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The Toronto Data for Good Chapter

Data For Good is a collective of do gooders, who want to use their powers for good, and not evil, to help make our communities better through data.

We help other not for profit, and non-governmental, organizations harness the power of their data to make more informed and better decisions in their quest to make their communities flourish.

How we can help

With a plethora of data scientists, data analysts and developers in Canada’s largest city and and abundance of tech enthusiasts, our collective of experienced volunteers come with not only a lot of grit, but expertise across industries. From tech to consulting to banking and even academia, our volunteers have a passion to go beyond their 9 to 5 and use their skills for good.

We also partner with some of the largest companies in Canada who sponsor their space, food and time to help our cause. Just in 2019, we’ve partnered with Paytm, Intelliware, CAPCO, Terminal and East-End United Church and worked with Youth Without Shelter, Stories and Storefronts, Kids Help Phone, East-End United, TRIEC and United Way. Looking into 2020, we are expanding not only our team but our scope by hosting DataNights and day-long Datathons to help NFPs of all sizes, with a diversity of missions and range of datasets.

If you have the passion as a sponsor, NFP or volunteer we would love to hear more from you.

Community

Community is at the heart of Data for Good, whether through in the people who create and manage not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations, in supporting the people that such organizations serve, or in our own team who simply want to do some good. Data for Good Toronto is happy to share the knowledge throughout the community and host speaking events to discuss the value of data.

Data Work

You don’t need degrees or certifications to start working with data! With some patience and open-mindedness, anyone can pick up the tools to start collecting and dissecting the multitudes of different data that are so essential to day-to-day operations. For organizations that may be overwhelmed with the amount of data to sift through and don’t know where to start, Data for Good is here.

Chapter Leads

Deepika Anandakrishnan

Chapter Lead

As the Toronto Chapter Lead, I work towards fostering a community in Toronto that is more data-literate, data-conscious and data-responsible. With the general goal of increasing awareness about using data for doing social good, I am also looking forward to creating a space for data enthusiasts and evangelists from different fields to come together and work towards the greater good.

Eunice Lo

Community Growth Lead

As the Community Growth Lead, I am so excited to see the DFG community blossom, building a community of passionate do gooders and data scientists, strategizing with NFPs on how they can leverage data for strategic insights and initiatives and partnering with the booming corporations in Toronto.

Jeff Gignac

Partner Lead

Jeff Gignac, founder and President of JMG Solutions, is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and has worked with over 700 hundred local, national and international nonprofits. As an official Blackbaud Partner, Jeff brings a diverse portfolio of skills and insights to line up fundraising and accounting needs with technology to produce superior outcomes for Canadian nonprofits.

Claire Gao

Datathon Lead

Finding insights from data and making actionable suggestions are both a career goal and my personal passion. What also inspires me in life is to help communities and people in need through NFP organizations! I hope to bring both my technical and communication skills as the Datathon Lead with Data For Good and help our clients reach their objectives and thus make a difference in their communities in the long term.

Jake Daniels

Community Outreach Manager

I am thrilled to help NFPs across Ontario learn more from their spreadsheets. I focus on eye-catching visuals, like interactive dashboards and animated charts, because I want your data to tell a story your customers will understand and want to share.

Anam Mazhar

Events Lead

I am passionate about bringing people together to work towards a common good. With D4G, I hope to foster a community where individual contributions translate into meaningful conversations and valuable results for our Non Profit Partners.

Linde Chen

Data Cleansing Co-Lead

I am passionate about using data science to solve social and business problems. As the Data Cleansing Co-Lead, I am excited to uncover key relationships through data engineering and statistical inference, with the broader goal of helping every NFP organization place data-driven insights at the forefront of its decision making process.

Ashalatha Bettegowda

Data Cleansing Co-Lead

I’m excited to use my data expertise to contribute to the community via Data for Good. My hope is to use my passion to tend to the data needs of NFP organisations and provide strategic insights, which will help them flourish.

Chapter Leads

Jeff Gignac

Partner Lead

Jeff Gignac, founder and President of JMG Solutions, is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and has worked with over 700 hundred local, national and international nonprofits. As an official Blackbaud Partner, Jeff brings a diverse portfolio of skills and insights to line up fundraising and accounting needs with technology to produce superior outcomes for Canadian nonprofits.

Sheldon Seepersad

YYZ Chapter Co-Lead

Sheldon is a Business Analyst at Labatt Breweries of Canada and has a BSc from the University of Waterloo in Biotechnology & Chartered Professional Accountancy. Sheldon lives in a multi-generational household in Toronto (Scarborough), where he spends lots of time baking, laughing, and going on walks around the neighbourhood. Equipped with a positive attitude and a slightly annoying but still kind of endearing persistence, Sheldon is excited to be joining as a new Co-Lead for DfG’s YYZ Chapter, where he plans to connect brilliant organizations and clever minds together to help uplift Toronto’s social landscape.

