Embracing Spirit and Soul: Reflections from the 2025 CICP Data Walk

November 11, 2025

Time to read: 5 minutes

At the 2025 Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP) Data Summit, I had the privilege of facilitating the final station of our morning Data Walk, titled “Looking to the Horizon – Where Do We Go From Here?” Summit participants, who are leaders, practitioners, and researchers from across the charitable sector, rotated through six rounds of discussion and engaged deeply with three years of CICP survey data.

What unfolded at my station was less a technical discussion about data and more a heartfelt conversation about the collective desire to move beyond reactive coping and reclaim the sectors sense of spirit, while also recognizing that its true strength and resilience have always come from its human and cultural soul.

The Need to Speak Up with More Clarity and Confidence

No topic stirred stronger emotions than advocacy. The data showed that nearly half of charities say advocacy doesn’t align with their mission, a finding that surprised many. Several participants admitted that this hesitation is due to a mix of institutional barriers, limited capacity, and the lingering “chill” of past government audits, when many organizations avoided public advocacy to protect their charitable status. Others pointed to the fear of alienating funders or donors.

But then came a reframing that shifted the conversation entirely. One participant suggested that perhaps the issue isn’t reluctance: it’s language. They noted that many organizations are doing advocacy; they just call it something else: public education, awareness campaigns, or community development. This observation hinted a way forward where collective examples can help demystify advocacy and show that speaking up is not separate from mission fulfillment but integral to it.

At the same time, participants offered examples of courage and adaptation in their advocacy work. A group working in the environmental space shared how they encourage communities to advocate for clean water at local and provincial levels, integrating policy awareness into service delivery. Another participant described a major food security organization gradually moving from an emergency response model toward a sustained advocacy role through testifying before committees and working to address root causes of hunger.

The Need to Scale Up with More Strategy and Reflection

Another theme that surfaced repeatedly was artificial intelligence (AI). Participants shared experiences that reflected a sector in exploration mode: willing to test, but determined to stay grounded in its values.

There was a recognition of AI’s potential to relieve administrative pressures: automating repetitive tasks, summarizing reports, and freeing staff time for human connection. Some participants shared that their organizations have already begun using AI after receiving targeted training, while others are taking slower, more structured steps. One participant described a policy in her organization requiring staff to seek approval before using tools such as ChatGPT for grant writing or donor outreach as a way of ensuring thoughtful use rather than blind adoption.

Despite these structured beginnings, several participants admitted that digital readiness remains uneven across the sector. One senior leader reflected on their own experience during the early days of personal computers and word processing, recalling how that technological shift split the workforce between those who embraced the change and those who never fully adapted, and suggesting that a similar divide may now be emerging with AI. Another speaker observed that many people don’t know how to properly organize data to make use of available tools. They provided an example of someone who wanted to use AI to fill a contract when the only necessary tool was “network,” a reminder that not every problem requires advanced technology. Knowing what information already exists, organizing it well, and valuing human connections must be considered a part of good data practice.

Participants also noted that AI and ethics have not caught up to technology and that organizations are struggling with weighing the potential damages and consequences against the benefits. One speaker pointed out that AI has already shown bias in settings like doctors’ offices, providing more positive outcomes for men while triggering depression warnings for women with similar symptoms. Another voiced concern that organizations are utilizing AI as a substitute for training and investing into staff. They noted colleagues using AI to fill a skill gap in areas like writing grants and communications, and stated it would be incredible if we could invest more into people.

The Necessity of Collaboration

If there was one connecting thread I found across the six rounds, it was collaboration. Participants who I spoke with, pointed to many encouraging collaborative examples already in motion. Coalitions of gender-based violence shelters, for instance, have formed provincial and national associations that enable members to advocate collectively, share expertise, and pool training resources, achieving far more together than they could alone. Shared service models such as joint training programs and digital helplines also demonstrate how pooling resources can extend high-quality tools and platforms to smaller organizations that might otherwise lack access.

One of the most striking examples came from a foundation that intentionally convened its grantees and policymakers to collaborate directly. This experience offers a glimpse of how new relationships and shared problem-solving can break down long-standing silos. Another participant noted that greater collaboration, and even mergers, can enhance effectiveness and create a more seamless experience for clients, sparing them from navigating countless agencies. Yet there was also recognition that deep cultural and emotional barriers remain, including fears of losing an organization’s distinct mission and identity in the process.

“We’ll Celebrate and Party First!”: Honoring the Sector’s Soul

What stays with me most from the discussion is how deeply the collective desire not only for “spirit” (ambition, confidence, and clarity) but also for “soul” (belonging, mission alignment, and people-centeredness). Again and again, participants spoke of wanting to move beyond constant coping toward long-term vision and collective courage, yet they also reminded one another that the heart of the sector lies in its people, values, and culture. One leader captured this beautifully when asked what action they would take to move their organization toward the future: they said simply, “we’ll party and celebrate first!” That profoundly human message stayed with me. It reminds us that sustainability depends not only on better plans and strategies, but also on the capacity to find joy together, to celebrate what is still strong, and remembering why we began this work in the first place.

Author

Nguyen, Thi Kim Quy

Postdoctoral Fellow
Email Thi Kim Quy

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