The report highlights widespread baseline adoption of data across SPOs in India, and a clear opportunity for the sector to build on this foundation for achieving greater impact.
New Delhi, December 12th, 2025: As per the recently released State of the Sector (SotS) report by the Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI) at the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM), almost all of India’s Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs) are using data in some form and the sector is not entirely data-averse, with only 5.3% falling in the ‘Beginner’ category of data maturity. The study, which is the largest and most comprehensive one of its kind, offers the first national-level baseline of how SPOs collect, manage, and use data to drive decisions and strengthen programs.
Findings from the State of the Sector Report
ISDM’s State of the Sector report is based on responses from over 360 nonprofit organisations across India. It assessed the data maturity of SPOs using ISDM’s Data Maturity Assessment (DMA) framework, a self-assessment tool that evaluates how organisations collect, manage, and use data across their operations.
Through a scoring system based on predefined criteria, a comprehensive and comparable assessment of each organisation’s data maturity was carried out. The results placed SPOs across five levels of data maturity, from Beginner to Expert.
This scoring allowed ISDM to benchmark where organisations currently stand, and to identify the areas where capability, systems, and culture around data use need strengthening.
Key findings from the assessment include:
- 66% of organisations have rated data as extremely important, however only 10% have an in-house data science team or consulting support. In addition, only about 34% of organisations have invested in any kind of structured data training.
- Approximately 70 % organisations fall within the Emerging (~30%) and Progressing (~40%) categories (scores 21–60). This reflects growing recognition of data’s strategic value, though it has yet to translate fully into robust systems, skills, or governance mechanisms.
- About 21% of organisations have reached the Advanced stage (scores 61–80), while only 4% are in the Expert category (scores 81–100), indicating the need for greater strategic integration of data across functions.
- While 84.4% of organisations use data to strengthen program design, integration remains low in areas such as fundraising management (58.6%) and financial or HR management (54.7%). Only 27.8% of organisations use data holistically across all decision-making functions.
- Budget continues to be a key determinant of data maturity. Lower budgets limit investment in infrastructure, technology, and skilled personnel, impacting data maturity and, ultimately, organisational performance.
Following this foundational study, ISDM has also developed a second report based on a roundtable discussion with funders, titled ‘Funders’ Perspectives on the Data Maturity of Social Purpose Organisations in India.’ This addendum builds on the insights from the SotS report, by capturing how philanthropic foundations, CSR entities, and outcome-based funders view and value data within the development ecosystem. The report finds that funders largely see data as serving two essential functions:
- Continuous learning and adaptation, and
- Program impact and evaluation to guide future strategy.
However, most funders’ data use remains concentrated in impact measurement, mirroring the patterns observed among SPOs. Areas such as financial, operational, or HR data receive comparatively less attention.
The report on the funders’ perspectives also highlights ongoing challenges within the funding ecosystem such as over-reliance on quantitative indicators without sufficient qualitative insights, limited representation of frontline perspectives, and varying interpretations of data among partners. Furthermore, existing tools often fail to capture intangible but critical outcomes like empowerment or behavioural change.
Importantly, while funders value data maturity, they do not treat it as a precondition for funding. In fact, many expressed a willingness to invest in building SPOs’ capacities for stronger data systems and skills, viewing this as a shared responsibility.
Ultimately, both reports emphasise that data maturity is as much about relationships and culture as it is about systems and technology. Funders participating in the roundtable agreed that the CDSSI Data Maturity Assessment (DMA) should be seen as a tool for learning and growth, not as a checklist for compliance.
“The DMA is not just an assessment. The insights from the reports highlight that the most mature data ecosystems are not necessarily those with the most sophisticated tools, but those built on trust, transparency, and co-creation,” said Ravi Sreedharan, Founder & President, Indian School of Development Management. “We are seeing a sector gradually moving from data as proof to data for learning. This shift from compliance to collaboration is critical if India’s social sector is to make data a genuine driver of effectiveness and impact.”
About ISDM
The Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) is a first-of-its-kind, autonomous institution set up in 2016 to establish the domain of Development Management as distinctly different from business management or public administration and enable social purpose organisations to have impact at population scale. ISDM is envisioned as an institution that would catalyse the building of theory and practice of Development Management and transform the way in which social purpose organisations are led and managed.
For more information, visit https://www.isdm.org.in/cdssi/projects/isdm-cdssi-data-maturity-assessment
