2026 Nonprofit Data Capacity Summit - Winnipeg
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. ****** ADD LINK WHEN LIVE
Agenda
🕑: 08:00 AM
Breakfast and Registration
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:45 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
🕑: 09:45 AM - 10:30 AM
Keynote
Host: Diane Roussin
Info: Join Diane Roussin, the President and CEO of Winnipeg Boldness, in conversation with Wilfreda Edward to discuss how Winnipeg Boldness approaches evidence, relationship and community participation in the social lab model. Winnipeg Boldness is an Indigenous-led social innovations lab. The initiative centers community perspectives, experiences, knowledge systems and values in defining the problems that are most pressing for Point Douglas families and in building towards the solutions to those challenges.
🕑: 10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Break
🕑: 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
Interactive Activity
🕑: 12:15 PM - 01:15 PM
Lunch
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:15 PM
A Community Indicator System for Winnipeg: Peg Retro
Info: For over 15 years, United Way Winnipeg and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) have collaborated on one of the longest standing community indicator systems in the world. With significant changes to the technological, social, and economic landscape during this time, the decision has been made to conclude work on Peg in Spring 2027. Featuring a short keynote and presentation, followed by a panel featuring instrumental individuals from Peg’s history, we will explore the details of Peg’s work and mission, and how the ethos of democratizing data can be carried forward in other work.
🕑: 01:15 PM - 02:15 PM
Building Data Culture: Insights from 2 Sector-led Projects
Host: Cara Eaton
Info: This session shares insights and wisdom from two volunteer centres—Volunteer Manitoba and Volunteer Toronto—currently tackling large-scale data projects. Volunteer Manitoba will share how they’ve built the case and capacity to conduct the Province’s first-ever State of the Nonprofit Sector survey in Summer 2026, harnessing their role as a non-profit connector to unearth brand new insights and advocate for the needs of Manitoba’s cause-based organizations.
Volunteer Toronto will share lessons learned from their work to build a collaborative of aligned partners in ongoing data collection by harnessing membership programs, volunteer portals and direct programming at volunteer centres across the country. The vision? Standardize volunteer and non-profit data to build a national aggregation system as a part of Volunteer Canada's National Volunteer Action Strategy, solidifying a long-term data-informed voice for volunteerism in Canada.
🕑: 02:15 PM - 02:30 PM
Break
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Data Leadership: Integrating Strategy, Governance and Decision Making
Host: Joanne Zuk
Info: Most organizations collect more data than ever before, yet many leadership teams still struggle to turn that information into better decisions. This session explores how strategy and data should work together - not as separate organizational functions - but as complementary tools that help leaders make effective decisions, strengthen governance, measure what matters, and build more sustainable organizations. Drawing on practical experience working with organizations across the nonprofit sector, we'll explore the questions executive leaders should be asking before they collect more data, how strategic planning can shape meaningful measurement (and vice versa), and how organizations can move beyond reporting requirements toward information that genuinely improves decision making.
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Protecting Data as Capacity Grows: Practical Cybersecurity for NP Data Work
Host: Gordon Chan
Info: Join this session to engage in practical skills and tools to help connect your organization's data capacity with cybersecurity. Designed for organization that may not have dedicated IT staff, are just getting started or are continuing to strengthen their cybersecurity practice, this session will help you walk away more confident about your ability to protect, use, and manage sensitive data your organization collects.
🕑: 03:30 PM - 03:45 PM
Break
🕑: 03:45 PM - 05:00 PM
Closing Remarks & Networking
🕑: 03:45 PM - 05:00 PM
60-min Guided Museum Tour
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 21.00 to CAD 225.05
