Who is Involved?
Funders
The City of Toronto, Ontario Trillium Foundation and United Way Greater Toronto are funding this pilot program, intended to test and collect standardized demographic information with service users across the community and social services sector.
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Lead Host Agency
As the lead host organization of the project, FindHelp|211 Central will:
- Provide the data collection tool in English and 14 other languages
- Host a website that promotes the initiative to the public, and gives participants access to the data collection tool and to a platform for agency learning and discussion
- Host and facilitate a stakeholder Data Equity Advisory Committee that ensures sector level communication on data equity best practices, data integrity, and transparency is being shared among community partners and funders
- Only collect pilot project data in a respectful, anti-oppressive way. This includes no indirect collection of social identity data for this pilot
- Ensure that participation in the data collection pilot will not affect individuals’ access to services or agency access to funding
- Not combine or link record level data from the pilot project with any other dataset without written consent from data contributors
Capacity Building
The team at We All Count is providing a series of workshops on the new demographic data collection tool, and also on how to embed equity when analyzing and communicating results so you have credible evidence to guide and report on your work. The We All Count capacity building team will assist agencies to build their capacity to collect and use sociodemographic data. This team specializes in building tools and real world checklists that support you in embedding equity into data projects. This team has decades of experience working with local and international non-profit organizations, citizen groups, governments, academics and foundations to design and implement integrated data collection, analysis, knowledge transfer and communications tools with equity as a focus.
As the capacity building partner in the project, We All Count will:
- Provide three half-day virtual training workshops
- Provide content for the aforementioned online space specifically as it relates to capacity building materials and support where agencies can get ongoing assistance throughout the pilot
- Provide agencies with internal communications materials and training to make sure they understand why agencies are collecting data, what data will be collected, and how it will be stored and used by the agency and Be Yourself, See Yourself project funders
- Only collect pilot project data in a respectful, anti-oppressive way. This includes no indirect collection of social identity data for this pilot.
- Ensure that participation in the data collection pilot will not affect individuals’ access to services or agency access to funding
- Not combine or link record level data from the pilot project with any other dataset without written consent from data contributors
Developmental Evaluation
D&D Inclusion Consulting will be conducting a developmental evaluation of the pilot and will provide ongoing, real-time data supporting ongoing community engagement activities with agencies. The focus will be on continually learning and sharing learnings as agencies implement the tool as the project unfolds. D&D Inclusion Consulting will be hosting community-of-practice sessions to get your feedback on using the data demographic data collection tool, and the overall project. These sessions will also be an opportunity to learn from other agencies and share promising practices.
Some key areas for learning include:
- Why agencies are interested in collecting sociodemographic data, how do they intend to use the data they collected
- What agencies are learning about the needs and challenges of collecting sociodemographic data
- The supports and resources agencies are identifying that are needed in order to collect and use sociodemographic data
The learnings from the developmental evaluation will assist with developing capacity building activities for agencies, so agencies can be better supported in collecting and using sociodemographic data. Learnings will also be used by non-profit partners to inform programs, services and policies to better support equity-deserving communities. Funders will also learn about existing barriers and challenges to using sociodemographic data, and what’s needed in order to support its collection and use in the nonprofit sector.
Looking to get yourself involved?
Click below to find out more about the pilot project!