Futureproofing the Nonprofit Workforce: Building Digital Skills for Resilience
In this special episode of Let’s Imagine, guest host Wilfreda Edward, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience (CCNDR), explores how nonprofits across Canada are working to close the digital skills gap.
Over the past 18 months, CCNDR—together with partners Imagine Canada, Blueprint ADE, The Dais, and the Digital Governance Council - led the Futureproofing the Community Service Workforce project. Through research, piloting, and collaboration with nonprofits across the country, the project developed resources and a practical toolkit to help organizations strengthen data practices, build digital capacity, and align staff skills with emerging needs.
Wilfreda is joined by two leaders deeply engaged in this work: Sampada Kukade, Vice President, External Relations and Development at Skills for Change, one of the pilot organizations that tested the toolkit; and Max Palamar, Vice President of Data Capacity and Analytics at Blueprint, who played a lead role in the project’s research.
Together, they discuss the toolkit’s step-by-step activities that make digital transformation practical, accessible, and aligned with day-to-day nonprofit realities. They share lessons learned from piloting, explore the challenges of building capacity in a resource-constrained sector, and highlight why digital skills are no longer a “nice-to-have,” but essential to future resilience.
For nonprofit leaders, staff, and funders alike, this episode offers both insight and encouragement: that strengthening digital capacity doesn’t have to mean more work - it’s about working smarter, creating sustainability, and building a stronger sector together.
Visit https://futureproof.ccndr.ca/ to explore the tools and start your own journey.
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