CanadaHelps, Supported by Mastercard, Launches a National Program to Advance Digital Transformation and Growth for Canadian Charities
July 13 2022 - 8:00AM
CanadaHelps, the country's largest platform for donating and
fundraising online, today announced the launch of the CanadaHelps
Charity Growth Academy, an initiative made possible by Mastercard
and its new Mastercard Changeworks program. Charity Growth Academy
is a free digital transformation program to help Canadian charities
become more digitally enabled. Through the program, charities will
build technical skills, improve their operational processes, and
develop digital mindsets by leveraging the training, expert
support, grants, and tools of the program. The national initiative
is now underway with a pilot program of 11 organizations from
across Canada. The pilot program will run through April 2023.
“The prioritization and advancement of digital transformation in
Canada’s charitable sector is at a critical point,” says Lizz
Bryce, SVP, Community & Strategic Initiatives at CanadaHelps.
“With the generous support of Mastercard, Charity Growth Academy is
a timely initiative that leverages best practices adapted from the
for-profit world to address the unique challenges of the charitable
sector. Our ultimate goal is to help charities across the country –
at no cost to them – establish a digital foundation that addresses
their immediate needs while also building sustainable practices and
internal capacity to thrive.”
Addressing the Unique Challenges of the
SectorThe development of Charity Growth Academy comes
after years of conversations with charities about their challenges
and needs, supported by CanadaHelps’ original research in the
Digital Skills Survey. The responses from more than 1,400 Canadian
charities revealed that charities are lagging in both digital
adoption and investments in digital technology, with small
charities falling the furthest behind. While most charities believe
digital tools are critical to attracting supporters and engaging
donors, digital adoption is repeatedly put on hold as charities
contend with understaffing, revenue declines, and growing demand
for services – even though many of the issues charities struggle
with today could be efficiently and effectively managed through the
implementation of digital technology.
“The CanadaHelps Charity Growth Academy will provide the tools,
training and support not-for-profits need to put technology and
data to work for social change,” said Sasha Krstic, President,
Mastercard Canada. “Mastercard is proud to extend its first grant
from our new Mastercard Changeworks program to CanadaHelps, an
organization that has been helping charities grow in their digital
capacity for over 20 years.”
The Mastercard Changeworks program is designed to support
not-for-profits and their communities through a combination of
grants and partnerships, volunteer programs that leverage the tech
and data expertise of team members, and hackathons and data-thons
that address critical tech and data-related
challenges.Multi-stream ProgramCharity Growth
Academy is a holistic, multi-stream program to support charities at
each stage of their digital transformation journey. It helps
charities embrace a digital-first culture that supports data-driven
decision-making across different teams and functions. It also
provides the insights needed to engage supporters and fundraise in
a digital world, leverage data to measure and communicate impact,
and increase operational efficiency. Each program participant will
move through three phases:
- Assessment and Action Plan: An in-depth
evaluation of current technology, processes, and culture, followed
by a customized and easy to follow guide to help charities
prioritize their tasks and plan for success
- Supported Learning and Implementation:
in-depth online courses, workshops and resources to build digital
skills and mindsets, combined with expert support, and grants to
reduce financial barriers and enable action
- Ongoing Support: Resources for continuous
learning, skill building, and growth. Charities will have access to
high-quality, curated resources and materials that are specific to
the non-profit sector. These resources will support continuous
learning to help build capacity.
Pilot Program Now UnderwayThe organizations
participating in the pilot program include:
- Skills for Change
- YES Employment + Entrepreneurship
- The Centre for Immigrant Settlement and Integration (CISI)
- Startup Canada
- Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB)
- Enactus Canada
- Pow Wow Pitch
- Indigenous Perspectives Society
- Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society (TWHLS)
- Kw’umut Lelum Foundation
- Rise
Each charity participating in the pilot will receive up to
$10,000 in grant money from Mastercard, and free access to the
CanadaHelps Donor Management System, a tool critical to effective
fundraising and donor stewardship.
About CanadaHelpsCanadaHelps is a public
foundation advancing philanthropy through technology. For
Canadians, it powers CanadaHelps.org, a safe and trusted
destination for discovering and supporting any charity in Canada,
and UniteforChange.com, where Canadians can learn about causes and
easily support the collective work of charities addressing a cause
they care about. CanadaHelps also develops affordable fundraising
technology used by more than 25,000 charities, and free training
and education so that, regardless of size, all charities have the
capacity to increase their impact and succeed in the digital age.
Since 2000, over 3.5 million people have given more than $2.2
billion through CanadaHelps. Connect with CanadaHelps on Twitter,
Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Mastercard (NYSE: MA) Mastercard is
a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission
is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits
everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and
accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and
passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial
institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest
potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and
everything we do inside and outside of our company. With
connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are
building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities
for all.
Media Contact:
Jodi EchakowitzBoulevard Public Relations (on behalf of
CanadaHelps)jodi@boulevardpr.com
Emilija Businskas Vice President,
CommunicationsMastercard Emilija.Businskas@mastercard.com437-244-6282
A video accompanying this announcement is available
at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6b5d5f03-141e-49bd-9232-073fb4d50bce
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