Timely research from the VCSE Observatory here on how the VCSE sector collects, uses, and shares data and evidence. Many of their findings align with what our own research on data maturity shows. buff.ly/iVfAc9b

Are you joining us for Datafolk Club this Thursday lunchtime? We'll be discussing all things data sharing, including how and when to share data and what platforms or dashboards can help to bring data together and make it easier to share. See you there! Register here buff.ly/DKw4k9u

Since 2020, the City Bridge Foundation @citybridgefndn.bsky.social , London’s biggest independent charity funder, has been on a data improvement journey. Read their story for some inspiration for your own data journey💡

What's our impact? At Data Orchard, we help lots of clients to explore, define, and articulate the impact they have in the lives of the people and places they serve. And it's important we take the time to understand the difference we make too. Read about our impact here: buff.ly/fAkUEsb

Data, data, everywhere, nor any drop to drink... Excuse us, it's #NationalPoetryDay If this feels like your organisation, flooded with an abundance of raw data that's collected but often difficult to process or convert into actionable insights, maybe we can help.

It's International Podcast Day and we thought it was a good opportunity to share and applaud some of the podcasts our team love to listen to...

Our Data Maturity Assessment was the first of its kind and is always being improved. We’ve just completely refreshed it to meet high accessibility standards. Is it now the first DMA to be so accessible? We think it looks rather good regardless. Read about the latest improvements: buff.ly/EfEl5iI

Our fifth State of the Sector Data Maturity report is on its way! We did say we'd give ourselves a break from producing a State of the Sector report this year but, hey, five years is a big milestone and it seems a shame to let all that data and insight go to waste. So get ready for the next report.

Welcome Miguel! We're delighted to welcome Miguel Roca-Terry - our new Analytics Engineer - to the Data Orchard team. Miguel is a former data journalist for the BBC and ONS, and many more things besides. Read our Q&A to help get to know him a little better. buff.ly/gbCQzP6

Tomorrow's International Day of Clean Air... And here's a big shout out to two wonderful charities - Trees for Cities and Cool Earth. A while back, our Hannah Khwaja wrote about why we chose to support them both as part of our environmental policy and carbon reduction plan. buff.ly/fip1GoG

This is interesting on people's use of chatbots for therapy: buff.ly/Aeq8zII Don't forget, our next Nonprofit Datafolk Club discussion is about AI in nonprofits. It looks set to be one of our most popular events yet so make sure to sign up if you haven't: Thu 11 Sep | 1-2pm | FREE buff.ly/LNVF5Vp

We've had a bit of a run on booking for our next Data for Leaders course recently and are pleased to see a nice mix of senior leaders signed up, with what seems to be an unintentional focus on health and young people. Still time and space for you, if you think joining this cohort will be useful.

Messy data isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a barrier to insight. Preparing it well means understanding context, fixing structure, and putting monitoring in place so analysis is built on trust, not noise. Clean data is the foundation of reliable decisions. 👉 Read more buff.ly/WoOFJko #DataQuality

📢 The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued new guidance on securely disclosing documents to the public — with a clear focus on reducing the risk of accidental data breaches. Practical, actionable advice from the ICO can be found here: buff.ly/rNzt557 #CyberSecurity #databreach

"Too often, organisations respond to data friction by adding more tech. But without a coordinated cultural shift, even the most advanced platforms may struggle to deliver impact." Interesting article from @diginomica, about why culture is the hidden barrier to data success: buff.ly/78wBgEs

Every year, 230,000 children are spared from HIV thanks to treatments that reduce mother-to-child transmission

August is often a quieter month, but it’s also a good time to set intentions and put plans in place for September and beyond (before things get too busy again!). Why not start September with purpose by getting some training in the diary? Explore our Data for Leaders course: buff.ly/zobb53u

Data mistakes are costly — vital lessons from Birthlink’s £18,000 fine. When Scottish charity Birthlink was fined by the ICO for mistakenly destroying 4,800 personal records, it was a stark reminder that data protection is about trust as much as compliance. buff.ly/CLBDCtC

Our Nonprofit Datafolk Club gathered a few months ago to discuss a favourite topic - maps and geodata. We had a lively discussion about the many tools, tips and tricks people had used in the past. Our notes from the discussion include a huge list of resources you might want to try: buff.ly/giijKry

Why did Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council do a Data Maturity Assessment? - For a structured understanding of the situation across 3,000 staff - To make informed improvement plans - Because they saw that The Scottish Government was using the assessment tool ☺️ Watch for more: buff.ly/FWb2QM3

The pilot cohort has been chosen 💪 We were thrilled and slightly overwhelmed by the interest in our new Building Data Culture pilot training course. We've now selected participants for the pilot and we're looking forward to seeing them in September.

