What is Shared Data? Â
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.Â
Why do we need CharityFinder 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.Â
The ~10,000 registered charities in the sector 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.Â
Donors are left with little clarity on how their donations will be used and NGO’s have are not sure on 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.Â
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. CharityFinder would simplify and streamline 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:Â
- Impact Assessment: By identifying impact metrics, establishing data collection procedures and building data dashboards, both social impact organisations and funders will be able to see in real time what is and isn’t working.    Â
- Organizational Transparency:Â 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. In most cases, these stakeholders are able to publicly rate and comment on each other to remain accountable.Â
- Industry Transparency:Â By aggregating and visualizing information about entire social impact industries (either geographically or by issue/problem area) we can see where philanthropic and government funding is being spent, and which areas/issues still require funding or assistance.
- Government Transparency (Open Data and Policy Directives): One of the most important aspects of using data to drive change is publicly posting government data in ways that are understandable for regular citizens. Government spending is often public information, but rarely do citizens understand how their tax dollars are being spent. Some of the most promising and impactful data programs currently are bridging the gap and helping organizations and people better understand how their government can improve its effectiveness.
- Data Aggregation and Collaboration:Â 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. Although this may seem commonsensical, many social impact organizations are highly reluctant to collect and share data. But recently there have been some great examples of how data collaboratives drive impactful academic research, policy initiatives, and even multi-organization projects.Â
Who would use CharityFinder?
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, the Funding Database will help connect them proactively to funders who are more aligned with them. The database will provide a centralised point to find out about funding opportunities, processes and deadlines.
As we grow, we aim to include opportunities for members of the public to volunteer with organisations they connect with or even make a small once off or recurring donations. Once up and running, these databases will be places where all stakeholders will have a voice and the sector will be markedly more transparent and best practices can be shared to benefit our communities.
We are also aggregating and disseminating other forms of data, such as software discounts for charities, data on SIE funded projects, and more.
Should you believe in our mission and want to get involved, learn more here.
Jon Pedersen
For any further inquiries related to Shared Data, you may contact Jon Pedersen via jon@shared-impact.com or via our contact form.