Building Stronger Data Frameworks to Measure Impact of Indigenous Self-Determination

The Australian Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI) is a national not-for-profit organisation that delivers training and resources to meet the self-determined governance needs of Indigenous Australians. Through tailored professional development, advisory services and its Indigenous Governance Toolkit, AIGI supports Indigenous organisations, Nations and groups across Australia to Determine and strengthen their own sustainable systems of self-governance.

For more than a decade, AIGI has helped organisations navigate what it calls two-way governance – balancing Indigenous cultural authority and community priorities with the compliance requirements of western governance systems.

As Ragina Rogers, CEO of AIGI explains, “Indigenous governance is grounded in cultural authority, community relationships and ways of knowing and being. At the same time, organisations must meet compliance and regulatory requirements of Western government systems. Our role is helping organisations retain their cultural authority while working within those systems.”

AIGI recognised an important opportunity: to build a stronger evidence base for understanding, measuring and demonstrating the impact of its work. Working via the Data Catalyst Network, Infoxchange supported AIGI to optimise their data with respect to Indigenous approaches to governance and western reporting compliance. Together, they focused on creating the data foundations needed to turn its governance principles into practical systems for measurement, learning and continuous improvement.

The challenge: Measuring outcomes that matter

AIGI's work is fundamentally about supporting effective Indigenous governance practices and self-determination. However, measuring those outcomes is not straightforward.

Many traditional reporting frameworks focus on quantitative measures, but AIGI knew that understanding impact also requires capturing stories, experiences and relationship-based outcomes.

As Adam Doughty, Project Officer, Business Development & Communications at AIGI, explained, "a lot of this work is about unlocking our capability to really track change over time and tell the story of the value and importance of effective Indigenous governance."

AIGI needed to understand:

• What data the organisation held.
• How that data connected to outcomes.
• How impact could be measured consistently over time.
• How Indigenous data sovereignty principles could be incorporated into that process.

Building the foundations for evidence-based decision making

Working with Infoxchange, AIGI developed a clearer picture of its data landscape through a data inventory, staff training, and supporting governance frameworks. Together, they worked through deep thinking around metadata, such as labelling and categorising, and gathering the right data for inputting into a CRM.

“It was important for us to lay down the data groundwork so we can actually manage all of the new data we having coming in in an effective way,” Adam shared. “Plus allowing for greater collection of the qualitative data, such as stories and experiences, how we engage and connect with the people we’re working with to get those datapoints, and how we acknowledge the different ways in which that’s done.”

Paul Dobing, Acting Director of Governance and Operations at AIGI, shared that data monitoring for AIGI involves adhering to Indigenous cultural and intellectual property principles, meeting Privacy and legislation requirements and communicating how the delivery of training and resources, whether through the Indigenous Governance Toolkit,  tailored professional development or other services, is contributing to self-determination outcomes.

“There is complexity in thinking about data from the perspective of Indigenous data sovereignty, and a take on that view may look very different from one circumstance to another, so we needed to think about how we best reflect that in the work we do. How do we acknowledge that within our own teams and staff, as well as the partners, organisations and communities that we’re serving?” Paul shared.

“For us, that’s getting to a place where we have a good foundation that will position us well for the work that needs to come from that.”

Four organisation-wide sessions facilitated by the Data Catalyst Network introduced staff to the fundamentals of their data strategy. These sessions created a shared understanding across the organisation, bringing together two-way approaches to data management while encouraging staff to consider how a Western approach interacts with Indigenous governance principles.

This provided visibility across the organisation's information assets and helped establish a stronger foundation for managing data strategically.

Importantly, the work went beyond compliance or reporting requirements, focusing on creating a framework that would allow AIGI to better understand how its programs, training and governance support are creating meaningful change.

"A lot of this work is about unlocking our capability to really track change over time and tell the story of the value and importance of effective Indigenous governance,” Adam explained.  

Paul added that the project has helped strengthen the organisation's ability to connect its data to outcomes. “It really helps to build on the work that we're doing across our monitoring, learning and evaluation framework, and the work that we're investing in through tools like our CRM, to think about how we can effectively measure and speak to the impact of the work that we're doing."

Connecting data to outcomes

A key benefit of the project has been helping AIGI bridge the gap between collecting information and using it strategically. They have begun implementing a CRM solution to help with collection and reporting, using an excellent theory of change and outcomes framework.

Completing their data strategy brought all the elements together into a robust, trustworthy infrastructure and data culture process guided by frameworks of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and both the CARE and FAIR data principles.

The organisation now has stronger foundations for identifying the types of data that best demonstrate progress and outcomes, including both quantitative information and the qualitative insights that are often essential to understanding community outcomes.

For AIGI, impact measurement is not simply about counting activities. It is about understanding whether its work is supporting Indigenous Australians to develop and exercise locally effective and culturally legitimate governance practices and solutions.

The project has also helped AIGI think more intentionally about how information is categorised, managed and made accessible, ensuring valuable knowledge can be used to support decision-making across the organisation.

A stronger foundation for the future

This work has also supported AIGI's broader digital transformation journey. The project is helping to ensure that technology investments are underpinned by clear governance structures and a strategic approach to data.

Rather than allowing information to accumulate in disconnected systems, AIGI is creating a framework for understanding what data it holds, why it matters and how it contributes to organisational goals. As Adam explained, "the framework is allowing us to take a step back and think more broadly about how things need to be structured so that we've got longevity, where it doesn't just become another place where there's a bunch of information sitting there that no one really knows how to access."

Advice for other organisations

For AIGI, the project is not the end of the journey but the beginning of a deeper, more strategic approach to data.

Reflecting on the journey, both Adam and Paul emphasised that organisations should focus on principles before technology and start by keeping it simple.

“It’s about having the conversation and starting the thinking around what data you actually have and mapping it out. Not all data can be treated the same way, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach across the board. Allowing space for that at a higher level is really important,” Adam shared.

“The most important part is stepping away from thinking about the tool you’re going to use,” Paul said. “We need to be thinking about the community we’re serving and what’s the purpose of the data you’re trying to collect, and the best way to articulate the outcomes. Then you can think about whether there is a tool that will help you do that. Pause, reflect, listen, understand the principles and the outcomes you’re trying to achieve before deciding on the technology.”

Their practical advice includes:

• Start with conversations, not technology.
• Understand what data you actually have.
• Map your data before trying to analyse it.
• Consider who the data belongs to and who it serves.
• Treat consent as an ongoing process.
• Recognise that different types of data require different levels of care.
• Seek support and learn from others already working in the space.

As the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute continues to strengthen its data maturity, their focus remains the same: supporting Indigenous organisations, Nations and communities to exercise governance in ways that are culturally legitimate, accountable and community-led. If your organisation is navigating its own governance or data journey, we invite you to connect with AIGI and explore the tools, resources and learning opportunities available through its services and Indigenous Governance Toolkit. You can visit their website here.

Learn more from our data and analytics guide to getting your not-for-profit’s data into a data inventory here. You can access support for data from our not-for-profits experts through the Data Catalyst Network here.