From Data to Impact: Co-Creating the Future with Oikocredit

Vision and Mission

Oikocredit is a social impact investor and worldwide cooperative. Guided by the values of empowerment, sustainability, and partnership, Oikocredit provides financing to organizations that support low-income people, particularly in agriculture, financial inclusion, and renewable energy. The organization envisions a world where communities thrive through equal opportunities, dignity, and a sustainable future.

When Oikocredit began their journey into data and analytics, the organization was already standing on solid ground. A data strategy had been developed, governance was in place, and colleagues across continents were starting to explore how insights could strengthen their work. Yet, something was missing.

Most of the analytics work was still descriptive — looking at what had happened, rather than what could be. For an organization driven by a mission to support people in low-income contexts through financial inclusion, agriculture, and renewable energy, this was not enough. The question was pressing: how could data help them look forward, anticipate challenges, and guide better decisions for the communities they serve?

A Turning Point

At that moment, Oikocredit discovered Analytics for a Better World (ABW). The timing could not have been better.  Oikocredit had just identified the need to explore more advanced approaches to data analytics in their data strategy and knew the added value of the right partner on the journey towards data maturity. Upper management also fully supported the decision of involving a partner willing to roll up their sleeves, work collaboratively, and share not just technical knowledge but also Oikocredit’s values, namely contributing to a better world.

ABW offered exactly that. Rooted in academia, connected to both the non-profit and for-profit worlds, and experienced in working with development-focused organizations, ABW brought expertise that matched Oikocredit’s needs. More than consultants, they became co-creators in an explorative process.

Building Together

Workshops and conversations soon bridged departments and even continents. Colleagues who had never worked together before discovered they shared common questions and even the skills to answer them. Together with ABW and their partners, Oikocredit identified meaningful use cases for advanced analytics, sparking ideas on how to move from descriptive to predictive and prescriptive approaches.

For many staff, this was a turning point. Advanced analytics had seemed abstract, perhaps even intimidating. However, through hands-on collaboration, people realized that it was not only possible, but also relevant. Each participant left with a clearer sense of what could be achieved, and with the confidence that analytics could directly support Oikocredit’s mission.

More Than Efficiency

For Oikocredit, the promise of advanced analytics is not simply about saving time or improving processes. It is about effectiveness: finding new ways to tackle challenges that hinder equal opportunities and sustainable development.

The collaboration with ABW showed that data can be a powerful tool for transformation — if rooted in mission-driven challenges. This is the lesson Oikocredit now shares with other organizations: start where your mission is most at stake. Efficiency will follow, but the real excitement comes from solving problems once thought unsolvable.

Looking Ahead

The journey is not finished. Oikocredit is still exploring, still learning, and still building its capacity to use data for impact. But something has changed. Across the organization, there is now a stronger sense of possibility. Teams know that analytics is within their reach, and that it can help them look forward, not just back.

Matthias Lehnert shared:

Organizations differ. The questions we asked might not be relevant for others, and the answers we produced might not be the right ones for others. Having said that, I would focus on mission-related challenges. Data-based technology is changing all aspects of our way of working right now. Everybody can use AI tools, have documents translated or meeting minutes produced by AI. But how can advanced analytics address challenges that an organization is facing in carrying out its mission? The answers to that question are very specific and they have the potential to inspire. If done right, they are not just making an organization more efficient but more effective. I would advise organizations that are about to begin their journey into the possibilities of advanced analytics to start at that point. Identify one relevant challenge closely related to your mission and explore ways to address it with data and advanced analytics. That is the stuff that will get staff, donors, and partners excited. Efficiency is important, of course, because we should not waste resources. But the promise of advanced analytics is not just to save time and energy but to make us capable of solving problems which we considered unsolvable. In short, my advice is: Aim high.

With this renewed sense of inspiring possibilities, Oikocredit is stepping into the future, equipped with strengthened determination to support people in low-income contexts worldwide and contribute to a more sustainable and just world.