Let's Imagine

Two major interconnected challenges the nonprofit and charitable sector is facing today are changes to the way volunteerism is working - a shift from formal to informal and the lack of data to inform program design and decision-making to improve the work of organizations in serving our communities. With our guest Megan Conway, President & CEO of Volunteer Canada, we discussed two major initiatives led by Volunteer Canada that aim to help address these challenges: the National Volunteer Action Strategy for Canada and the Canadian Knowledge Hub for Giving and Volunteering.

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On this episode of Let's Imagine, we welcome Paul Taylor, co-founder of Evenings and Weekends Consulting to discuss the importance of equity, diversity, and inclusion in board governance, and why many organizations struggle to actualize these principles. We also delve into the concept of decent work, the intersection of board governance with the promotion of decent work practices, and the role of board members in facilitating fair employment practices.

00:45 The Birth of Evenings and Weekends Consulting

02:37 Racial Justice and Board Diversity

05:36 Challenges in Achieving Diversity and Inclusion

08:55 Equity Benchmarking Study Insights

13:22 Advancing Decent Work Practices

17:12 Role of Board Members in Prioritizing Decent Work

18:26 Closing Remarks

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On this episode of the Let's Imagine podcast our host, Bruce MacDonald and our guest Terry Carter of Carters Professionals looked back at some of the regulatory files the charitable sector followed closely in 2023 - such as the new guidance on qualifying disbursements and the alternative minimum tax. They also explored the key policy files that the sector should watch in 2024, and discussed the increasing complexity that charities have to deal with - for example, the new T3010 reporting requirements.

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Social finance is an alternative to traditional finance models. While it may not be a panacea to solve all social problems, it has tremendous potential to propel organizations by offering a funding model that can help them ensure their long-term financial sustainability. While we've been hearing more about social finance in recent years, it is not a new concept. The origins of this type of financing are found at the grassroots level - it was created a long time ago by communities to finance community-driven initiatives.

In this episode, with guests Leena Yahia of Imagine Canada, and Rebecca Waterhouse of Raven Indigenous Impact Foundation, we explore examples of social finance repayable investment and dive into case studies of organizations that are using social finance to help them achieve their mission.

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In Imagine Canada's recent research, statistics showed that our sector bats over the average when it comes to the employment of newcomers. While about a quarter of employees in the rest of the economy immigrated to Canada at some point in their lives, nearly half of nonprofit workers did so. With guests Senator Ratna Omidvar and Dr. Kimahli Powell, Executive Director of Rainbow Railroad, we discuss the unique strengths and contributions of newcomers to the nonprofit sector. Listen in for thoughtful reflections on questions such as how the Canadian nonprofit sector can adapt to increase its support and integration of newcomers, how organizations are navigating the influx of demand for refugee settlement services caused by human rights threats, and the need for more diversity data for the nonprofit sector.

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Description: Saviez-vous que depuis le début de la pandémie, la proportion des Québécois et Québécoises qui font des dons a bondi de 50 - 60 % à 80 %? Pour cette épisode du balado, nous avons le grand plaisir de recevoir Caroline Richard, directrice générale de l'Institut Mallet, pour discuter de divers sujets, dont l'état de la situation philanthropique au Québec, les tendances en terme de dons et le très attendu Sommet de la philanthropie qui se déroulera à Québec en novembre.

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Bien que notre secteur dispose de plusieurs points de contact au sein du gouvernement fédéral, aucun ministère ou département n'est chargé d'améliorer le contexte stratégique ou le paysage économique du secteur à but non lucratif au Canada. Par contre, au niveau provincial, il existe des modèles. Au Québec, par exemple, les responsables ont créé depuis quelques années une place au sein de l'appareil gouvernemental provincial pour soutenir les organismes de bienfaisance et à but non lucratif québécois. Dans cet épisode, nous examinons le concept d'une « place au sein du gouvernement » avec notre invité, Fabien Despeyroux, directeur général de Horti-Cité OBNL à Gatineau.

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While our sector has several touchpoints with the federal government, no ministry or department is responsible for improving the nonprofit sector's policy environment or economic landscape. At the provincial level, however, such models exist. For example, in 2020, leaders in British Columbia created a place inside the machinery of government to support charities and nonprofits with the appointment of its first-ever Parliamentary Secretary - Community Development and Nonprofits. In this episode, we are exploring the concept of a 'home in government' with our guest, Zahra Esmail, CEO of Vantage Point in Vancouver.

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In this episode, we are looking at the current state of the charitable sector, including demand, staffing, revenue, donation trends and how these will affect charities in the future. Charities have been strained for several years now, due to the pandemic and the rising cost of living which created unprecedented needs in our communities. Demand for services continues to rise and many organizations are struggling to keep up - 40% of charities have experienced a lasting increase in demand since the pandemic and 57% cannot meet current levels of demand, according to a survey commissioned by CanadaHelps for their annual Giving Report. To discuss the important findings from this year's Giving Report, we're grateful to discuss with Duke Chang, recently appointed CEO of CanadaHelps.

Over the last decade or so we have witnessed the rise of new ways for engaging in the betterment of communities by providing access to investment capital, creating public-private partnerships and expanding the range of possibilities for identifying solutions to complex social problems. In this episode, we are digging into a growing part of the mixed ecology that makes up social good in this country - social innovation.

Social innovation is broadly defined by new ideas, methods, and practices for solving social or environmental problems which, once adopted, have a transformative impact across organizations, communities, regions, and systems. Since the current federal government was elected in 2015, it has also expressed a keen interest in social innovation as a way to address major societal issues.

To discuss this rapidly growing trend, we're joined by Graham Singh, Chief Executive Officer of the Montreal-based Trinity Centres Foundation.