As part of Montreal’s 375th anniversary, Aimia is opening a “data philanthropy hub” designed to help nonprofit organizations.

This hub, set to open in June, is a collaboration between Aimia, a group that specializes in managing loyalty programs, and the Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO), a research centre dedicated to data science. Both organizations will combine their data analytics expertise with the aim of enabling nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to maximize the potential of their data. The objective is to help them make the most of their data-driven decision-making processes to assess and improve their activities so they can have a sustainable impact on their communities. “Data-driven decisions help optimize resource allocation, which is very relevant for NPOs, since they often have limited means,” explained Anne-Josée Laquerre, director, social purpose and corporate sustainability at Aimia.

The announcement was also made during Aimia’s Global Month of Data Philanthropy, an event that took place throughout the month of March and involved the company donating its expertise to eight NPOs in five cities around the world, including Montreal for Canada. This year, the Quartier des spectacles Partnership (PQDS) was selected as the beneficiary: Aimia teams worked on data supplied by 21 cultural organizations including the Opera, Musée d’art contemporain and Club Soda, and provided the PQDS with areas of research and reflection to improve their service offer. “Thanks to the help from our teams in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, we were able to provide them with important information about their own client base that they need to make more informed business decisions,” said Anne-Josée Laquerre. “The first hub activities in June will also be dedicated to the PQDS; after that, we will offer our services to all types of NPOs.”

Since 2012, Aimia has helped over 50 charities around the world gain new insight from their data. In addition to helping NPOs unlock the potential of their data, this approach also helps them secure stronger funding and improve outcomes for the beneficiaries of their services. “Whether it’s working on improving their mission and their services or optimizing their communications or their fundraising, data philanthropy provides NPOs with strategic expertise that is often too expensive or out of reach. Our data philanthropy model is our way of maximizing our social impact,” concluded Anne-Josée Laquerre.