Scoping volunteer Georgia Grant
“[The] project really opened my eyes to the problems that charities face, whether that be time, resources, data quality, or just the many things they are juggling.”
Pronouns She/Her
Roles Data Science & Analytics Specialist at Jet2 | Building Project Volunteer, Scoping Volunteer
Links LinkedIn
How long have you been working in data?
I have been working in data for four and a half years. I studied mathematics at university and enjoy the problem solving aspect of data science the most. I learnt Python and R during university and also signed up for courses in my own time to learn more. Data science appealed to me particularly because it’s large scale problem solving. In 2022 I landed my first role as a data scientist and haven’t looked back!
What advice would you give to someone getting started?
Never stop asking questions and feel comfortable to question what you don’t understand. The space is constantly evolving so there are always opportunities to learn more. Join meet ups for the areas you are interested in, this will help you find your community and get to where you want to be!
What has it been like volunteering with DataKind UK?
I started volunteering with DataKind UK about a year ago now (time has flown!). I have been involved in a few projects so far, the first being a Building project where I produced insights about our community and highlighted potential opportunities by considering data from our volunteer forms. The other projects I’ve been involved in have been working directly with third sector partners to scope their data asks and pair them with volunteers with the right set of skills.
One of these involved scoping a project for a charity that delivers rugby and wellbeing programmes in schools. As someone who has played rugby, and strongly believes in the positive impact of exercise on mental and physical wellbeing, I was especially pleased to be paired with this organisation.
The project focused specifically on improving the charity’s impact tracking. We reviewed their original application, held discovery calls to understand how they measured outcomes, and identified the challenges they faced in collecting and using impact data consistently.
From this, we developed a project brief that defined opportunities to strengthen their impact measurement approach, including recommendations for capturing participant outcomes, improving reporting processes, and creating a more structured framework to demonstrate their impact. We also outlined the project timeline, setting expectations for the work that can be done and the skills required from the volunteers that will be assigned to this project.
What is the most important thing you learned through volunteering?
This project really opened my eyes to the problems that charities face, whether that be time, resources, data quality, or the many things they are juggling. This has definitely solidified my motivation to continue volunteering with DataKind, as we are in a unique position to help charities keep doing the amazing work they are doing!
What data project inspires you?
Earlier this year, I attended Women in Data's flagship event, where Sandi Toksvig spoke about the Mappa Mundi project. Its aim is to create an interactive digital atlas that documents and amplifies women's voices and contributions around the world. What inspires me is how it uses data not just to visualise information, but to address historical gaps in representation. It demonstrates the power of data to preserve overlooked stories, challenge bias, and make knowledge more inclusive for future generations.
Is there a resource you’d recommend to the community?
Georgia at Annapurna Base Camp in the Himalayas
Women in Data is a great community that often host webinars if you’re looking to get involved in new topics. I have also undertaken many of Code First Girls’ free online courses, which I would recommend as a great introduction to data. I would check out to see if there are any data meet ups in your local area and get involved!
Tell us something completely non-data-related about yourself!
In my time outside of work, I love to get away from screens and go hiking. There are so many lovely hikes where I live. I’ve also been lucky enough to travel to the Himalayas, Andes, and Mount Fuji. This year, I’m doing a charity hike of Kilimanjaro for Cancer Research UK!