🫨 Almost 15,000 people have now used our Data Maturity Assessment tool! We're seeing a huge range of organisations use it to take a look at their data maturity - from nonprofits of all sizes to global mega-brands and space engineers! But what comes next? Here's 10 things people do: buff.ly/Cy103yv

We’re opening up our Data Maturity Assessment for partners and resellers! Increasingly, other consultants and service providers have been asking us about using the tool with their own clients, so we’re launching our new Partners and Resellers scheme - with a range of benefits. buff.ly/2TVWNGX

Our Data for Leaders training course continues to go from strength to strength. The next open course kicks off in September and we recently held a preview event for anyone interested in learning how they can gain confidence to lead on data in their organisation. You can catch up now: buff.ly/cqOXImx

World presented with moment of opportunity for climate: UN Secretary-General

How behavioural systems mapping can help design smarter & fairer interventions - LOTI

How behavioural systems mapping can help design smarter & fairer interventions - LOTI

Fellow data consultants/service providers! Our Data Maturity Assessment has now been used by over 13k people. And we have a new offer for partners and resellers wanting to use the tool with their own clients. Come to our special online event to find out how you - and your clients - could benefit.

AI: do you love it or hate it? Whichever it is, let's talk about it. Our next Nonprofit Datafolk Club workshop will give you a space to talk about AI - what you're worried and/or excited about, and how you can use it safely - along with your peers. Thu 11 Sep, 1-2pm | FREE buff.ly/g9TyOL3

One for our London-based friends: The Mayor of London has launched the Data for London Library to make it easier to use data to benefit Londoners and London buff.ly/V3337Jy

An interesting look at how data visualisation is a key tool for fraud detection - transforming complex datasets into intuitive, visual representations, and helping analysts identify suspicious patterns, anomalies, and trends that may indicate fraudulent behaviour. buff.ly/LJfGVQu

We can help your organisation build data capabilities and skills. Our data maturity assessments, training and capacity building, and support with data strategy and impact measurement enable organisations to unleash the power of their people and data. Find out more buff.ly/0JpcT3h

The LGBT Foundation went from being an organisation that was 'data rich and knowledge poor' to one able to use data to tell compelling stories to different audiences and really demonstrate their need in the community. buff.ly/DkJ6ZSX

"Data fluency is culture, not a function. It’s the difference between a team that uses data like a compass and a team that treats it like a fire alarm." Read more buff.ly/vAz0SCG

How old are you compared to the rest of the world?

How strong is your professional support network? Fancy a coffee today with some likeminded nonprofit people interested in data? Join us at 1pm and make some new connections.

Video: Data Bites #51 – featuring Sian Basker on Data Maturity — Data Orchard

Data Disasters (and how to avoid them) — a summary of key themes from one of our Datafolk Club discussions.

Do you want to join us for a coffee? The next virtual meetup of our Nonprofit Datafolk Club is this Thursday. Join us to meet and chat to fellow data folk over a coffee (or bevarage of you choice!) Thu 10 July, 1-2pm buff.ly/hOHPDx3

Closing date: Noon, Monday 7 July Have you applied to join us as an Analytics Engineer? If not, don't worry, you have the weekend to get in your application! buff.ly/lh0gSV7

Final reminder for leaders! If you're reading this before 12:00, Wed 2 July, get yourself over to our free half-hour preview event. Data for Leaders free course preview - a chance for you to see what you, as a leader, can do about data in your organisation and ask all your questions.

It's here at last. The new Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 has come into being. Here's a summary of the data protection and privacy changes buff.ly/E7vAcBm

Nonprofit Datafolk Club: Join us for a coffee? Us data folk don't often get a chance to meet and chat. But during this virtual meetup, you'll have the chance to meet and network with fellow data folk from the comfort of your own desk. Thu 10 July, 1-2pm buff.ly/X3ebVmI

UK finalises data reforms: what businesses need to know, from Lexology: buff.ly/29s530T

What can dyslexia and neurodiversity teach us about data?... An interesting read from @funnel-io

Wed 2 Jul | 12-12:30pm | FREE Still time to take the opportunity of a free half-hour preview of our unique Data for Leaders training course. If you've been on the fence about joining, this'll give you insight into what the course is like and the chance to ask any questions. Book now👉 buff.ly/bDgaK8a

Earlier this month, the UK government published results of its Cyber security breaches survey 2025. It found a shocking 4 in 10 businesses and 3 in 10 charities experienced a cyber security breach or attack in the last year. Are charities doing enough to guard against the risks?

Do you want to do something great with your data skills? We’re recruiting for an Analytics Engineer to work on data projects for different clients and our own products (including our Data Maturity Assessment tool). Deadline: Noon, Mon 7 July Full job spec, including salary: buff.ly/KTK335e

Lived experience and decision-making: an applied approach to using, connecting and representing qualitative evidence | Local Government Association

The 2024 Charity Digital Skills report revealed that three in ten charities are poor at or not engaging with collecting, managing, and using data. Almost half (45%) say they need external support to help them better analyse and make sense of their data... buff.ly/aUgtucS