This exercise explores the operational and strategic challenges faced by Philanthropy Insight (PI), a Canadian non-profit organization founded by Emily Hayes, which aims to provide donors with information to make informed giving decisions. Despite significant growth in website traffic, PI struggles with chronic underfunding, leading Hayes to continually finance the deficit from her personal savings. The case delves into PI’s data management issues, including its use of disorganized and error-prone Excel spreadsheets, and looks at the potential value of structuring its data into a centralized database to better analyze donor behaviour and content effectiveness. Students are tasked with analyzing PI’s current data practices, understanding the implications of data structuring, and recommending strategies to improve operational efficiency and financial sustainability through better data management and analytics.

Presentation to support product W41292.