Announcing the Paquin Philanthropic Fund for the Digital Transformation of NPOs
Artificial intelligence and technology are transforming our society while amplifying social problems in an unprecedented way.
Nonprofit organizations and their employees do extraordinary work to address these new challenges with budgets that, unfortunately, are increasingly tight. Often, because they operate in crisis mode, they are unable to invest in technological transformation that could multiply their impact tenfold.
And yet, I sincerely believe there has never been such a great opportunity (and such an urgent need) to amplify the impact of community organizations through technology.
The data is clear: only 12% of NPOs have achieved advanced technological maturity. These organizations generate up to 4 times more impact than their peers. Other similar funds have documented multiplier effects ranging from 3x to 40x on social impact through targeted technology investments.
This is why I am launching today the Paquin Philanthropic Fund, with a clear mission: to support Canadian nonprofit organizations in their ambitious technological transformation. This mission and the distribution of capital will be supported by three key pillars.
1. Support
In startups, we often talk about "smart money": the idea that an investment comes with expertise, support, and valuable advice. This is exactly the approach I want to test with this fund. So, whether you're a technology expert or a beginner looking for concrete experience, please contact me. We can discuss ways to get involved.
2. Support the complete lifecycle
It goes without saying that technological transformations are very rarely completed in just a few months. I have therefore set up a distribution structure that will allow the fund to finance projects over more than one year.
3. Test and measure
Wearing my entrepreneur hat, I'm approaching this project as an MVP. My hypothesis: one dollar invested in the digital transformation of Canadian NPOs can generate at least three times more measurable impact than one dollar invested directly in operations. My goal with the first iteration of this fund is to validate this hypothesis, which will hopefully allow us to increase invested capital over the longer term.
Next Steps
In the short term, my first objective is to establish a conversation with the community and philanthropic sectors to better understand their reality regarding technology use. I've had the chance to meet with several organizations in recent months, and I'm announcing this project today to broaden the conversation.
I don't claim to be able to solve these problems by myself. It's together, with radical transparency and entrepreneurial methods applied to philanthropy, that we can certainly make a measurable difference to better support the organizations, volunteers, and employees who already do such important work.
More details will follow at the beginning of next year. In the meantime, please subscribe to the project's newsletter if you want to learn more. Thank you!