Imagine Canada takes over non-profit digital collective two years after launch

Since its launch, CCNDR has taken on several projects, including researching cybersecurity and digital skills in Canada’s non-profit sector. Leaders say moving the collective under Imagine Canada’s stewardship will allow them to reach more non-profit organizations and expand projects.

Toronto hopes new project can help non-profits map, collect data on root causes of crime

Restorative justice – which looks to address the root causes of crime and violence – requires a multi-sector approach. Sharing data can enable this and uncover systemic barriers that marginalize communities.

'Navigating a societal shift without any of the scaffolding': Remote frontline work, trauma and wellbeing

We’ve explored the impact of digital services on community members, but there has been little investigation on the other side of the coin. Working in digital-first teams can provide flexibility and work-life balance, but in community services, it can also lead to feelings of isolation among staff.

How a small charity used forms and data to help 10,000 refugee claimants

Collecting and integrating data from various sources into a CRM system can help an organization measure real-time community impact.

What does 2024 hold for technology and data in the non-profit sector?

In a time of fast-moving technological changes and increased policymaking driven by data, non-profits need to know where to invest their resources – whether in new technology or professional development.

211 Ontario’s newest director to focus on bringing databases and staff together

While many organizations might now be collecting data and understanding the importance of evidence-based advocacy, they might still not have the internal capacity to analyze and strategize using that data.

Non-profit AI data tool helping cities predict urban heating effects

Applying predictive models and machine learning to a dataset can help municipal governments understand where to direct funding for urban cooling infrastructure. However, developing and maintaining the appropriate digital tools can be challenging.

HOW TO: Four steps to building a weekly data collection process

While a weekly data collection process is a time-intensive commitment, it can provide a real-time view of priorities, challenges and needs among a specific participant group.

Cybersecurity insurance growing in popularity after high-profile digital attacks. Does your organization need it?

Cybersecurity attacks can be costly, prompting some to purchase add-on insurance. However, some experts say preventing a breach is more important than buying a new policy.

LONG READ: Why data-based measures of poverty are not capturing the vulnerability of older adults

Depending on the data points included in specific poverty measures, the outcomes and analysis can be drastically different, which has a tangible impact on policy development. Relying solely on data-based methodologies also risks ignoring the effect of non-quantifiable factors, such as demographics.

Lack of smartphone functionality for digital immigration services puts refugee claimants at risk: advocates

For some subgroups of newcomers, such as refugee claimants and asylum seekers, their primary device is likely to be a smartphone. However, many critical services still are not developed on mobile-friendly interfaces.

The City of Montreal is establishing data partnerships with community organizations - are they ready?

Data sharing and interoperability can provide a more robust view of a community and specific wellness / prosperity indicators. However, it also risks breaching the privacy and trust of community members who have not consented to having their data used this way. Data governance frameworks ensure that all organizations collecting and sharing data between them are doing so with the common good in mind.

Federal department in charge of regulating AI should consider “privacy as a fundamental human right,” say experts

AIDA will likely not be coming into force until 2025, but various organizations – including the non-profit sector – have begun implementing AI-based tools and technologies into their work. The sector must be aware of its obligations to the public regarding applications of AI and data privacy legislation.

Could a tech start-up helping refugees resettle in the U.S. and Europe help Canada?

The federal government plans to welcome half a million immigrants into Canada by 2025. This could dramatically increase the workload of settlement service providers and agencies. According to the founders of Pairity, this technology can be adapted to specific provincial jurisdictions and encourage a less biased approach to matching refugees to sponsors and community services.

Neighbourhood association launches technology lending library in east Toronto.

Technology lending libraries – where community members can borrow hardware and access the internet – are helping to overcome the digital divide. But they are a relatively new type of organization. How can their impact be measured in the short and long term, and how can they continue to advocate for funding?

Artscape tenants receive letter with first details of potential future for developments

Since receiving a 30-day extension on its receivership until October, Artscape has been quiet about the future. Rintoul’s letter suggests mortgage owners will experience minimal changes, but residential and commercial leases may change hands.

Social media is helping newcomers and refugees settle into life in Canada. Why isn’t the settlement sector using it?

Settlement organizations should know what kinds of information newcomers are searching for on social media, and aim to plug those knowledge gaps by directing people to tailored information. Settlement organizations must also be cognizant of the increasing risks of misinformation and fraud on social media that is particularly targeting newcomers.

