WHO WE SERVE
Growing nonprofits, foundations, and b-corps.
We work with organizations that recognize the value of data but need support in building their capacity and aligning their data operations, systems, and policies with the mission and values.
We prioritize work with organizations that...
Have 501(c)(3) status.
Have annual revenues under $5 million.
Provide mental health, crisis intervention, violence prevention, or emergency response services.
Serve historically marginalized populations.
Work within the Appalachian region.
WHAT WE'RE ABOUT
Your data should serve your mission, not the other way around.
Your data operations shouldn't distract from your mission. Yet every year, nonprofits like yours feel the pressure from funders, boards, policymakers, and even their own community partners to deliver on data demands with capacity they don't have and systems that don't actually work for them. As a result, data starts controlling the organization instead of the organization controlling the data.
At BabyDuck, we believe there is a better way. We're dedicated to developing the next generation of data-empowered leaders and organizations in the nonprofit sector. Our data accelerator programs and proprietary Data Maturity Nest framework emphasize a people-first, mission-centered approach to building organizational data maturity that allows organizations to meet their growing data demands while maintaining control of their data story and data strategy.
FEATURED PROGRAMS
Three tracks. One philosophy.
SUPPORT SERVICES
The right support at the right scale.
Not every challenge fits a structured program or requires extended support. Our standalone support services are designed for organizations that need something more targeted, flexible, or immediate.
Services include:
Data Maturity Assessments
Data Governance & Policy Design
Skills Training & Education
Data Leadership Education
Technical Implementation Assistance
Ad-Hoc Analytics & Reporting
OUR APPROACH
Introducing the Data Maturity Nest.
Most data maturity models measure progress in terms of complexity. They define a "mature organization" as one that's using advanced analytics, AI, and real-time dashboards to drive decision-making. While that may work for some companies, mission-driven organizations need something different.
At BabyDuck, we define data maturity as an organization's capacity to leverage data to advance its mission. That might mean implementing AI and advanced analytics, but it could just as easily mean a really well-designed spreadsheet. The point is that the mission drives the data strategy, not the other way around.
Our Data Maturity Nest Framework is a three-part, human-centered system for assessing, prioritizing, and implementing data strategies in alignment with your mission objectives, organizational values, and operational realities. The framework considers over 100 indicators across five domains to surface gaps, highlight misalignments, and track progress as you build your data capacity. The best part is that no matter where you are on your data maturity journey, you can start using the Nest framework to bring your data initiatives into alignment with your mission.
Looking to get started? Our accelerator programs are designed to guide organizations through the full framework, building the internal leadership capacity needed to put it into practice and make it last. But if you're not quite ready to join a cohort, our free Data Maturity Self-Assessment is a short, low-effort way to get a snapshot of where your organization stands.
LEADERSHIP
Kyle Kleisinger
Founder/CEO
BabyDuck started the way a lot of good ideas do: as a solution to a problem I couldn't stop thinking about.
I spent the early part of my career in direct service work with survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. It was meaningful, hard, and eventually, like it does for a lot of people in that work, it caught up with me. Somewhere in the middle of processing burnout and secondary trauma, I taught myself computer programming and started exploring data science. What started as a distraction quickly became something more. I realized that what I was learning had real applications to the work I cared about, and I started using data to solve problems and identify patterns in the advocacy work around me.
That pivot launched a career in data strategy and analytics focused on behavioral health, crisis intervention, and social impact organizations. And over the years, one thing kept showing up: a persistent, frustrating gap between the people who deeply understand this work and the people with the technical skills to build data systems and lead data strategy. Organizations were being underserved by both sides. BabyDuck is my answer to that gap.
I founded BabyDuck because mission-driven organizations deserve data leadership that actually understands their world. Not consultants who parachute in with enterprise frameworks built for Fortune 500 companies. People who have sat across from a survivor, written a grant at midnight, and know what it means when your data system fails the people you're trying to serve.
Prior to founding BabyDuck, Kyle spent over a decade leading data analytics, strategy, and impact measurement initiatives for behavioral health and social service organizations. He's overseen large-scale analytics and evaluation projects for state and federal contracts, managed dozens of clinical research trials, and co-founded a national nonprofit serving advocates in the anti-violence sector. He currently serves on the board of one of the only nonprofits in the country dedicated to serving LGBTQ+ survivors of intimate partner violence, and is completing an MSc in Data, Economics, and Policy Design at MIT.
Prior to founding BabyDuck, Kyle spent over a decade leading data analytics, strategy, and impact measurement initiatives for behavioral health and social service organizations. He's overseen large-scale analytics and evaluation projects for state and federal contracts, managed dozens of clinical research trials, and co-founded a national nonprofit serving advocates in the anti-violence sector. He currently serves on the board of one of the only nonprofits in the country dedicated to serving LGBTQ+ survivors of intimate partner violence, and is completing an MSc in Data, Economics, and Policy Design at MIT.
LEADERSHIP
Founder/CEO
Kyle Kleisinger
KYLE KLEISINGER
Founder/CEO
BabyDuck started the way a lot of good ideas do: as a solution to a problem I couldn't stop thinking about.
I spent the early part of my career in direct service work with survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. It was meaningful, hard, and eventually, like it does for a lot of people in that work, it caught up with me. Somewhere in the middle of processing burnout and secondary trauma, I taught myself computer programming and started exploring data science. What started as a distraction quickly became something more. I realized that what I was learning had real applications to the work I cared about, and I started using data to solve problems and identify patterns in the advocacy work around me.
That pivot launched a career in data strategy and analytics focused on behavioral health, crisis intervention, and social impact organizations. And over the years, one thing kept showing up: a persistent, frustrating gap between the people who deeply understand this work and the people with the technical skills to build data systems and lead data strategy. Organizations were being underserved by both sides. BabyDuck is my answer to that gap.
I founded BabyDuck because mission-driven organizations deserve data leadership that actually understands their world. Not consultants who parachute in with enterprise frameworks built for Fortune 500 companies. People who have sat across from a survivor, written a grant at midnight, and know what it means when your data system fails the people you're trying to serve.
EVENTS
Upcoming Events