How To Share Data With The Impact Database
About This Project
The Impact Database is a non-profit entity committed to raising the visibility of impact approaches and impact investing through gathering and sharing data.
Sharing data with the project helps us to spotlight what impact is doing – or helps us make sure that an important part of the picture gets the attention that it deserves.
The following guidelines are intended to minimise friction in integrating data to our project and to our forthcoming open-source API.
The data store backing our project is managed by a professional database manager at a computing region in Europe.
ImpactDB is not a commercially-motivated organisation and will never sell any data provided to it.
How To Share Data With The Impact Database
None is inherently better than the other. Choose whichever is most convenient for you and your workflow.
Note: the Github repository/pipeline is publicly visible.
Via Database Connection:
For large datasets and configuring data pipelines, we can also provide direct access to a staging database (PostgreSQL).
Dataset Requirements & Specifications
No Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Unless there’s a compelling reason for its inclusion and it’s backed by a clear waiver, datasets should never include personally identifiable information (PII). Any data that originally contained PII should be anonymised before it reaches us, per industry conventions. Please do not share any data with PII as it will mean that we will need to delete the entire dataset from our servers with immediate effect.
Requests Around Data Conventions
Adhering to the following data specs makes life a lot easier for our team of data-processing impact sloths and helps them get back to napping sooner.
If you have time to make sure that your dataset(s) accord with these asks it would be really appreciated.
If sending flat file data (CSV), please adhere to the following requests which will greatly reduce the effort involved in data preparation:
- 1 header row
- Header row in lower case with underscores if required to separate between words
- Integers and strings in separate columns. If you have notes to add to a numeric column (like ‘value unknown’) please add those to a separate but adjacent column
Please also include, ideally as a separate file
- A manifest (number of rows, format)
- Details about provenance
- A data dictionary explaining all variables
- Any limitations around sharing / licensing
Template Data Reproduction Waiver / Release
To dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s, it would be a huge help if you could share (by email) a brief data reproduction waiver conferring upon The Impact Database the right to reproduce the data on our website.
You shouldn’t need an oversized magnifying glass to read through this, but you’re welcome to bring one.
Please feel free to use and modify this template:
Legal Waiver and Consent for Data Reproduction
This Legal Waiver (“Waiver”) is made by and between [Name], [Job Title] at [Organisation] (“Data Provider”), and The Impact Database (“ImpactDB”), located at ImpactDatabase.org (“Recipient”).
- Grant of RightsThe Data Provider hereby grants to ImpactDB the legal right to reproduce, distribute, and display the dataset titled [Dataset] (“Dataset”) provided by the Data Provider to ImpactDB, for the purpose of reproduction on the ImpactDatabase.org website and other related platforms.
- Representations and WarrantiesThe Data Provider represents and warrants that:
- They have the full legal authority to grant the rights conferred by this Waiver.
- The Dataset does not infringe upon any intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other rights of any third party.
- The Dataset does not contain any confidential or proprietary information.
- Indemnification The Data Provider agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless ImpactDB and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and representatives from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or in connection with any breach of the representations and warranties made by the Data Provider in this Waiver.
- No CompensationThe Data Provider acknowledges and agrees that they shall not be entitled to any compensation for the rights granted under this Waiver or for any use of the Dataset by ImpactDB.
- Governing Law This Waiver shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [State/Country], without regard to its conflict of laws principles.
- Entire Agreement This Waiver constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, whether oral or written.
- Amendments No amendment or modification of this Waiver shall be valid or binding unless made in writing and signed by both parties.
- Severability If any provision of this Waiver is held to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be struck and the remaining provisions shall be enforced to the fullest extent under law.
- ExecutionThis Waiver may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
- Data Handling Commitment
ImpactDB commits to not reselling data provided to it or commercially profiting from it in any way. All data provided to ImpactDB will be stored in accordance with our data protection policy and deleted upon request made by written notice to [email protected].
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Waiver as of the date set forth below.
Data Provider:
Name: [Name]
Job Title: [Job Title]
Organisation: [Organisation]
Date: [Date]
Our Commitment To Responsible Data Governance
ImpactDB is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to advancing the analysis of impact investing-related datasets.
The datasets that we gather from the impact investing community help to tell the story of impact.
We believe that every datapoint – and dataset – is an important part of telling the story of impact.
Whether it’s 30 rows or 30,000, we think there’s inherent value in data that engages with impact thinking.
We understand that data is sensitive, however, and undertake to be a responsible data custodian.
As a tiny non-profit, we can’t (legally) guarantee that the data shared here is always up to date. But here’s a minimum set of “in scope vs. out of scope” guidelines to help you make a decision as to whether you feel comfortable sharing data with this project:
✅ ImpactDB will always:
- Provide full attribution to any data shared on this website
- Endeavour to respond to requests to update or delete data from data authors as quickly as possible
❎ ImpactDB will never:
- Provide any data you provide to third parties
- Offer your data for sale
- Make money (in any way) from data that you provide to us
If you would like to amend or delete data that you have previously shared with the project, please reach out and we will action this as soon as possible.
ImpactDB’s database is hosted with Crunchy Bridge — a SOC2 and HIPAA-compliant managed database provider. Our database server is hosted in Germany.