We spoke with four data for social impact leaders about our 2023 report Accelerate Aspirations: Moving to Achieve Systems Change. Kriss Deiglmeier, Chief Global Impact Officer at Splunk, talks about getting comfortable with being messy.
It’s time to get comfortable with messy if we want to improve collaboration between the private and social sector to achieve results for data for good.
Embracing messy was one of the many moments that stood out during a recent webinar hosted by our DataDotOrg team to launch our 2023 Data for Social Impact report – Accelerate Aspirations: Moving to Achieve Systems Change.
In the 1990s there was so much promise that data was going to save everything. But come to find out it requires messy human things like governance and trust and a little bit of grace to understand other perspectives. We need human systems alongside data systems and tech stacks — and human systems are complicated. Investing in messy also isn’t cheap because of the complexity it will take to build the tools and develop the skills needed to move the sector.
As outlined in the Accelerate report, actors across the field realize that funding smaller one-off projects isn’t moving the needle. The work being done at an activity and project level doesn’t create a coherent set of building blocks to constitute a strong and healthy field that can solve system-level problems like climate and economic insecurity.
Building scale should also come with the understanding that nonprofit, corporate and government sectors all have different structures and norms. Let’s acknowledge these differences and recognize progress is still possible.
“We need the grace to meet in the middle. This is no time to dig in your heels,” said Kriss Deiglmeier, Chief Global Impact Officer at Splunk, a leading security and observability platform that helps organizations use data at any scale. “Let’s move on from seeking perfection and focus on making progress.”
In other words, let’s roll up our sleeves, get messy, and move with urgency. Please read through the Accelerate report, share the findings — and let’s encourage each other to be messy and to pursue progress over perfection.
#AccelerateImpact #DataDrivesImpact
Watch the webinar
Accelerate Aspirations: Moving Together to Achieve Systems Change
This event occurred on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm GMT / 8:30pm IST
There is powerful potential within the emerging field of data for social impact (DSI), but how can we direct this energy to maximize impact and drive systemic change? Join data.org to learn about the progress, trends, risks, and opportunities in the field of data for social impact during a virtual…
2023 Data for Social Impact Report
Accelerate Aspirations: Moving Together to Achieve Systems Change
A comprehensive report on the key trends and tensions in the emerging field of data for social impact.