Are Canada’s Charities Ready for Digital Transformation? Digital Skills Survey Results (2021)

What is this research about?

The Digital Skills Survey provides insights on the digital health of the Canadian charitable sector. In February, 2021, CanadaHelps conducted an online survey of approximately 1,400 charities. 1,114 were from CanadaHelps’ database (users of CanadaHelps’ software) and 328 other charities from a list obtained from Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) (charities with no relationship to CanadaHelps).

What did the researchers find?

In our increasingly digital world, the study shows charities are ill-prepared to respond to the digital expectations of Canadians. They lack both the funding and skills necessary to maintain relevancy and raise needed funds. Highlighting the profound implications for the sustainability and impact of the sector, the report calls for investment by funders and governments.

Specific findings:

• Smaller Charities Lag in Digital Adoption
• Charities have Digital Ambitions
• The Need for Digital Transformation is Urgent
• Prioritizing Digital is Hard
• There is a Massive Skill Gap
• Funding is a Major Obstacle
• There is a Long Way To Go and Charities Want Support