Ottawa, ON — The Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI) has published DGSI 135, Digital capability assessment framework for nonprofit organizations.
DGSI 135 establishes a practical, technology-agnostic framework to help nonprofit organizations delivering community and human services assess, prioritize, and strengthen their digital capabilities. The Standard is designed to support organizations with basic to moderate digital needs and may be applied at the organizational, team, or individual level.
As digital tools play an increasingly central role in service delivery, operations, and accountability, DGSI 135 provides a structured and repeatable approach to understanding digital maturity, identifying gaps, and planning targeted improvements aligned with organizational mandates and available resources.
What DGSI 135 Covers
DGSI 135 provides guidance across the following key components:
- Structured Assessment Lifecycle
A five-phase process (discovery, planning, execution, action, and follow-up) to support continuous digital improvement. - Capability Maturity Levels
A clear framework to assess current and target states across foundational, practical, and advanced capability levels. - Office Tools
Core productivity tools that support everyday digital work, documentation, and information management. - Communication and Collaboration Tools
Capabilities that enable effective teamwork through email, chat, video conferencing, and shared digital workspaces. - Marketing and Website Tools
Digital tools that support online presence, outreach, engagement, and service visibility. - Data Management and Analysis Tools
Practices for managing, analyzing, and using data to support reporting, decision-making, and organizational insight. - AI Tools and Large Language Models
Guidance for responsible and effective use of AI to improve productivity, automate workflows, and manage emerging risks. - Cybersecurity and Privacy
Foundational to advanced practices to protect sensitive data, manage cyber risk, and meet regulatory obligations. - Digital Leadership
Leadership capabilities that support digital strategy, governance, and change management.
Call for Experts: Join Technical Committee 3 – Digital Skills
DGSI is inviting experts, practitioners, researchers, and sector leaders to participate in Technical Committee 3 (TC 3 – Digital Skills), which is responsible for the ongoing maintenance and further development of DGSI 135.
Participation in TC 3 offers an opportunity to help advance DGSI 135 toward designation as a National Standard of Canada, ensuring it remains relevant, practical, and responsive to the evolving digital needs of nonprofit organizations.
Individuals with expertise in nonprofit service delivery, digital skills development, data, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, governance, or organizational change are encouraged to express interest in joining the committee.
Become a technical committee member by signing up via the Get Involved page.
Become a Digitally Ready Organization
The Nonprofit Digital Capability Verification Program helps nonprofit and community service organizations assess and demonstrate their digital readiness using the emerging DGSI 135 Digital Capability Assessment Framework.
Through a structured, independent review process, participating organizations receive direct access to subject-matter experts and free consultation to support their assessment and strengthen digital capability across core areas including digital tools, data practices, cybersecurity, communication systems, AI readiness, and digital leadership.
Successful organizations will receive a formal Statement of Verification from the Digital Governance Council, offering credible third-party recognition that strengthens trust with funders, partners, donors, and communities.
Register now for one of the limited FREE signups and get your organization digitally ready!
About the Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI)
The Digital Governance Standards Institute develops digital technology governance standards fit for global use. The Institute works with experts, as well as national and global partners and the public to develop national standards that reduce risk to Canadians and Canadian organizations adopting and using innovative digital technologies in today’s digital economy. The Institute is an independent division of the Digital Governance Council. To learn more about the organization and its initiatives, visit www.dgc-cgn.org or contact info@dgc-cgn.org.