New framework designed to advocate for responsible AI use among fundraisers. How does it work?

Since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, many non-profit organizations have used it to drive efficiency and innovation. However, non-profits could jeopardize public trust in them without knowing how generative AI affects them, their donors, and their clients.

Non-profits are increasingly gathering equity data on the communities they serve – but what about their own staff?

Internal data collection is one way for social purpose organizations to become more inclusive and accommodating — something that can improve their overall impact in the communities they serve. But the process isn’t without pitfalls. Responsible data collection requires careful planning and a trauma-informed approach.

Nearly 50 data-collection volunteers came together to gather insights on food insecurity in Toronto: here’s how it will transform one non-profit’s policy advocacy work

Gathering information on the ground helps non-profit organizations understand issues communities grapple with in real-time, while avoiding the delays associated with government data. Training volunteers to collect this data also frees-up existing staff, giving organizations the ability to be in many places at once.

Online misinformation is adding to the administrative burden of community organizations – what can they do about it?

Misinformation and disinformation that originates online can not only cause confusion and distrust among communities, but can also be directly tied to racism, misogyny and queerphobia, putting certain people at risk. For staff in community organizations, having to speak to the community about the origins of false information, or reporting the information appropriately such that it doesn’t spread, can add to their already heavy workload.

“Be comfortable with the messiness”: how one charity built a cybersecurity policy alongside its frontline workers

Frontline staff are increasingly using social media and smartphones in their work with communities — particularly while on the move. Co-creating a cybersecurity policy with communities can reduce or remove the need for technical experts, as well as making cybersecurity everybody’s responsibility in an organization.

Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience to receive $1.2 million in funding, to enable sector-wide digital transformation over three years

Dedicating funding to digital transformation means that non-profits are able to reach clients that are situated more remotely, or home-bound. It also allows them to invest in tools and technology that increases the organization’s efficiency, which has a knock-on effect on the impact it is able to have.

A “huge number” of non-profits have been victims of cyberattacks, risking the data of vulnerable groups, according to a new working group.

41% of Canadian small businesses that were victims of a cyber attack said it cost them at least $100,000 to recover from. The same is likely true of community organizations and small non-profits, although this is an area that has been severely under-researched. Without adequate security measures, community organizations could be exposing their clients to risks associated with cyber and data breaches, such as identity theft.

Newfoundland and Labrador will run a digital identification pilot in 2023 – what will this mean for community organizations and the people they serve?

Digital identification could alleviate certain accessibility issues, but at the same time, exacerbate inequities when it comes to digital literacy and device accessibility. It’s also unclear how exactly digital identification will benefit or intersect with the work of community-serving social purpose organizations.

“Maps can be seen as truth”: Why Indigenous communities are using digital mapping to defend their land

GIS mapping superimposes layers of data about a location over a digital map to reveal trends and gaps in an area. For social purpose organizations working at local or regional levels, this information can be critical in driving awareness and funding towards specific communities’ challenges.

How are social purpose organizations preparing for a post-Twitter world?

For many social purpose organizations, Twitter has long been a tool to advocate for, and organize movements around, particular issues. Under Elon Musk’s ownership, the sector’s ability to communicate with citizens, journalists and policymakers is now at risk.

“Food is not a patient thing, it’s urgent”: how data collection and sharing can help people in Calgary access emergency food

As the affordability crisis deepens in Calgary, more people are turning to emergency food providers. Collating real-time data on the inventory that food providers hold can help the sector coordinate to reach those in need. However, a system of this sort requires both employees and volunteers to move past “mental barriers” and engage with data processes.

Experts now say digital access can determine a person’s health — here’s why that matters to social purpose organizations

From health services to social assistance, government and community organizations are investing in online service provision. For the 19 per cent of Canadians that identified as non-users or basic users of the internet even post-Covid, this cuts them off from critical services, leaving them even more exposed to health and wellbeing risks.

A new Indigenous Connectivity Institute is launching — here’s how it will drive funding towards equitable internet access

Just under a quarter of Indigenous communities have access to high-speed internet. This year’s Indigenous Connectivity Summit emphasized the urgent need for high-speed internet in Indigenous communities, as well as more community involvement in how internet infrastructure is funded and developed.