The Buckinghamshire Strategic Funders Group began, like so many funder collaborations did, as a response to Covid-19. When the pandemic started, funders recognised that we needed to step up, and that we could only be effective if we were coordinated.
We wanted to make sure local grassroots groups knew about the funding they could access. By joining together, funders were able to speak in a single, loud voice to raise awareness of available funds.
What started with informal information-sharing led us to develop more strategic initiatives together. We soon realised that more data and insight were essential to guide and focus our efforts. Although we were sharing data on what we were funding, this only gave us part of the picture - we also needed a way to map our funding onto local needs.
We worked with NPC on research into community action, which identified that sharing more data between the local authority and the voluntary sector could help to drive more coordinated action.
That’s how the Bucks Data Exchange concept was born.
The benefits of funders sharing data
The design went through various iterations, but the key principles of Bucks Data Exchange were agreed early on. We wanted it to be a web-based platform that would be free to use and easy to access and update. It would host curated information resources, as well as blogs that would encourage people to engage with the data.
We launched the platform in September 2022. It draws on data covering topics as wide-ranging as population, financial insecurity, carbon emissions, recycling rates, broadband speeds, life expectancy, rates of smoking, community safety and much more. The website is maintained by Leap (one of the members of our funders group) but a wider group of partners including the local authority and charitable foundations provide collaborative oversight of its content and decision-making.
Working on this project has helped funders develop our approaches to using data, both individually and collectively.
As well as making it easier to access existing public datasets, other sources of data that were previously only held within a single organisation are now being shared for the first time. Increased information-sharing and dialogue, especially between public and private funders, has helped us to think more strategically.
The data has enabled us to identify key issues that we can address together by combining our resources. For example, we recognised the need to do more to support the wellbeing of ethnic minority communities. This led to a group of funders jointly funding a partnership of local charities to undertake research and consultation into how well they are meeting needs of different communities. The work has highlighted disparities in the views of some communities and identified some practical recommendations for improvement, which the funders are now supporting the charities to act on.
We’re currently developing another pooled fund, which aims to trial new approaches to tackling financial insecurity and is greatly needed during the cost of living crisis.
As trusting relationships have continued to grow, more funders are identifying data sources that we can open up.
A resource for the wider voluntary sector
As well as being used by funders, the Bucks Data Exchange is useful for voluntary organisations, helping them to provide more evidence for the needs they are addressing, informing service design and funding applications.
Buckinghamshire as a whole is an affluent county, but when you dig deeper, there are pockets of entrenched poverty. Some of the highest house prices in the country mean that the cost of living has always been a struggle for people on low incomes here. Based on feedback from local charities, we’re hoping to increase the amount of data available at ward level, to better pinpoint these areas of need.
An unexpected benefit of the Bucks Data Exchange came about when local refugee support workers began using the website to help newly-arrived Ukrainians learn more about the area. It has been great to be able to use the data to highlight Buckinghamshire’s many positive attributes, as part of the welcome and orientation offered to new residents.
What we’ve learned
Building trust is essential for encouraging organisations to share data. As trusting relationships have continued to grow, more funders are identifying data sources that we can open up, on topics from skills and employment to physical activity.
In developing the project, we identified some skills gaps in our organisations around managing and interpreting data. Addressing these gaps - as well as having access to the right software - has helped with improving data quality, standardisation and visualisation.
We’re now developing a community of practice for data advocates within charities, and planning a programme of events and training to engage more people in using the data resources.
We’ve committed to funding the Bucks Data Exchange for three years and are planning further work to evaluate its impact.
For now, my top tip for any other groups of funders who may be considering a similar piece of work would be to understand the different roles that everyone in the room can play. Some organisations might not be able to offer as much financial investment, but can contribute in other ways, through their time, ideas and expertise.
I believe that private funders such as the Rothschild Foundation should be unafraid of innovation - even if that means taking risks. But we could never have developed the Bucks Data Exchange on our own. It’s only by collaborating with very different funders - from public bodies like Buckinghamshire Council to the Heart of Bucks Community Foundation - that we’ve been able to bring together such a wealth of data and identify how we can use it to make the biggest impact.
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