Data and AI for nonprofit operations
Databasin helps nonprofits use financial and operational data to understand their work and decide where resources are needed. We build analysis and recurring workflows around the questions your teams need to answer. Our platform and implementation team support that work, from connecting records to helping staff use the result.
Results from customer work
- 20+ systems unifiedDatabasin brought WashU Medicine's financial data together.
- Infrastructure costs at 1/3 of the traditional approachWashU Medicine's result from changing its data infrastructure.
18%
Higher grant proposal success
Measured at a research institution working with Databasin.
“What used to take weeks or sometimes even months now happens in minutes.”
Analysis for finance and program decisions
We prepare the information finance and program leaders need to discuss spending and results. That starts with records held in your existing systems. Our team connects them, defines the measures and builds the views for the review. Once the recurring preparation is automated, staff can spend the meeting examining changes and deciding what to do.
The platform behind the work
People can ask questions, build Data Apps and automate recurring work using the data connected through Databasin.
Ask a question about a program and see which records and calculation supply the answer.
Give finance and program staff a common view of spending, activity and changes over time.
Investigate a change in a program measure against the comparison defined by its business owner.
Prepare the records and send the resulting review on the schedule the team needs.
Relate financial and operational records to the same programs, with access set for each audience.
Design, Build, Run
We take responsibility for the work from defining the outcome through implementation and ongoing support.
Design
We define the outcome, current processes and expected return with your stakeholders. A working example shows how Databasin would answer your business questions.
Build
We get your first use case live in 90 days. Communication, rollout, training and success measurement are included in the work.
Run
Choose the help you need after launch. We can run the solution for you, provide monthly support hours or stay on call.
Connecting program activity with spending
Preparing a financial and program review
Today
- Collect the spending file from finance and activity files from programs.
- Check the program names and periods before combining the records.
- Build another spreadsheet view to answer a question about one location.
Redesigned
- SoftwareRead the connected records and match them to each program.
- SoftwareCalculate the agreed measures and show spending alongside activity.
- Your teamExamine the findings and agree how to use resources.
Security for business data
Databasin gives your team controls for who can use business data and records of how they use it.
Access
Your organization manages the identities people use to sign in. Data permissions apply to their work, and investigation agents have read-only access to production sources.
Regulated data
For work involving PHI or HR data, our team helps your security reviewers examine the requirements. Databasin is HIPAA-ready, with a BAA available.
Where data sits
You can use our hosted service, run Databasin in your Azure environment or use it alongside Databricks, Snowflake or Microsoft Fabric.
Audit
An answer comes with its SQL for review. Your team can also examine query logs and lineage to understand the data behind it.
Recurring program performance reviews
A program review starts with records from the work and ends with decisions about what should change.
Prepare the records
We establish how the records relate to each program. Software then prepares spending and activity for the period being reviewed.
Examine a change
Staff ask about a movement in a program measure. The answer includes its query so someone can check the records and calculation.
Discuss the findings
Leaders explore the findings together in a Data App. They add their knowledge of the program and decide how to respond.
Repeat the review
Software prepares the next review from refreshed records. Staff can return to the same questions and revise them when the program changes.
Support across nonprofit organizations
Service organizations
Service organizations need to understand what their programs deliver and the resources used. We prepare the operational and financial records so leaders can examine both in the same review.
Multi-site organizations
An organizational total can leave local questions unanswered. We build views that let regional leaders compare locations and examine the records behind a difference at one site.
Nonprofit retail
Nonprofits with retail operations need to understand sales, stock and store performance. We prepare the measures and recurring reviews managers use to investigate changes and discuss their operating priorities.
The systems behind nonprofit operations
Finance and HR systems
We read spending and staffing information for the agreed review, then organize it by the relevant program, department and period.
Program systems
We use the interfaces available in each system to read permitted activity records and identify the program each belongs to.
Files and spreadsheets
Files can supply part of the review. We establish which version to read and how updated records enter the recurring preparation.
What happens next
We would like to hear where your team wants to make progress with data and AI. We can discuss a project you have in mind or explore where Databasin could help with the work.
What happens next
Book a demo
Book a conversation about your organization and the work you want to improve. Questions about where to start are welcome.
Explore the opportunity
We show a working example that answers your business questions, then discuss what it would take to deliver it for your team.
Get the first result
After agreeing the first use case, we implement it with your team. We train the people using it and measure how it performs.
FAQ
Can we compare programs that define success differently?
Yes. We first work with program owners on what each measure means. Some measures can support a direct comparison; others need their own explanation. The review keeps that context visible, so leaders can discuss programs together without losing the differences in who they serve and what they aim to achieve.
Can a review distinguish restricted funding from other resources?
The review can distinguish those categories when they are present in the records. Finance defines the classifications and rules we use to prepare the figures. Staff can then examine spending in that context, with the source accounting records and award terms available to guide their decisions.
What if program activity records are incomplete?
We make the gaps part of the review. If finance has recorded all spending but program activity is incomplete, the figures need that explanation. Our team prepares a view that keeps missing records distinct from recorded activity, helping staff see which conclusions need more information.
Can finance and program staff see different information?
Yes. The two groups can have different permissions. We establish which records each needs and configure the views accordingly. A program team can use the information relevant to its review while finance works with the additional detail its role requires. Both use the access rules set for them.
Does this replace our grant management system?
The grant system can keep handling applications and awards. Databasin can read its records through an available connection and prepare them for analysis with other organizational data. We agree which questions the project will answer, then build the preparation and views those questions require.
What if our technical team has little spare capacity?
Databasin brings its own platform and a principal-level team to implement the agreed work. We handle connections, preparation and the views people need, including training for their use. Your system and business owners help establish access and meaning, while our team takes on the delivery work.