Not-for-Profit Capacity Building

We're igniting a data science revolution within the Australian not-for-profit sector by increasing the existing capabilities of not-for-profit organisations and connecting them with data practitioners.

Supported by Equity Trustees, our capacity building activities include:

  • Upskilling social sector organisations in data science through consultations, mentoring, workshops and webinars (see our Resources for Not-for-Profits section);
  • Scaling access to data science information through development and dissemination of case studies, help sheets and templates, and using our flagship projects to develop reusable tools (e.g. data analysis/visualisations, client personas, client journey analyses, etc);
  • Co-locating not-for-profit organisations with a supervised, skilled team of data scientists at Our Community House (see below), as well as establishing one-on-one relationships with selected organisations;
  • Fostering a community of ‘data scientists for good’ in Australia by creating a pipeline from university and corporate partners to social sector organisations and projects, and by hosting ‘data science for good’ meetups, hacks and other events;
  • Identifying and fostering opportunities for not-for-profit, governmental and academic organisations to participate in joint data science projects that result in widespread application and benefit.

Our Community House
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Many of our events take place at Our Community House, a coworking space in North Melbourne for government, business and the community sector to collaborate to create a better world, where human and economic capital blend with technology, intellect and passion to create a new generation of ideas and people who think differently and will change the world. Members of OC House also benefit from casual consultations with our in-house data scientists.

Datathon for Social Good
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In a datathon, participants use creativity, communication and collaboration to solve an interesting data-related problem. They’re opportunities to try new things, learn from others, build connections — and have fun!

Melbourne’s first Datathon for Social Good shared those ingredients, but participants' efforts helped to enable positive social impact. Better yet, we centred the leadership and participation of women and minority groups.

Held in 2020, this event was part of our wider aim to foster diversity in the local scene, encourage current and future data scientists to consider careers and volunteering in the social sector, and foreground the ethical application of data science.

Read more about the event and its outcomes →