Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience announces new executive director
Why It Matters
The CCNDR has the ambitious mandate of helping the charitable sector close the digital skills gap.
Imagine Canada has selected an experienced data policy advisor to lead the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience (CCNDR).
Wilfreda Edward will serve as the initiative’s new executive director, leaving her post as a senior policy advisor to the Chief Information Officer of Canada within the federal government.
“I am thrilled to be joining CCNDR and Imagine Canada in our shared mission to empower Canada’s nonprofit sector,” she said in a LinkedIn post.
“Together, I look forward to harnessing the transformative power of data and technology to enhance the impact of nonprofits and address the evolving needs of the diverse communities they serve.”
The CCNDR was established in 2022 as a shared project intended to boost the charitable sector’s data capacities—a significant gap nationwide.
In a 2021 survey, a majority of responding charities rated their skills as fair or sub-par in using key digital tools, including online donation forms and impact reporting software.
Of the 1,400 charitable organizations that responded to CanadaHelps’ survey, 54 per cent said they lacked sufficient funding to make greater use of software and digital tools.
From ‘collective’ to Imagine Canada initiative
Since its launch, the CCNDR has supported organizations one-on-one in building their data capacities, convened working groups to advance data policy and mobilize funders, and conducted a national research project on non-profit digital skills.
Initially, the organization was led and governed by a collective of five organizations. This changed in 2023 when the CCNDR became an initiative of Imagine Canada, one of the five initial partners.
As executive director, Edward will lead the organization’s strategy development, partnerships and networking, and ensure the CCNDR’s work advances anti-racism and anti-oppression, according to Imagine Canada.
Prior to her most recent role within the federal Treasury Board Secretariat, Edward held data-focused positions with Transport Canada and Statistics Canada.
She has also served as a board member and vice chair of the Canadian Open Data Society, a non-profit that advances the open data movement nationally through events and advocacy.
Edward will succeed Katie Gibson, who served as the CCNDR’s first executive director before leaving in 2023.
The organization has received funding from the federal government, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and the Sonor Foundation, among others.
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