Our Data Journey

In 2023, we shared data for the first time on 360Giving. We are pleased to share that in September 2024, we have expanded this first foray by publishing 2 more years of data. This is not just a leap forward in sharing all the data built up over a significant year of grant making across 2023-24; it also represents us delving further into our past, to publish data from the 2021-22 financial year too. All of the data can now be found on 360Giving, as well as here on our website. 360Giving not only freely shares analytical tools and visualisations, it also includes data from government agencies and publicly-funded bodies. This allows comparisons between, and analysis of, over 1 million grants submitted to their databank.

We have decided to share data from across 2021-2024 because we are committed to sharing the changes we’ve seen in a time period that spans the end of the pandemic right up to the cost-of-living crisis. It has been a tumultuous time for families living in poverty. It has also been challenging for frontline workers supporting these households. Our data shows us that we have seen an increase in the number of applications, as well as a significant increase in the number of grants we made and the value we have granted. The same data has told us that the face of our average referral agencies is changing, as well as showing fluctuations in the types of households we support and their characteristics. In fact, data has been key in illuminating the story of where national context meets our grant making.

Our decision to publish this data isn’t just about highlighting what it tells us about change and variation in difficult times. It’s also about opening up our grant making to our stakeholders. As a charity with fundraised income, we are accountable to the many amazing individuals and organisations who generously support our work. Our intention is to create opportunities for complete transparency and accountability, and data sharing is one of the ways we are able to do so. We hope it encourages new and interested funders to see what kind of organisation we are.

Not only that, but we also intend for our data sharing to open up a window for everyone to see what kind of needs that families living in severe financial hardship have, and what kind of crises they are having to overcome. We want to contribute to the conversations playing out about the lived experience of poverty and crisis in the UK today. Through this data transparency, we have been invited to share our data with the Domestic Abuse Commissioners Office in 2024, a partnership which we hope to share more about in the near future. We’ve also continued with a key partnership this year with New Philanthropy Capital, contributing new data and learning as they have overhauled the excellent Local Needs Databank. This project has been led by Data for Action, which has given us many opportunities to learn more about the challenges and successes of data-sharing.

Right now, we are looking to the future. We are coming to the end of our Buttle UK 2020-2025 Strategy and starting to look ahead to the next one. The type of work outlined across this blog touches on many of the aims outlined in that strategy; it links to our values and commitment to accountability, transparency and collaboration. We find ourselves in the exciting position of thinking about how we can build on our strengths and make improvements to data-led projects that are just coming to fruition. If you are at the start of a data journey at your organisation, and would like to learn more about our journey, please reach out. We have learnt so much from collaborations and conversations with others in the sector – not just with experts, but charitable organisations who are learning while doing the work, just like us. We would love to hear from you.

Jessie Adams – Impact and Evaluation Manager, Buttle UK

Reach out to me at jessiea@buttleuk.org.