A monthly newsletter covering all things data in the social sector.
For people who run, fund and support social sector programmes and are interested in learning about how to use data to deepen their impact.
October 2026 edition
The hidden cost of messy data
Almost every NGO I speak with wants to show measurable outcomes, and their funders want to see them too. Yet when it comes to setting aside a real budget for the systems that make those outcomes possible, it’s often the first thing to get cut.
I’ve seen that decision turn out to be far more expensive than it looks, quietly straining three things over time: your team’s hours, your budget, and how well your programs work. The tricky part is that most of these costs never show up as a line item. Your field teams end up filling in the same survey twice, and someone spends an afternoon fixing records.
September 2026 edition
Why Charcha 2026 reinforced the need to build organisational capacity
Across more than 40 sessions at Charcha 2026 in New Delhi, on livelihoods, skilling, health, CSR and AI, one thread kept surfacing: the sector has no shortage of data. What it is short on is the ability to turn that data into better decisions.
India’s social sector spends ₹27 lakh crore every year, and that figure is projected to grow around 10% a year through 2030. As the investment rises, the pressure to spend that money well grows with it, and the key question becomes how we get the best use out of every rupee that goes into programmes on the ground.
August 2026 edition
Rethink your data strategy before hiring
Hiring one “data person” rarely solves an organization’s data problem. In reality, data talent is not a single role but rather a spectrum of capabilities that are needed in order to design, manage, and use data effectively.
If your organization wants to become data-driven, focus less on a single role and more on building an enabling environment. That starts with being clear about the decisions your data needs to inform, the skills your teams already have, and the gaps a new hire should actually fill.