Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience

It's just an idea right now, but it's definitely a good idea to watch.

The CIO Strategy Council, Tamarack Institute, and NTEN, alongside numerous collaborators, have been working on the possible creation of a Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience. The goal is to equip nonprofits with the talent, tools, and processes to thrive in a digital and data-driven world.

I don't know a great deal more than what is in the presentation embedded below (which you can download here) except that they are looking for more input and partners (as discussed at the recent Future of Good’s Dismantling Digital Barriers Summit). But their Working Principles align well with the Task Group findings and recommendations. I also quite like that they reference NetHope’s Centre for the Digital Nonprofit Digital Nonprofit Ability model, which I use in many presentations and find very relevant as a model for us to adapt and use. You can view their information deck below (you can also download it here).

The nonprofit sector organizations that have been consulted are wide ranging, including at least 4 from the immigrant and refugee-serving sector, which is great to see. As they move forward it will be important to work with government funders and other actors outside the nonprofit sector to make everything happen. I'm not sure what all of their next steps are, but they are interested in working with organizations in more sectors, like ours. Seems like a useful opportunity to work with a broader coalition to build the hybrid/digital services vision for our sector and beyond.

This April 2022 webinar recording provides a useful introduction and overview:

Working Principles

How we work

1. Partner within and across sectors
2. Foreground mindset shifts and change management
3. Adapt, scale, and increase equitable access to existing supports
4. Keep it simple, agile and light touch
5. Remain accountable to the community

How we approach technology

1. Engage with technology as a means to an end
2. Promote tech equity
3. Remain vendor and technology agnostic
4. Ensure strong digital and data ethics, including promoting Indigenous data sovereignty
5. Ensure reusability and shareability of the products of technology investment
6. Make security, privacy, and accessibility mandatory considerations in tech development and implementation

Original slide deck

Updated slide deck November 19, 2021