PIPEDA, Law 25 and your donor list: a plain-language privacy guide for Canadian non-profits
Which Canadian privacy laws apply to charities and small organizations, what Quebec’s Law 25 changed, and the five things to put in place this year.
IT help for Canadian organizations
IT helps to have a human.
Maple Humans is the IT team for Canadian charities, non-profits and small organizations that don’t have one. We fix what’s broken, set things up properly and build your website, with a real person on the other end and no surprises on the invoice.
- A real person reads every message
- Quotes before work starts
- One-off jobs or ongoing help
- Every dollar accounted for
Built for organizations like yours
- Registered charities
- Non-profits
- Community associations
- Faith communities
- Co-ops
- Arts groups
- Small businesses
The difference
A real person, every time.
No phone trees, chatbots or ticket roulette. When you reach out, someone on our team reads it, sorts it out and tells you plainly what happened.
- Step 1You reach outEmail us or send a message from the site.
- Step 2A person reads itSomeone on our team, not a bot or a queue.
- Step 3We sort it outFixed on the spot, or quoted before we start.
- Step 4We write it downNotes in your account, in plain language.
What we do
One place to go for all things tech.
From “the printer is acting up again” to a brand-new website, we cover it all.
Everyday IT help
Something stopped working? Tell us, and a person sorts it out.
Microsoft 365 & Google Workspace
Email, shared drives and calendars, including non-profit licensing.
Security & backups
Multi-factor sign-in, password managers and backups you have actually tested.
Devices & Wi-Fi
Laptops, printers and networks for the office, the hall or home.
Staff & volunteer accounts
Clean onboarding and offboarding, so access leaves when people do.
Donor & member data
CRMs, mailing lists and spreadsheets tidied up and connected.
Websites & .ca domains
Custom sites, domains and email that are registered in your name.
Privacy & compliance
Practical help with PIPEDA, Law 25, CASL and accessibility.
How we work
Predictable, whatever the size of the job.
Small organizations can’t afford surprise invoices. Whether it’s a one-time fix or ongoing support, you know the cost before we start.
One-off jobs
Something broke, or you need one thing done. You get a quote before we start, and we ask before going over it.
Fix email going to spam · set up a laptop · recover a locked accountProjects
Websites, moves to Microsoft 365, new office setups. A fixed scope and a fixed quote, billed at milestones you can see.
New website · email migration · office moveOngoing care
A steady monthly fee for help, updates, security and onboarding, so IT is a line in your budget instead of a surprise.
Help whenever you need it · updates · quarterly check-ins- A written quote before any work starts
- No work beyond the quote without your OK
- Plain-language invoices in Canadian dollars
- Charity and non-profit rates
- Easy to fit into a grant or annual budget
- Pay by card, Interac e-Transfer, EFT or cheque
Website development
A website your team can actually update.
We design and build fast, accessible websites for mission-driven organizations, then show your people how to keep them current.
- Donations through CanadaHelps, Zeffy or Stripe
- Events, volunteer sign-ups and newsletter forms
- English and French, done properly
- Accessible to WCAG 2.1 AA
- .ca domain, hosting and email handled
- Moves from Squarespace, Wix and WordPress
Made in Canada, for Canada
We know the rules your organization plays by.
Your board, funders and donors are Canadian, and so are we. We work across all six time zones and know the laws that apply to you.
- 6:00 a.m.VictoriaPacific
- 7:00 a.m.CalgaryMountain
- 8:00 a.m.WinnipegCentral
- 9:00 a.m.TorontoEastern
- 10:00 a.m.HalifaxAtlantic
- 10:30 a.m.St. John’sNewfoundland
Canadian data, where possible
We set up your tools to store data in Canadian data centres wherever the provider offers it.
Canadian privacy rules
Policies and processes that fit PIPEDA, Quebec’s Law 25 and provincial privacy laws.
English and French
Bilingual websites and forms done properly, for every community you serve.
Accessible by default
Websites built to WCAG 2.1 AA, which supports AODA and Accessible Canada Act requirements.
CASL-friendly email
Newsletter sign-ups with proper consent records and working unsubscribe links.
Every discount you qualify for
Help applying for non-profit programs from Microsoft, Google and TechSoup Canada.
Getting started
It starts with one message.
- 1
Tell us what’s going on
Send a message or email. No forms to decode, no ticket numbers.
- 2
Get a plain-language plan
For anything bigger than a quick fix, you get a written quote before we start.
- 3
We do the work and write it down
You get a short summary of what we did, and we’re here when you need us next.
We are tiny. Is this really for us?
Yes. Many organizations we help have a handful of staff and a lot of volunteers. One-off jobs have no minimums and no contract.
Do we have to sign up for a monthly plan?
No. Plenty of organizations only call us when they need something. Ongoing care is there if you want predictable monthly costs, and it is never required.
How do you keep costs predictable?
You get a written quote before any work starts. If something turns out bigger than expected, we stop and ask before going further. Invoices are in plain language, in Canadian dollars.
Who actually reads our messages?
A member of our team in Canada. Not a call centre, not a bot. If you work with us regularly, you’ll usually deal with the same person each time.
Do you work with organizations in Quebec?
Yes. We build bilingual websites and help you meet Law 25 requirements, such as naming a person responsible for personal information and handling privacy incidents.
Will we be locked in?
No. Your domains, accounts and website are registered in your organization’s name, and everything we set up is documented for you.
From the blog
All articles →Plain-language tech advice.
Privacy & compliance
Our approach
Why a real person reads every message
Ticket queues and chatbots make sense for big companies. For a charity with three staff and a gala on Friday, they’re the wrong tool. Here’s how we work instead.
Email & websites
CASL for charities: how to grow your email list without getting into trouble
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation in plain language: the registered-charity exemption, implied vs. express consent, and how to set up your website sign-up form properly.
Talk to a human
Tell us what’s going on.
A big project or a small fix, it all starts here. A real person will read your message and get back to you.
hello@maplehumans.com