Supporting Capacity Building and Resilience in the context of COVID-19

Non-profits have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 and many have closed their doors. This is a problem: non-profits are crucial to Canada’s social safety net, they serve marginalized populations to build greater resilience. This research intends to determine how United Way Halton and Hamilton (UWHH) and United Ways across the country can best support non-profits in their need for social innovation to recover strong from the COVID-19 pandemic.
We will use a mixed-methods, end-user integrated approach in our research, drawing insights from representatives throughout the Canadian United Way network, and those who manage non-profits in our community. The goal of our research is twofold: first, to gain and share an updated and national view of the current needs non-profits have for social innovation within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and second, to apply those findings to a particular program at United Way Halton and Hamilton that targets updated needs, and features a customized digital platform co-designed by end-users.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sandra Lapointe;Brent McKnight

Student:

Partner:

United Way Halton and Hamilton

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Other services (except public administration)

University:

McMaster University

Program: