Volunteer Today
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
Eunice Lo
Community Growth Lead
Jeff Gignac
Partner Lead
Claire Gao
Datathon Lead
Jake Daniels
Community Outreach Manager
Anam Mazhar
Events Lead
Linde Chen
Data Cleansing Co-Lead
Ashalatha Bettegowda
Data Cleansing Co-Lead
Chapter Leads
Jeff Gignac
Partner Lead
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
Jeff Gignac
Partner Lead
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
Jeff Gignac
Partner Lead
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
Jeff Gignac
Partner Lead
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
Emma Miska
Community Outreach Manager
Aishwarya Gopal
Events Lead
Jonathan Gruber-Benaich
Data Cleansing Co-Lead
Amy Tang
Data Cleansing Co-Lead
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
Some of Our Work in Toronto
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?
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
John Deo, CEO
John Deo, CEO
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.
