The Saskatoon Open Door Society (SODS) was established in 1980 as a place to welcome and assist refugees and immigrants moving to Saskatoon. SODS help newcomers to connect, integrate and build strong reciprocal relationships with the local community, including Indigenous communities.
Enhancing SODS’ strategy to help immigrants gain access to the local labour market and find meaningful employment, and assist employers in recognizing the value of hiring and retaining a diverse workforce.
SODS has significantly enhanced its strategies to ensure its activities are driven by the evolving needs of newcomers. With LIFT’s support, SODS has refocused to form more impactful partnerships with employers, corporations, and regulatory bodies to accelerate newcomer employment and integration. Participation in the Strengthening Employer Feedback Channels project and plans for an employer portal demonstrate SODS' commitment to bridging gaps between employers and diverse newcomer talent. A refined impact measurement framework has also enabled a data-driven approach that will not only improve SODS' ability to address newcomer needs through informed program design, but will strengthen communications, providing a more compelling narrative of SODS’ impact to engage supporters.
By embracing these strategic changes, SODS has positioned itself as a leader in newcomer integration and employment, and is well-positioned to create even greater impact for its community.
Ali Abukar CEO, Saskatoon Open Door SocietyLIFT has enabled us to expand our available resources, providing us with the means to tackle projects and challenges more effectively. These changes signify a substantial improvement in our organizational capacity.”