First, the Pilot.
We’ve kicked off this program with a pilot involving 11 engaged nonprofits from across Canada, split into two cohorts, each on their own digital transformation journey. The pilot will run from May 2022 to April 2023.
Our Approach to Supporting Digital Transformation
Tackling digital transformation in a sector as broad and diverse as Canada’s charitable sector is a complex task. Based on research like the Digital Skills Report, anecdotal evidence from our 26,000 charity partners, and loads of research on digital transformation, we’ve developed some informed hypotheses about what will help solve this problem. These include:
Customized Action Plans.
Knowing where to start is the biggest hurdle. We’re addressing this by offering a fulsome assessment on technology tools, data skills and management, marketing and fundraising, digital skills, and culture and mindset. With this information, we’ll deliver a customized Action Plan that identifies short and longer term priorities.
Building the Right Skills.
Augmenting the capacity and building skills of charity staff will achieve better results. We’re addressing this by offering skilled volunteers from Mastercard to help implement actions, and offering access to training courses and other resources to build skills and lead to more sustainability after the pilot is over.
Launching New Funding Options.
Diverting budget for digital transformation is a barrier. We’re addressing this by offering unrestricted grants to support the work of implementing the Action Plan, trusting that charities can make the decision about how the money is best spent.
Ongoing Support for Continuous Improvement.
Structure and systems of accountability can help build the mindset that digital transformation is a journey not a one-off project. We’re running our pilot in cohorts so the participants can build networks of colleagues tackling similar problems, learn from each other, and provide longer term support. We’re also offering an additional grant to participants who continue on in our Sustainability phase to reinforce the long-term investment.
CREATED TO BREAKDOWN THE BARRIERS
Charity Growth Academy
Now is the time to test those ideas, learn from the process, and evolve our program so it can serve all charities. We’re excited that the 11 organizations joining us for the pilot will receive tons of value from the team of experts we’ve assembled to support them, and that we will have the opportunity to learn from their experiences and knowledge to make this program as strong as it can be so it can be offered to all charities in the future.
STAY INFORMED
Want to Be the First to Know of New Opportunities?
We are currently in the pilot phase of this program and have filled all the pilot spots. But, more is to come! Be the first to know about new opportunities and receive updates on the program.
