The possibilities of plain language: how jargon costs non-profits time and money

Why It Matters

Forty-eight per cent of Canadian adults are considered to have low literacy. Plain language removes barriers, like jargon, that can prevent people from understanding and accessing community and government services.

“We can’t refuse to look at artificial intelligence until it passes us by”: a new survey finds that most charities don’t understand how they could use artificial intelligence

Why It Matters

As artificial intelligence becomes more ubiquitous, the charitable sector is at risk of being left behind if they don’t feel they have the adequate knowledge and resources to learn about AI-based tools and applications.

In June 2022, British Columbia passed a law that would allow it to measure systemic racism using data. What progress has been made since?

Why It Matters

This legislation is the first of its kind in Canada. Collecting longitudinal data – data collected over a long period of time – could lead to policy changes that centre equitable access, in sectors such as policing, housing and education. However, legislation that is rooted in data must also centre transparency and ownership.

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

Why It Matters

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.

“Benevity fails for me and my fundraisers” – why non-profits are calling on the platform to provide more timely donation data

Why It Matters

Without timely and accurate information about donors and their donations, non-profits may not be able to secure repeat and frequent donations. This is especially critical in the current economic climate, where donations have dropped as the cost of living increases.

Is AI your new non-profit coworker? Here are the ways that social purpose organizations are adopting ChatGPT.

Why It Matters

It only took five days for ChatGPT to reach a million users. While there are clear benefits to using an AI-enabled tool when it comes to reducing time and resources spent on tasks, there are also some open questions for the social impact world in particular: what are the ethics of using artificial intelligence when working directly with communities?