Data Catalyst Network expands to strengthen the data capability of the not-for-profit sector
Infoxchange is expanding the Data Catalyst Network (DCN), an initiative aimed at building and strengthening the data and impact measurement capability of Australian not-for-profit organisations (NFPs).
“Digital capability is now essential social infrastructure. Community organisations want to use data to design better services, measure impact and advocate for the people they support, but they are doing so without the systems, skills or resourcing that other industries take for granted. A data-enabled social sector will also be well placed for AI-assisted innovation. Strengthening data capability is not optional; it is vital to ensuring community services remain responsive, effective and safe,” shared David Spriggs, CEO of Infoxchange.
Infoxchange’s 2025 Digital Technology in the Not-for-Profit Sector Report revealed a widening gap in data literacy, with 25% of organisations citing a lack of data and analytics skills as their most significant barrier to improving their data and analytics capabilities. But the desire for improvement is clear: 40% now list data capability as their top priority, up from 17% in 2023.
Twenty-five per cent of DCN participants reported their biggest obstacle to using external data is knowing how to combine it with their own information. Less than 20% aren’t sure where to start, and 10% reported lacking the in-house skills to advance their work (DCN June Webinar, 2025).
This next phase of the DCN, now funded jointly by Paul Ramsay Foundation and The Minderoo Foundation, will provide more targeted consultative support to small and medium organisations to build stronger data foundations to strengthen decision-making and service delivery.
With the expansion of the DCN Community of Practice to the new online community platform, this will provide members with an accessible space to connect with peers, share learnings, access new and updated resources, attend webinars and revisit past recordings to build their data capability.
Infoxchange will work with data experts to amplify practical supports, expand data literacy and readiness across the sector. This will ensure that organisations have the tools they need to deliver more effective, data-informed services to the communities who rely on them.
Case study: Tech for Social Justice: Supporting NFPs to Co-Design and Deliver Ethical and Innovative Data Systems
As a part of the DCN, in collaboration with Community Living Association Inc (CLA) – an organisation that provides essential parenting support to parents with intellectual disabilities – Infoxchange helped co-design a practical outcomes framework to develop an accessible dashboard and deliver tailored data capability building for staff to build stronger frameworks, data analysis and decision-making.
CLA began with a pilot project in the Grow Together team to test and learn, identifying early that commonly used indicators, such as the number of contacts with child protection services appeared useful on the surface, but carried significant risk if interpreted without context. While increased contact often reflected improved trust and advocacy support, external systems could be misinterpreted as higher risk or failure to progress, particularly in cases where reunification (the return of a child from out-of-home care to live with their parent), was not possible or appropriate.
CLA identified that progress can occur through stronger parent-child relationships, improved system navigation and greater parental confidence. Through this deeper examination of how bias can operate within systems, CLA developed frameworks designed for tailored use cases that would ensure more impactful data evaluations that would better influence decisions about family safety, as well as eligibility for support and seeking funding.
“We know we needed to improve how we use data – not just for reporting, but to make better decisions and strengthen our case for support. Working with Infoxchange gave us a co-designed framework with lived experience of parents, with a dashboard we can actually use, and training that’s built our team’s confidence. It’s been a genuinely collaborative process,” shared Tania Lawrie, Coordinator at CLA.
For a full breakdown of the case study, read more on the story here.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Samantha Howard
Communications Lead, Infoxchange
[email protected]
About Infoxchange:
Infoxchange is a leading not-for-profit social enterprise that has been delivering technology for social justice for over 35 years. With over 140 staff, we tackle the biggest social challenges through the smart and creative use of technology.
We work with community, government and corporate partners to solve issues around homelessness, family violence, mental health and disability, as well as supporting families, women and young people, and First Peoples’ communities.
Our products and services are used by over 38,000 government and community services. We provide the right tools to improve efficiency and deliver greater impact. And through our work in digital inclusion and social innovation, we use technology to empower people experiencing disadvantage, driving social inclusion and creating stronger communities. We believe no one should be left behind in today’s digital world.