“The innovative business model of Empirical Labs enabled Mother’s Choice to be the beneficiary of a Data Science project to help strengthen our financial sustainability. Through the investment of time and talent of Saba and her amazing team, they opened our eyes to the critical role that “big data” can play in the nonprofit sector and to benefit from the same efficiencies that for-profits benefit from. In a field that is traditionally hampered by limited resources, their analysis is helping us to drive strategic decision making and to streamline processes and minimize wastage in all areas of our fundraising. This was truly a gift to us and we are so grateful.”

What is the social enterprise model Empirical Labs has?
Our social enterprise model aims to foster strong relationships between for-profits and non-profits. For every paid project we are asked to work on, we donate a certain percentage of our time and data services towards a charity of our clients choice. When clients do not already have a charity they support, we encourage them to pick one. We believe that this 3-way collaboration between client, charity and service provider is a unique way to leverage resources to improve the world we live in.

Why do you think it is important for NGO to invest in data management?
On the frontline of helping people and making the world a better place, the last thing NGO’s have time to focus on is their backend data needs. But the truth is that for NGO’s a little effort in the data space can go a long way. Charities can use data to improve participant knowledge, fundraising strategies or manage volunteer expectations better.

How does Empirical Labs use their skills to help NGOs?
Data mining and data strategy is our key skill. It’s something we do very well for our for-profit clients. So it was easy to pivot to provide a charity with the same services. All we needed were a few team members with the right skills and a desire to do good. When we were introduced to Mother’s Choice it was clear that collaborating with them in this difficult year to improve their fundraising strategies would be most impactful. We knew that deep data mining would help them pinpoint where they should target their minimal marketing budget for most impact. After 30 years of service, the team at Mother’s Choice was knowledgeable about what they wanted to get out of their data so it was a seamless and collaborative effort. Knowing we were making an incremental difference by providing a new way to look at their donors, was a key goal. As our team worked on their data project there were many other data areas which revealed themselves as opportunities for creating efficiencies, so we hope we can work with Mother’s Choice again!

How would you describe your experience working with Mother’s Choice?
It has been an extremely rewarding experience and showcases how you can leverage your professional skills to create a strong impact.”