We are at a crossroads in philanthropy, where access to data has increased in recent years but data capacity within impact organizations has not. As a result, only 50% of surveyed organizations are using the data available to them to inform their decision-making (Source). This fact presents a significant challenge to the ability of impact organizations to drive the level of positive change needed to tackle today’s complex issues.

The grantee reporting dilemma is not a new one - foundations rely heavily on grantees to understand whether their investments are making a positive impact in the areas that they wish to support. And yet many grantees do not have access to tools or resources in the area of data collection and analysis. This  results in time and energy wasted on reporting requirements and process - time that could be spent focusing on the organization's mission and driving impact. 

Major events cause significant stress to the community and can often trigger multi-sectoral collaboration work. Why? The work to provide the necessary services and relief to constituents in need is too great for a single person or organization to solve. We have seen a range of events in recent years, with the pandemic in 2020 and record-breaking natural disasters affecting the West with wildfires and the Southeast with hurricanes.