Pauline Pan, MSc

YYZ Chapter Co-Lead

Pauline is a Research Specialist on the Institutional Planning & Analysis team at Sheridan College. She holds an MSc in Molecular Biology (Epigenetics & Neuroscience) and a Hon. BSc in Psychology from the University of Toronto. She lives in North York with her husband Ahmed, and their 2-year-old, Talia. Pauline is fluent in Mandarin and is currently learning Arabic and Spanish. Her hobbies include baking, bullet journaling, and trying (but failing) to start a home garden. As one of two newly committed Toronto Chapter Co-Leads and a past DfG volunteer, Pauline is excited to once again work with DfG Toronto to bring like-minded and talented data experts together to drive positive social change in the local community.

Claire Gao

Datathon Lead

Finding insights from data and making actionable suggestions are both a career goal and my personal passion. What also inspires me in life is to help communities and people in need through NFP organizations! I hope to bring both my technical and communication skills as the Datathon Lead with Data For Good and help our clients reach their objectives and thus make a difference in their communities in the long term.

Jeff Gignac

Partner Lead

Jeff Gignac, founder and President of JMG Solutions, is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and has worked with over 700 hundred local, national and international nonprofits. As an official Blackbaud Partner, Jeff brings a diverse portfolio of skills and insights to line up fundraising and accounting needs with technology to produce superior outcomes for Canadian nonprofits.

Emma Miska

YYZ Partnership Co-Lead

Emma is the Manager of Programmatic Sales at Cineplex Entertainment. She holds an Hon. BA in English Rhetoric & Professional Writing from the University of Waterloo, and both a Diploma in Film & Television Production and a PMI® recognized Certificate in Project Management from Humber College. She lives in Toronto with her husband, 2 children, and 2 cats. Emma stays active by kickboxing and swimming, but she’s also a bookworm, film buff, and glider pilot. At the Toronto Chapter of DfG, she is one of two Partnership Co-Leads aiming to connect charities and NFPs with DfG’s pool of brilliant data scientists, analysts, developers, and related experts who volunteer their time and skills in pursuit of the greater good.

Shivan Dattoo

YYZ Partnership Co-Lead

Shivan (aka Shiv) is a Business Intelligence Consultant for CIBC with over 9 years experience in the banking industry. He holds his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a background in Lean Six Sigma and Data Science. He resides in Toronto with his spouse, and bunny rabbit named Mochi. In his spare time, he enjoys being outdoors, spending time with family and friends, and running/biking along the waterfront trail. Shiv is ecstatic to be joining the DfG YYZ Chapter as a Partnership Co-Lead where he plans on helping as many communities as possible through DfG initiatives.

Claire Gao

Datathon Lead

Finding insights from data and making actionable suggestions are both a career goal and my personal passion. What also inspires me in life is to help communities and people in need through NFP organizations! I hope to bring both my technical and communication skills as the Datathon Lead with Data For Good and help our clients reach their objectives and thus make a difference in their communities in the long term.

Jeff Gignac

Partner Lead

Jeff Gignac, founder and President of JMG Solutions, is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and has worked with over 700 hundred local, national and international nonprofits. As an official Blackbaud Partner, Jeff brings a diverse portfolio of skills and insights to line up fundraising and accounting needs with technology to produce superior outcomes for Canadian nonprofits.

Amy Tang

YYZ Operations Co-Lead

Amy is an experimental physicist by training and holds a PhD from the University of Chicago. She likes to think about the challenges of using data and how it can be used to better communities. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, spending time with her cat, and trying out local restaurants.

Jonathan Gruber-Benaich

YYZ Operations Co-Lead

Jon is a Data Analytics professional with strong interest in mutual aid. Jon likes writing Python, R, and SQL code but enjoys taking on challenges beyond that. When he is not near a computer, he’s usually entertaining his dog, riding with the Bike Brigade, or slowing down with a book or movie.

Claire Gao

Datathon Lead

Finding insights from data and making actionable suggestions are both a career goal and my personal passion. What also inspires me in life is to help communities and people in need through NFP organizations! I hope to bring both my technical and communication skills as the Datathon Lead with Data For Good and help our clients reach their objectives and thus make a difference in their communities in the long term.

Jeff Gignac

Partner Lead

Jeff Gignac, founder and President of JMG Solutions, is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and has worked with over 700 hundred local, national and international nonprofits. As an official Blackbaud Partner, Jeff brings a diverse portfolio of skills and insights to line up fundraising and accounting needs with technology to produce superior outcomes for Canadian nonprofits.

