2026 Nonprofit Data Capacity Summit - Calgary
About this Event
The Nonprofit Data Capacity Summit brings together nonprofit staff & leaders, intermediaries, funders and government for a day of engaging in meaningful cross-sector conversations.
The summit is designed to foster collaboration and offer strategies to help strengthen the sector’s capacity to create data informed impact for the communities they serve.
The day will feature insightful presentations from leaders in the field and funding partners, along with breakout sessions focused on building data capacity, sharing tools and resources, and exploring what a more connected, equitable future state of nonprofit data could look like.
Who should attend this event?
The summit is designed for anyone in the nonprofit sector, especially those involved in program management, evaluation, operations, strategy, or data use. Whether you're just beginning to explore data or looking to deepen your capacity, this event is for you.
What will the program be?
The day's agenda will be released by July 2026, with the attendees spending the morning engaging in ecosystem level conversation and content. In the afternoon, content will become more tailored to specific topics and audiences. Checkout the event website for the most up to date information: https://buildingdatacapacity.ca/nonprofit-data-capacity-summit-cgy
Agenda
🕑: 08:00 AM
Registration Opens
🕑: 08:00 AM - 09:00 AM
Breakfast
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:45 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
🕑: 09:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Evergreen Panel: Realities of Data Collaboration
Info: Data sharing and data collaboration can help our sector do great things like improve client experience, advocate for system change, and tell compelling stories that attract funders. But the challenges, risks, costs, and barriers aren’t always discussed. This session aims to bring to the surface the real story of data collaboration so that we can gain better insight into what has to be true to make data collaborations successful.
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM
Break
🕑: 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Bold Ideas: Ways to Advance Data Capacity in the Sector
Info: We need some bold ideas about how to advance data capacity of the nonprofit sector in significant and sustainable ways. This facilitated session will draw on the wisdom of the crowd to find the brightest ideas we can all rally behind.
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:15 PM
Lunch
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:15 PM
Breakout Session One: Data Privacy
Info: Have questions about what data privacy legislation applies to you or what managing data privacy should look like in your organization? This will be a practical workshop to answer your questions and get you started on a plan to improve your data management practices.
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:15 PM
Breakout Session One: Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Info: Join us in circle to learn about Indigenous ways of knowing, Indigenous data sovereignty, and working with data for and about Indigenous communities in a good way.
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:15 PM
Breakout Session One: Telling Equitable Stories
Info: What makes for a compelling story that moves people to shift their perspective, take personal action, or support a policy change to address inequities? A session to learn some tips and tricks so you can use your data in ways that make a difference without harming the folks at the centre of the story.
🕑: 02:15 PM - 02:30 PM
Break
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Breakout Session Two: Role of Funders in Building Sector Data Capacity
Info: Funders unite for this deep conversation about what role funders not just can be NEED to play in building and sustaining nonprofit data capacity.
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Breakout Session Two: Ask an Expert: AI Policies and Practices
Info: Whether you love it, hate it, or just don’t get it, we are guessing you have questions. We'll have an expert in non-profit data and AI here to answer your questions, but we are guessing that folks in the room will have lots of thoughts and learnings to share too!
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Breakout Session Two: Data Culture and Learning
Info: Shifting an organization’s culture to one that embraces the role data can play in decision-making, program design, and quality improvement can seem daunting. This session will focus on the small steps you can take in ways that make sense for your organization to get you further on your path to a learning culture.
🕑: 03:30 PM - 03:45 PM
Break
🕑: 03:45 PM - 04:30 PM
Closing Session
Info: But wait, there’s more! Let’s gather our thoughts from the day back together and identify those threads you want to follow. We have left some time and space to catch up with colleagues, track down the folks you wanted to meet, and finish any conversations that got you thinking.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 169.13 to CAD 225.05
