Seemingly small interventions can unlock a whole new set of possibilities for a partner, as was the case for over 100 of the organisations we worked with through our Light-Touch Support (LiTS) services. Our engagement took the shape of connections to relevant contacts and curated resources, on-the-spot feedback and more.

Sometimes short, targeted support isn’t enough. For partners who are interested in more in-depth project support, we offer a “Build-to-Order” (BtO) process. In these projects, we work with a partner to shape a strategy, and then manage customised technology design and development projects, research initiatives, and community convenings.

Tech product design and development

Many of the tech tools we built this year were built hand-in-hand with the organisations planning to use them:

Research, big and small

Research informs and constitutes much of our work, from introductions to new types of technology to field-wide reviews. Here’s a look at some of the research outputs we released this year:

Bringing people together

We believe in the power of communities, diverse collaboration and mission building. We aim to bring people together (both virtually and in-person) to tackle challenges, renew connections and build a shared vision for the future.

This year, we partnered with five new organisations in Latin America (JapiqayPeruvian NGO combating corruption and impunity. and Causa NaturaMexican NGO dedicated to the sustainable management of natural resources through research, information dissemination, and capacity-building.) and Africa (ACCUAnti-Corruption Coalition Uganda, a national umbrella membership organization fighting against corruption in Uganda., MSME-ASINigerian organisation seeking to improve the climate under which micro, small and medium enterprises operate in Nigeria., and Code for Sierra LeoneAn all-inclusive, citizen-led grassroots movement that is leveraging the power of open source technologies to bring innovations in the public sector of Sierra Leone.), providing intensive support to them to design, manage, implement, and leverage data and technology projects with targeted socio-political aims. We work closely with our Matchbox partners, investing time and energy to leave them with the skills, connections and approaches they need to run their own data- or tech-focused project.

Brakes are in cars so that cars can go faster not slower.

For technology and data to be helpful and not harmful, organisations and individuals need to take a considered approach to how it’s deployed. There was an increasing awareness of that in 2017 — we’re excited to see the responsible data community growing — and we anticipate even more growth in the future. By approaching technology and data with safeguards in place, we can use them as tools for even more productive and important work.

Using systems and processes creates more space for creativity - not less.

From further defining how we think about our support work, to adopting new internal policies, 2017 had us exploring new systems to better serve our global team and partners. Along the way, we saw how these structures can be forces for good, not limiting ones: they can make SlackA cloud-based instant messenger tool. a friendlier and safer space, help us link criteria and chemistry as we pick MatchboxEngine Room program offering intensive data and technology project support to partners. partners, make our hiring and payroll more efficient, and serve as frameworks for making responsible design choices. Our newest processes and systems help us stay organised and flexible in the fast-paced, global contexts we are often in, and we’re all the better for them.

To be successful in the long term, we work to shift power from international organisations to local ones.

The majority of technology support organisations are based in the US or Europe, and are led by individuals with a lot of power, wealth, or privilege. We believe diversity is a competency, so a large part of our work has been to identify, support, and shift equity to local partners, peers and leaders who are often underrepresented. Many of the local organisations we work with don’t have the resources — or access — to certain spheres of influence, so we see part of our role as handing the mic over to them. Sometimes this means referring local organisations for work that we are approached for, or supporting smaller organisations in their grant applications. This might mean they get the funds, not us, and we think this is a good thing. Our goal is to transfer capacity, resources, and power to the people who are best positioned to make the most of it.

Communication matters — about our work, with each other, with our partners.

As with every year, we upped our game to build a remote team environment that works and learns smoothly. Externally, we saw how the value of our research lies in ensuring that organisations who could use our findings have it at their fingertips, when they need it (and in diverse formats like audio series, too). We prioritised engagement and communications – hiring a full-time Communications Coordinator – and will be working more to develop our outreach and engagement with new communities in 2018.

We are a team of 16 core members based in 10 countries on four continents. We grew by 5 new people this year, welcoming Nicole Anand, Matt Foster, Laura Guzman, Nonso Jideofor, and Elissa Williams. We said farewell to two team members, Tin Geber and Roz Zavras.

All of the work we do is based on the strong foundation our operations team lays.

In 2017, we wound down our Norwegian operations, and are now solely operating as a US 501c3. We adopted new human resources platforms and practices, too; this might not sound thrilling, but it keeps our team members and consultants working smoothly! Part of this is the release of our roster form, where people interested in working with us can let us know more about their background and interests.

Maintaining a team culture that is kind, supportive, productive and diverse doesn’t happen out of the blue.

This year, our Operations team poured time into policies, events (like our team retreat), and guidelines (like how to give feedback) that centered on the well-being and effectiveness of our team. This made it possible for team members to grow into new roles as they followed their skills and interests.

We encouraged time away for important endeavours.

We believe it's important to support each other’s exciting life events. Taken together, here are just a few things, big and small, we welcomed and accomplished in 2017.

By The Numbers

Huge thanks to our partners and funders

We couldn’t do the work we do without our partners and funders. On larger projects this year, we worked with:

And with many others on light-touch support.

This year our work was grant funded by:

We had the pleasure of working with fantastic consultants including: