Supporting civil society organisations to deliver insights and impact from data: an ESRC and UK Data Service workshop

Are you a professional working in a civil society organisation that collects administrative or evaluation data, and who oversees strategy, reporting and campaigns? Are you interested in improving the way your organisation can translate data into knowledge? If so, please join our workshop with peer organisations to help shape ways of managing and sharing data ethically, analysing data, and gaining insight to develop impact from these rich data resources to promote your work.

Programme

The workshop will provide a forum for participants to discuss the opportunities and barriers to gaining meaningful insights from 'data' - their own data, data from other organisations and the wider data landscape. The morning session will look at data sources and strategies required for civil society organisations to become successful knowledge managers and report and campaign effectively with data-based evidence. Before lunch we move into a debate on the meaning of evidence and reporting on impact.

In the afternoon we run a hands-on workshop showing how to use some simple open source tools to visualise data, for example, creating a basic regional map using Indicators of Multiple Deprivation. The focus is on turning data into more structured formats so that simple graphs can be represented. This may sound some way from data science analytics, but it is a realistic first achievable step for organisations who do not have capacity or funds to support larger scale collaborative projects.

Our speakers include key representatives from both academia and the charitable sector, including Neil Serougi, Professor John Mohan (University of Birmingham), Professor Alasdair Rutherford (University of Stirling), ESRC, representatives from National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and New Philanthropy Capital, and members of the UK Data Service.

Prerequisites

Participants will need to bring a laptop for the afternoon hands-on session. They are also encouraged to bring an example of an ethical challenge around using or sharing their own data, and to think about feasibility and practicalities of sharing their own data, plus how they currently gain insight from data.

Booking

• Book your place

If you are working in a civil society organisation that collects data and are charged with overseeing strategy and campaigns; or are an academic, or work for a public sector body engaged in this area of work, please contact booking@ukdataservice.ac.uk to register your interest.

Spaces are limited and participants will be expected to bring along a short case study from their organisations, prepared in advance. Limited travel bursaries are available for staff in civil society organisations who do not have access to travel costs themselves. Participants are invited to join us for a drink after the workshop.