Report: Are Canada’s Charities Ready for Digital Transformation?

The 2021 Digital Skills Survey Results seeks to understand and assess the degree to which Canadian charities are open, interested, and willing to adopt new digital tools, and to identify barriers in using them. In the first survey of its kind in Canada, our report summarizes key findings from over 1,400 diverse charities. What we discovered was an overall willingness and recognized importance of adopting digital tools amidst the challenges of embracing digital.

While there is a need and desire to expand the use of digital tools, there are several challenges and insights outlined in the report:

• A majority of charities believe that digital adoption is important, yet more than two-thirds of charities report the adoption of digital tools is a lower priority for their organization.
• More than 55% of charities expressed either a lack of funding or the skills, expertise, and knowledge for greater use of digital tools.
• Massive gaps identified in charities using digital technology based on self-rated skill level — mostly “fair” or “poor.”
• Recommendations on how government, funders, Canadians, and even charities can bridge this digital divide in the sector.

Download survey results here.