Finder, the associated Grant Finder will help connect them to funders who are aligned with their goals. It is a centralised point to find out about funding opportunities, processes, deadlines, etc.
As we grow, we aim to enhance these solutions further so that all stakeholders will have a voice and the sector will be markedly more transparent, and where best practices can be shared to benefit our communities.
Get involved
Should you believe in our mission and want to get involved, learn more about how to support our work.
For any further inquiries related to Charity Finder or any of our other Shared Data initiatives, contact Jon Pedersen at jon@shared-impact.com.