In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we take a hard look at the well-being of Canada’s nonprofit workforce, with a spotlight on the frontline staff who form the backbone of essential community services. We uncover troubling data from recent research reports about food insecurity, burnout, and the systemic challenges facing nonprofit workers. Joining us for this discussion are sector leaders and researchers who provide context for these findings and share practical solutions. 

Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance 

·       Anouk Bertner, Executive Director, Future of Good

·       Steven Ayer, President & Founder, Common Good Strategies

·       Akela Peoples, CEO, Mental Health Research Canada

·       Anne-Marie Newton, President & CEO, CAMH Foundation

·       Dr. Kate Toth, Director of Coaching & Partner Success, YMCA WorkWell

·       Mitzie Hunter, President & CEO, Canadian Women’s Foundation
 

About your Host

Mary Barroll, president of CharityVillage, is an online business executive and lawyer with a background in media, technology and IP law. A former CBC journalist and independent TV producer, in 2013 she was appointed General Counsel & VP Media Affairs at CharityVillage.com, Canada’s largest job portal for charities and not for profits in Canada, and then President in 2021. Mary is also President of sister company, TalentEgg.ca, Canada’s No.1, award-winning job board and online career resource that connects top employers with top students and grads.

Additional CharityVillage Resources from this Episode

·       CharityVillage eLearning:

•  Best Practices for Stress Management and Mindfulness at Work
•  Dealing with Difficult People
•  Developing Emotional Resiliency and Self-Care
•  Resolving Conflict
•  Workplace Mental Health and Psychological Safety Certificate Program

·       Workplace Mental Health Resources for Nonprofit Managers and Professionals

·       CharityVillage Mental Health Guide (Free)

·       Fostering Personal and Collective Wellbeing: A workbook and guide for social service providers (Free)

Additional Resources from this Episode

We've gathered the resources from this episode into one helpful list:

·       The Changemaker Wellbeing Index 2025 (Future of Good)

·       Poll 24 (Mental Health Research Canada)

·       Insights to Impact: The State of Employee Wellbeing in Canadian Nonprofit Organizations (YMCA WorkWell, 2024)

·       Poverty in Canada Through a Deprivation Lens (Food Banks Canada, 2024)

·       Why studies show burnout is getting worse: ‘Employees are exhausted’ (Global News, 2024)

·       Poll 23 (Mental Health Research Canada)

·       Youth mental health in decline: Canadians much more likely to blame cost of living than international peers (King’s College London, 2025)

·       CBC Radio: Mental Health Study (2025)

·       Online Hate and Harassment: The American Experience 2024 (Anti-Defamation League)

·       Study on Feminist Brain Drain in the VAW Shelter Sector (Women’s Shelters Canada, 2024)

·       Burnout is the new threat to Canada’s economy – especially for women (The Prosperity Project, 2023)

·       Challenging Gendered Digital Harm (Canadian Women’s Foundation)

·       Rude behaviour spiked in Ontario classrooms after COVID-19: Brock research (2024)

·       Opening Minds

·       Mental Health Commission of Canada

·       Workplace Mental Health Resource Centre (CAMH)

·       Access CAMH

Learn more and listen to the full interviews with the guests here.

In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we take a hard look at the well-being of Canada’s nonprofit workforce, with a spotlight on the frontline staff who form the backbone of essential community services. We uncover troubling data from recent research reports about food
insecurity, burnout, and the systemic challenges facing nonprofit workers. Joining us for this discussion are sector leaders and researchers who provide context for these findings and share practical solutions.

Subscribe so you don't miss the full episode coming August 26, 2025.

Episode 32 

In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we take a close look at the insights revealed in the 2025 CanadaHelps Giving Report about the landscape of charitable giving in Canada, and what these insights mean for your nonprofit or charity. Joined by sector leaders, we examine donor trends, shifting patterns of giving, and the broader implications for fundraising in today’s uncertain economic climate. 

Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance 

• Nicole Danesi, Senior Manager, Strategic Communications and Brand, CanadaHelps
• Allen Davidov, Senior Vice President, Practice Leader of the Not-for-profit, Energy, and Tourism Sectors, Environics Analytics
• Aneil Gokhale, Director of Philanthropy, Toronto Foundation
• Samantha Cooke, Vice President, Philanthropy, Daily Bread Food Bank
• Sarah Midanik, President & CEO, Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

About your Host

Mary Barroll, president of CharityVillage, is an online business executive and lawyer with a background in media, technology and IP law. A former CBC journalist and independent TV producer, in 2013 she was appointed General Counsel & VP Media Affairs at CharityVillage.com, Canada’s largest job portal for charities and not for profits in Canada, and then President in 2021. Mary is also President of sister company, TalentEgg.ca, Canada’s No.1, award-winning job board and online career resource that connects top employers with top students and grads.

Additional Resources from this Episode

We've gathered the resources from this episode into one helpful list:

• The Giving Report 2025 (CanadaHelps) [Past Giving Reports are available at the bottom of this page]

Learn more and listen to the full interviews with the guests here.

In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we take a close look at the insights revealed in the 2025 CanadaHelps Giving Report about the landscape of charitable giving in Canada, and what these insights mean for your nonprofit or charity. Joined by sector leaders, we examine donor trends, shifting patterns of giving, and the broader implications for fundraising in today’s uncertain economic climate. 

Episode 31 – Post-Election Wake-Up Call: What Canada’s New Federal Government Means for Nonprofits

It’s been about three months now, since Canada elected its new government. What will this new federal government mean for Canada's nonprofit sector? What policy shifts can we anticipate? How will funding be affected? And what should nonprofit leaders be watching for, in the months ahead? In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we speak with several nonprofit leaders and government relations experts to help us unpack what we might expect from our newly elected government and better understand what the nonprofit sector can do to work with this government to serve the needs of Canadians.

Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance 

• Christopher Holz, Government Relations Advisor, capitalW
• Andrew Chunilall, CEO, Community Foundations of Canada
• Jean-Marc Mangin, President & CEO, Philanthropic Foundations Canada
• Mitzie Hunter, President & CEO, Canadian Women’s Foundation

About your Host

Mary Barroll, president of CharityVillage, is an online business executive and lawyer with a background in media, technology and IP law. A former CBC journalist and independent TV producer, in 2013 she was appointed General Counsel & VP Media Affairs at CharityVillage.com, Canada’s largest job portal for charities and not for profits in Canada, and then President in 2021. Mary is also President of sister company, TalentEgg.ca, Canada’s No.1, award-winning job board and online career resource that connects top employers with top students and grads.

Additional Resources from this Episode

We've gathered the resources from this episode into one helpful list:

• Canada Strong (Liberal Party of Canada 2025 Platform)
• 2025 Speech from the Throne
• Mandate Letter from the Prime Minister (May 21, 2025)
• Trump 2.0 and US Philanthropy: Reflections and Actions for Canadian Philanthropic Foundations (Philanthropic Foundations Canada)

Learn more and listen to the full interviews with the guests here.

#podcast

It’s been about three months now, since Canada elected its new government. What will this new federal government mean for Canada's nonprofit sector? What policy shifts can we anticipate? How will funding be affected? And what should nonprofit leaders be watching for, in the months ahead? In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we speak with several nonprofit leaders and government relations experts to help us unpack what we might expect from our newly elected government and better understand what the nonprofit sector can do to work with this government to serve the needs of Canadians.

#podcast

Episode 30 – Should Money Talk? Inequities in Funding and Influence in the Nonprofit Sector 

They say money talks. Is this true for the nonprofit sector, where a relatively small number of large charities receive the lion’s share of available funding? Have well-funded charities dominated the public policy governing our sector, drowning out the voices of the vast majority of small charities and nonprofits across the country?  In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we take a closer look at the impact this inequitable power dynamic has on the sector, the problems it causes, and what can be done about it. 

Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance  

• Steven Ayer, President and Founder, Common Good Strategies 
• John Hallward, President, Sector3Insights 
• Mark Blumberg, Lawyer, Blumbergs Professional Corporation 
• Liban Abokor, CEO, Reimagine LABS 
• Minnie Njeri Karanja, Founder and Executive Director, Impact Weaving Coaching and Consulting  

About your Host 

Mary Barroll, president of CharityVillage, is an online business executive and lawyer with a background in media, technology and IP law. A former CBC journalist and independent TV producer, in 2013 she was appointed General Counsel & VP Media Affairs at CharityVillage.com, Canada’s largest job portal for charities and not for profits in Canada, and then President in 2021. Mary is also President of sister company, TalentEgg.ca, Canada’s No.1, award-winning job board and online career resource that connects top employers with top students and grads. 

Past CharityVillage Connects Episodes 

• Canadian Philanthropy: Time for a Shake Up? (Discussion of disbursement quota) 

Additional Resources from this Episode 

We've gathered the resources from this episode into one helpful list: 

• Unfunded: Black Communities Overlooked by Canadian Philanthropy (2020)  
• Foundation for Black Communities 
• Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector 
• Canadian charities giving to Indigenous Charities and Qualified Donees - 2019 (Canadian Charity Law, 2022) 

Learn more and listen to the full interviews with the guests here. 

Episode 30 – Should Money Talk? Inequities in Funding and Influence in the Nonprofit Sector 

They say money talks. Is this true for the nonprofit sector, where a relatively small number of large charities receive the lion’s share of available funding? Have well-funded charities dominated the public policy governing our sector, drowning out the voices of the vast majority of small charities and nonprofits across the country?  In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we take a closer look at the impact this inequitable power dynamic has on the sector, the problems it causes, and what can be done about it. 

Episode 29 – Growing Pains: How Canada’s Population Boom Affects Nonprofits

In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we take a careful look at how recent, unprecedented population growth in Canada is impacting charities and nonprofits. With organizations already struggling to cope with a rising demand in services, does a surge in population add further strain to an already overstretched sector? Are there opportunities that exist to help organizations grow their staff, volunteers, and donors? Join us as we explore this topic with sector experts, who offer nuanced answers to the question: What does a significant population increase mean for the Canadian nonprofit and charitable sector?

Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance 

• Steven Ayer, President and Founder, Common Good Strategies
• Carolyn Stewart, CEO, Feed Ontario
• Andrew Chunilall, CEO, Community Foundations of Canada
• Olga Stachova, CEO, MOSAIC
• Aleks Dughman, Co-Executive Director, Rainbow Refugee
• Kishone Roy, Executive Director, The Federation of Community Social Services of BC 

About your Host

Mary Barroll, president of CharityVillage, is an online business executive and lawyer with a background in media, technology and IP law. A former CBC journalist and independent TV producer, in 2013 she was appointed General Counsel & VP Media Affairs at CharityVillage.com, Canada’s largest job portal for charities and not for profits in Canada, and then President in 2021. Mary is also President of sister company, TalentEgg.ca, Canada’s No.1, award-winning job board and online career resource that connects top employers with top students and grads.

Additional Resources from this Episode

We've gathered the resources from this episode into one helpful list:

• Toronto Vital Signs: Roundup on Growth (Toronto Foundation, 2024) 
• 2024 HungerCount (Food Banks Canada)
• Navigating New Horizons: The contributions and perspectives of multicultural Canadians (Imagine Canada, 2023)
• Toronto Vital Signs: The Power of Us (Toronto Foundation, 2023)

Learn more and listen to the full interviews with the guests here.

Episode 29 – Growing Pains: How Canada’s Population Boom Affects Nonprofits

In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, we take a careful look at how recent, unprecedented population growth in Canada is impacting charities and nonprofits. With organizations already struggling to cope with a rising demand in services, does a surge in population add further strain to an already overstretched sector? Are there opportunities that exist to help organizations grow their staff, volunteers, and donors? Join us as we explore this topic with sector experts, who offer nuanced answers to the question: What does a significant population increase mean for the Canadian nonprofit and charitable sector?