Technology for Social Change and Organisational Efficiency

Harness technology and digital tools to address complex social challenges, enabling innovation and creating contextual, scalable, and sustainable solutions that also enhance operational and organisational efficiency.

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Fellowship 2025 Final Showcase (Digital Open Solutions (DOS) for Social Impact)Blog

1 April 2025

Fellowship 2025 Final Showcase (Digital Open Solutions (DOS) for Social Impact)

The CDSSI Fellowship Brochure 2025 details the fellowship program at the Centre for Digital Social Sector Initiatives (CDSSI), highlighting its objective to support professionals in developing innovative Digital Open Solutions (DOS) that address critical challenges in the social sector. The brochure outlines the fellowship structure, including mentorship, capacity building, and collaboration opportunities. It emphasizes the final outputs of the fellowship—scalable and replicable DOS developed by the fellows—aimed at driving digital transformation and social impact in diverse thematic areas.

U&I: Nurturing Empathy for EffectivenessCase Study

2 March 2022

U&I: Nurturing Empathy for Effectiveness

U&I is a volunteer-driven charitable organization based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. It provides non-formal education to underprivileged children in 25 cities around India, through a network of over 2,300 volunteers. The casestudy engages with the ways in which conscious design can nurture structures, spaces and processes that enable the integration of an organization’s mission and volunteer model with the leadership’s core principles of empathetic care and authentic relationships. It provides an opportunity for learners to reflect on how designing for empathy can produce tangible programmatic impact, develop in-house leadership and build a self-sustaining organizational culture and volunteer ecosystem.

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Sizing the prize What’s the real value of AI for your business and how can you capitalise?Paper / Report

1 January 2017

Sizing the prize What’s the real value of AI for your business and how can you capitalise?

The PwC report explores the economic impact of artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030, projecting a potential $15.7 trillion contribution to the global economy. It highlights significant GDP boosts in China (26%) and North America (14.5%), emphasizing AI's role in enhancing productivity and product quality across various sectors.​

Code4Change Is Different. It Is About Contributing To Society.Blog

1 March 2025

Code4Change Is Different. It Is About Contributing To Society.

Winners of the second edition of Code4Change, Teams Harmony and Level Up, talk about tackling real-world challenges with data-driven solutions The second ISDM CDSSI Code4Change event, held on 17th February 2025 at Bangalore International Centre, crowned two winners! Six shortlisted solutions were judged by a panel of experts from the social sector and technology space. The jury included Chirag Singla (Founder and CTO, FIGR), Uthara

Isdm And Capgemini Introduce Datasights To Streamline Data Access For Social SectorMedia Article

1 January 2025

Isdm And Capgemini Introduce Datasights To Streamline Data Access For Social Sector

The Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) has launched ISDM DataSights, powered by Capgemini, an innovative, open-access platform designed to address the critical data challenges faced by the social sector.

State of the Sector: A Report on the Data Maturity of Social Purpose Organisations in IndiaPaper / Report

1 August 2025

State of the Sector: A Report on the Data Maturity of Social Purpose Organisations in India

The State of the Sector Report offers insights into data readiness and barriers within the social sector across various relevant segments such as type of organization, thematic areas of work, organizational size, annual expenditure, and geographic presence. The report is designed to shed light on specific challenges faced by organizations in their data maturity journey and to inspire funders and ecosystem enablers to invest resources in advancing data maturity within the sector.

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Academic / Journal Article
  • 1 May 2024

What AI Thinks About Sustainability

While generative AI tools are good at replicating patterns to generate text, fully replicating human reasoning around sustainability is a whole other ball game. A team of five academic writers have their say.
Media Article
  • 1 August 2025

AI for Good: Strengthening SPOs through Data and Responsible AI Innovation

The article discusses the growing but cautious adoption of AI within India’s social sector. While major tech companies and some SPOs are exploring AI’s potential, significant challenges remain. Smaller SPOs are often left behind due to high costs and a lack of skills and funding. Additionally, a key barrier is the limited availability of high-quality, well-organised data and a fear of issues like bias and data breaches. The article concludes that for AI to truly benefit the sector, SPOs must build a strong data foundation, start with small-scale projects, and receive sustained support from funders to build both infrastructure and an ethical mindset.
Media Article
  • 1 August 2025

Tech for Good: Leveraging open data to advance the SDGs

The article argues that SPOs in India must embrace data and technology to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals. It highlights that while regulations like the CSR Act and DPDPA are pushing for data-driven compliance, SPOs often lack the necessary infrastructure, skilled staff, and funding. The article stresses the need for open data platforms, AI tools, and a collaborative ecosystem where funders and private institutions invest in data literacy and governance frameworks. The goal is to move SPOs beyond basic compliance toward using data for strategic decision-making and greater social impact.
Media Article
  • 1 May 2024

