How Nonprofits Are Rethinking Data with Microsoft Fabric

Most nonprofits do not have a data problem. 
They have a fragmentation problem. 

That idea framed Goodwill Industries International’s perspective during a recent webinar discussion on their journey with Microsoft Fabric, and it captures a challenge many mission-driven organizations face. 

Nonprofits often have more data than they realize. The challenge is that it lives everywhere.

When Data Lives in Silos, Decisions Slow Down

Before adopting Microsoft Fabric, Goodwill Industries International’s data lived exactly where individual systems placed it.

CRM systems held constituent information. Finance systems tracked funding and spend. Donation platforms captured giving activity. Program and operations tools tracked outcomes. And like most organizations, countless spreadsheets filled the gaps across teams and locations.

Each system made sense on its own. Together, they told an incomplete story.

Leadership asked thoughtful questions. How do external trends affect what we are seeing internally? How does engagement translate into outcomes? Are we reacting to change or anticipating it?

The answers existed, but reaching them was slow and manual. Insights often required stitching together data across systems, followed by a familiar question. Which number is right? 

When conversations shift from decision-making to reconciling data, momentum is lost.

The Shift Was Conceptual Before It Was Technical

What changed with Microsoft Fabric was not simply the technology. It was how Goodwill thought about data.
Instead of organizing data around individual systems, the organization began organizing data around the enterprise.

“Within Microsoft Fabric, we're building a unified foundation that connects operational systems rather than replacing them,” says OR Dashevsky, Director of Data and Compliance at Goodwill Industries International. “Data can now exist in one governed environment and still serve many different teams.”

This is not a finished state. The work continues. However, even the initial unification of the data platform changed how conversations happened inside the organization.

Teams stopped asking where the data lived. They started asking what the data was telling them. This is a pivotal moment for an organization truly transforming their business.

Governance Built Into the Flow

For nonprofits, trust and responsibility are foundational. Governance cannot be an afterthought.

With Fabric, governance became part of how data is created and used. Security, classification, lineage, and access controls were embedded directly into the process instead of being layered on later.

Governance moved from acting as a gate to becoming part of the flow. When done well, it removed friction rather than creating it.

Turning a Platform Into a Scalable Foundation

Technology alone does not define a data strategy.

Microsoft Fabric provided the platform, but realizing its value required thoughtful architecture and planning. This is where Valorem Reply played a key role in Goodwill’s journey.

As a long-standing Microsoft System Integrator and a Fabric Featured Partner, Valorem Reply worked closely with Goodwill to design a data foundation built to scale. The focus was not on doing everything at once or achieving perfection on day one. It was about making the right decisions early to support future growth.

The result was an approach that prioritized durability over speed and long-term value over quick wins.

Why Data Unification Matters, Especially for AI

Before Fabric, different types of data lived in different places. Market and industry data came from external sources. Engagement and sentiment data lived inside marketing tools. Operational data remained locked in internal systems. Each dataset provided insight on its own, but none of them worked together.

If leadership wanted to understand how public sentiment, engagement, and internal operations moved together, teams had to manually stitch together the story every time. That approach was time-consuming and unsustainable.

Today, enterprise data lives under a single governed umbrella. Market data, engagement data, and operational data can be analyzed together.

This shift is not just about better reporting. It is what makes AI realistic.

AI does not start with algorithms. It starts with data that is unified, governed, and trusted. Without that foundation, AI initiatives struggle to deliver meaningful value. With it, AI becomes a responsible next step instead of a buzzword.

The Human Impact of Unified Data

The most meaningful changes showed up in day-to-day work. There were fewer one-off data requests. Less manual spreadsheet work. Clearer ownership across data domains. Most importantly, leadership conversations changed.

Less time was spent debating whether the numbers were correct. More time was spent deciding what to do next.

Data stopped feeling like something owned by IT and started feeling like something owned by the entire organization. That is where real efficiency comes from. Not speed, but clarity.

Lessons for Nonprofits Starting Their Own Journey

For nonprofits considering a similar path, Goodwill Industries International shared several lessons learned. Think enterprise, even if you start small. Unify before you optimize. Do not treat governance as friction. When done well, governance removes friction. And focus on the operating reality of your organization, not just the technology.

Turning Unified Data Into Fundraising Impact

For many nonprofits, fundraising data is one of the most fragmented and hardest to connect. Donor engagement lives in one system. Campaign performance lives in another. Financial outcomes live somewhere else entirely.

Valorem Reply’s Fabric for Fundraising offering is designed to bring those pieces together.

Built on Microsoft Fabric and delivered by Valorem Reply’s Microsoft-certified experts, this solution helps nonprofits unify donor, engagement, and financial data in a governed environment. The result is clearer visibility into what drives giving, stronger confidence in fundraising decisions, and a foundation that supports responsible AI in the future.

As a longtime Microsoft System Integrator and Fabric Featured Partner, Valorem Reply brings deep experience helping nonprofits move from fragmented fundraising data to connected, actionable insight. 

Contact us today to get started.