29 Nov

|Charities and Nonprofits, Microsoft

The Alzheimer’s Society choose Simpson Associates to collaboratively deliver a scalable Azure Synapse Data platform for volunteer insight

Simpson Associates, leading data analytics consultancy, have been selected by Alzheimer’s Society to design and collaboratively develop their Microsoft Modern Data & Insights platform. The platform, which will be developed using Microsoft Azure and Civica’s MultiVue Master Data Management platform, will enable Alzheimer’s Society to integrate their disconnected datasets to produce a single complete and accurate view of their volunteers, their engagements and their Volunteer Journey.

The rich history of volunteer information contained in the Data Warehouse, when combined with the advanced analytical capabilities of the Microsoft Azure platform including Power BI for reporting and dashboarding and Synapse’s predictive capabilities, will enable Alzheimer’s Society to develop leading analytical products and answer the critical questions their teams are asking. These capabilities include:

  • A joined-up view of the volunteer journey: this insight will enable the Society to better support its volunteers, identify and address issues, improve practices and maximise the impacts volunteers can offer to those with Alzheimer’s disease.
  • A single view of the volunteer: addressing the issue that volunteer data resides in multiple systems. Ensuring that one complete and accurate view of volunteers is accessible and maintained by all stakeholders will enable Alzheimer’s Society to ensure quality communication with volunteers, and accurate reporting across stakeholder teams.
  • Volunteer metrics: a trusted single view of core volunteering metrics, including the capabilities and capacity of the volunteer base aligned to the activities Alzheimer’s Society are asking for them to support and for better planning.
  • Volunteer Communications: maintaining relevant, timely and compliant communication with volunteers across all channels.

The complete, accurate, accessible, and secure data that the solution will deliver through these products will enable Alzheimer’s Society to scale the number of people with Alzheimer’s that they are currently able to support. They can do this through increasing the number of volunteers who are willing to support them and having a closer engagement with those volunteers so they are better supported by the charity in the outstanding services they deliver.

The capabilities the project will create, including the Azure platform and the skills within Alzheimer’s Society teams, will also enable the charity to extend the platform to support further use cases, incorporate additional datasets and explore broader subject areas including fundraising in future phases.

Bo Ruan, Head of Data, Alzheimer’s Society, says:

“We’re really looking forward to working with Simpson Associates on this project. We have ambitious plans to deliver a sector leading platform and capabilities, enabling us to really effectively utilise our data to achieve the charity’s strategic aims and help more people with Alzheimer’s. We will start by using data to deliver an exemplary experience and engagement with our volunteers, but then quickly scale to make data driven decision-making underpin all our activities. It was clear that Simpson Associates really understood our mission and vision, they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, and we look forward to a successful project together.”

Tom Hughes, Business Development Manager, Simpson Associates says:

“We’re delighted to have been chosen to work with Alzheimer’s Society on their Azure Data Platform and Single View of a Volunteer project. It’s a fantastic project which will create all the capabilities the charity requires to drive real value from its data for its service users, for volunteers and for employees too. We’re delighted to be a part of that and to see the opportunities it unlocks.”

About Simpson Associates

Simpson Associates are a leading data analytics consultancy and managed services provider based in the UK. With over 30 years of experience, they are well-versed in the variety of data challenges organisations face and have the technical expertise to develop the best bespoke solutions. Simpsons are a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Infrastructure, Data & AI (Azure), and Digital & App Innovation (Azure), and hold the Advanced Specialisation for Analytics on Azure. They are also an IBM Gold Partner and an Informatica Partner.

About Alzheimer’s Society

With 1,650 employees, more than 4,000 volunteers and three million Dementia Friends Alzheimer’s Society is the UK’s leading dementia charity established in 1979 with an annual turnover of circa £114 million. They campaign for change, fund research to find a cure and support people living with dementia. Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, with someone developing it every three minutes.

They are Determined to make a difference when and where it matters most. They are Better Together, and they are Compassionate. Through their values they will make the greatest difference for people affected by dementia.