Mastering your theory of change with Lisa Watson

If I go for a short run this morning, then I will feel energized throughout the day and be healthier in the long term. This was my mental cue that got me up at 5:30 am today. This has been...

How charity boards can make the move from operations to strategy and governance

One of the biggest challenges for board members of small charities is finding a healthy balance between focusing on operational responsibilities and making time for strategy and governance. It is especially difficult for charities with little or no paid staff,...

Leading for impact with Nouman Ashraf

In our conversation today with Nouman Ashraf, we’ll debunk some myths around what a leader is and how to be a good one. In short - leadership is not a position or title, it’s a way of being and enabling...

National Day of Conversation on sexualized violence in the nonprofit and charitable sector

While for many people, awareness of the #MeToo movement came after the exposure of Harvey Weinstein in the fall of 2017, the hashtag was actually used as far back as 2006, coined by Black community organizer and activist Tarana Burke...

How to create a successful collaboration between nonprofit organizations

In the late 1980s, an organizational consultant in rural America coined the term “information silos” to describe how an organization may be as rich with information as a silo is with grain, but the information remains trapped, again like grain...

Catalyst for Change: Exploring the new report from the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector

On June 20, 2019, the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector released its report, Catalyst for Change: A Roadmap to a Stronger Charitable Sector, which included 42 clear recommendations. Because this comprehensive report has been called “a once-in-a-generation opportunity,”...

Canada Revenue Agency’s Charities Directorate modernizes with new digital registration platform

You may not have been aware, but on June 1, 2019, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)’s Charities Directorate rolled out a new, online, digital registration platform for charities. Yes, modernization has arrived at The Agency. The new Charities IT Modernization...

From the extractive economy to community economies

Our dominant models for economic development are failing us. The extractive economy, as Ted Howard and Marjorie Kelly of the Democracy Collaborative call it in their forthcoming book The Making of the Democratic Economy, is “designed to benefit the wealthy,...

How changing government procurement policies are impacting the Canadian nonprofit sector

Remember that classic refrain: “Birds gotta fly / Fish gotta swim”? There’s another line one could add: “Governments gotta procure.” Not as catchy, granted. Still, the reality is that obtaining and providing services and resources for social services, training and...

Charity, nonprofit or social enterprise: A primer on the legal definitions that govern our organizations

I’ve written for and about nonprofits and charities for more than a quarter century but earlier this year, I realized—true confession time — I tended to use the two terms somewhat interchangeably, not being entirely clear on the differences. When...
Scroll to Top