Data analytics: The key to improving education outcomes

Most of the world’s trillion-dollar companies thrive on the power of data. The advent of ChatGPT is the most recent example of how data is changing the world by increasing individual as well as mass productivity and efficiency. While data is oiling the engine of growth for for-profits, the social sector is trying to ‘catch up’ in leveraging it for greater social impact. A tremendous amount of data is generated in the social sector, and evidence-based policy and programming have emerged practically as a norm in the social sector. But the usage of data is still limited by data availability, accessibility and quality, as well as the lack of capacity and dearth of resources.
Framework / Toolkit / App
  • 2 January 2025

Outcomes Readiness Tool

The Outcomes Readiness Self-Assessment Tool enables nonprofits to evaluate their preparedness to plan, implement, and adapt programmes for measurable outcomes. Structured around the Outcomes Readiness Framework, the tool assesses three dimensions: outcomes culture, organisational systems and processes, and programme-level capabilities. It offers a practical, diagnostic lens to identify strengths, surface capability gaps, and inform capacity-building efforts.
Framework / Toolkit / App
  • 1 April 2025

Data Maturity Assessment (DMA)

The CDSSI Data Maturity Assessment Toolkit takes a holistic approach of evaluating data use across multiple dimensions, considering how organisations collect, manage, analyse, and apply data for both programmatic and operational purposes. Using this online assessment tool, SPOs can self assess their data capabilities and determine their own data maturity. This enables organisations to identify gaps, optimise resource allocation, and enhance overall efficiency and transition towards a more data-driven approach.
Paper / Report
  • 1 August 2025

State of the Sector: A Report on the Data Maturity of Social Purpose Organisations in India

The State of the Sector Report offers insights into data readiness and barriers within the social sector across various relevant segments such as type of organization, thematic areas of work, organizational size, annual expenditure, and geographic presence. The report is designed to shed light on specific challenges faced by organizations in their data maturity journey and to inspire funders and ecosystem enablers to invest resources in advancing data maturity within the sector.
Case Study
  • 1 April 2025

Ask, and they receive

FarmerChat, an AI assistant, is helping farmers across India and abroad get quick, relevant answers to questions about better farming practices, loans, market prices, subsidies, and much more. The result? Improved agricultural productivity Kothapalli Jyothi (32) has hitched up her bright green-and-pink saree, and is plucking onions, brinjals, tomatoes and radishes as she walks nimbly through rows of vegetable crops. Behind her is a sea of fiery red chillies, glistening sharply in the afternoon sun. This healthy produce, and bountiful…
Media Article

Data Preparation, Enrichment, and Performance

This guide from Yellowfin outlines best practices for ensuring high-quality data in business intelligence (BI) systems, focusing on the entire data preparation pipeline. The article explains the steps involved in collecting, cleansing, transforming, and enriching raw data to make it suitable for analysis. It stresses the importance of data governance, clear documentation, and streamlined workflows in optimizing BI outcomes. The guide also provides strategies for improving the performance and accuracy of BI systems, ensuring that organizations can derive actionable insights from their data.
Paper / Report

Data Quality Review

This article proposes an integrated approach to data quality review, combining verification and feedback mechanisms. It is particularly useful for health programs and routine data systems, ensuring that the data collected is accurate and reliable for program planning and evaluation. The article emphasizes the importance of ongoing data quality assessments and continuous improvements, which are essential for maintaining high-quality data throughout its lifecycle. By integrating verification and feedback processes, organizations can address data quality issues promptly, ensuring that the data used in decision-making is of the highest quality and supports effective program outcomes.
Media Article

Recommended Practices for Data Management and Quality

This article outlines recommended practices for data management and quality, focusing on governance, validation, and continuous improvement. It emphasizes the importance of implementing robust data governance structures that ensure data integrity, accuracy, and accessibility. The article explores strategies for validating data at various stages of its lifecycle and suggests continuous improvement practices that help organizations maintain high data standards over time. By adhering to these recommended practices, organizations can ensure that their data management systems support effective decision-making and lead to better outcomes across sectors such as healthcare, development, and public policy.
Blog
  • 1 January 1970

HOW WILL WATER MANAGEMENT LOOK IN 2030 USING DATA ANALYTICS?

This article forecasts the future of water management in 2030, emphasizing the transformative role of data analytics. It predicts a shift towards highly intelligent, interconnected systems that leverage real-time data from sensors and IoT devices for proactive monitoring of water quality, leakage detection, and consumption patterns. Data analytics will enable predictive maintenance for infrastructure, optimize water distribution, and support smart irrigation practices, reducing waste and ensuring sustainable supply. The vision includes AI-powered decision-making tools that enhance resilience against climate change impacts and facilitate equitable water resource allocation globally.
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