Ethan Samson

YYZ Community Co-Lead

Ethan is an intern Data Analyst at the Toronto Clean Air Partnership and holds an HBSc in Statistics and Economics from the University of Toronto. He lives in the Junction neighbourhood, where he enjoys scavenging free furniture from the streets and attempting to refurbish old chairs. Ethan can often be found trying to replicate graphs he saw online or re-organizing his Pinterest. Joining DfG’s Toronto Chapter as a Community Co-Lead, Ethan is excited to help grow the local data science community and create positive social change.

Aishwarya Gopal

YYZ Community Co-Lead

Aish is a Data Scientist at an insurance firm and holds a Masters in Data Science from UBC in Vancouver, B.C. Aish enjoys coding and data problems that challenge her grey cells! She indulges in badminton, baking, hiking and reading non-fiction books in her spare time. As the DfG YYZ Community Co-Lead, Aish is excited to be working with volunteers from diverse backgrounds to solve data problems for the greater good of the community.

Claire Gao

Datathon Lead

Finding insights from data and making actionable suggestions are both a career goal and my personal passion. What also inspires me in life is to help communities and people in need through NFP organizations! I hope to bring both my technical and communication skills as the Datathon Lead with Data For Good and help our clients reach their objectives and thus make a difference in their communities in the long term.

Emma Miska

Community Outreach Manager

I am thrilled to help NFPs across Ontario learn more from their spreadsheets. I focus on eye-catching visuals, like interactive dashboards and animated charts, because I want your data to tell a story your customers will understand and want to share.

Aishwarya Gopal

Events Lead

I am passionate about bringing people together to work towards a common good. With D4G, I hope to foster a community where individual contributions translate into meaningful conversations and valuable results for our Non Profit Partners.

Jonathan Gruber-Benaich

Data Cleansing Co-Lead

I am passionate about using data science to solve social and business problems. As the Data Cleansing Co-Lead, I am excited to uncover key relationships through data engineering and statistical inference, with the broader goal of helping every NFP organization place data-driven insights at the forefront of its decision making process.

Amy Tang

Data Cleansing Co-Lead

I’m excited to use my data expertise to contribute to the community via Data for Good. My hope is to use my passion to tend to the data needs of NFP organisations and provide strategic insights, which will help them flourish.

Are you a Not-For-Profit or an Non-Governmental Organization with a need for help with a data project?

We are always on the lookout for a new challenge. Drop us a note to see if we can help.

 

Upcoming Data for Good Events in Toronto

Want to participate in a Data for Good event and hone your data gathering skills? Stay up to date with upcoming events and register to join!

Meetup: Data Stuff

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Some of Our Work in Toronto

A sample of some of the organizations we’ve helped in the past.

Nellie’s Shelter

East End United Regional Ministry

DataNight: A Greener Future

Youth Without Shelter

Click the button below to get started on your journey as a Data For Good volunteer!

Want to learn more about the organizations that we’ve helped? Click here to see our case studies.

Want to be part of the fun? You don’t need to be a data scientist or a PHD, there’s lots of ways that you can get involved with Data for Good.

Interested in Volunteering to Help
One of These Organizations?

We’ve worked with a cross section of not for profits and non-governmental organizations that have come in all shapes and sizes.

Nellie’s Shelter

East End United Regional Ministry

DataNight: A Greener Future

Youth Without Shelter

Our Community People

KODY ROGERS
Community Lead

ARNAV JATUKARAN
Data Viz Lead

HEIDI ABRAMYK
Communications Lead

Are you a Not-For-Profit or a
Non-Governmental Organization with a need for
help with a data project?

We are always on the lookout for a new challenge.

Drop us a note here to see if we can help.

Stay Connected with Data For Good!

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Our Community Speaks

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John Deo, CEO

Condimentum non leo ac, consectetur luctus ex Sed nunc purus, aenean porta eros sed risus rutrum efficitur. Faucibus quis sapien in, gravida condimentum ante. Aenean porta eros sed risus rutrum efficitur. Faucibus quis sapien in, gravida condimentum ante.

John Deo, CEO

Condimentum non leo ac, consectetur luctus ex Sed nunc purus, aenean porta eros sed risus rutrum efficitur. Faucibus quis sapien in, gravida condimentum ante. Aenean porta eros sed risus rutrum efficitur. Faucibus quis sapien in, gravida condimentum ante.

John Deo, CEO

Forms

Want to be part of the fun? You don’t need to be a data scientist or a PhD, there’s lots of ways that you can get involved with Data for Good.

In Toronto, we love to host big events but we also find it hard to fit all the enthusiasm in one room. If you have space to share with more than 100 passionate do gooders, we would be ecstatic to partner with you as our sponsor.

Get Involved with Data for Good

Want to be part of the fun? You don’t need to be a data scientist or a PhD, there’s lots of ways that you can get involved with Data for Good.

In Toronto, we love to host big events but we also find it hard to fit all the enthusiasm in one room. If you have space to share with more than 100 passionate do gooders, we would be ecstatic to partner with you as our sponsor.