CharityVillage Connects: Navigating Political and Economic Upheaval: Advice from Nonprofits on the Frontline -

In the last episode of CharityVillage Connects, we talked to government relations and fundraising experts about how nonprofits and charities can navigate the political change and economic impacts currently coming at us at such a dizzying pace. With the continued threat of tariffs from the US President Trump administration, and with both federal and provincial elections looming here at home, we thought it worthwhile to dig even deeper into the topic of governmental change and find out how nonprofit organizations across the country are coping with it all. In this episode of CharityVillage Connects, representatives from frontline organizations share their realities, concerns, and strategies for survival and transformation in these challenging times.

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Meet Our Guests

Christopher Holz, Government Relations Advisor, capitalW
Andrew Chunilall, CEO, Community Foundations of Canada
Carolyn Stewart, CEO, Feed Ontario
Nicole Danesi, Senior Manager, Strategic Communications and Brand, CanadaHelps
Olga Stachova, CEO, MOSAIC
Aleks Selim Dughman Manzur, Co-Executive Director, Rainbow Refugee

Meet Our Guests (in order of appearance)

Christopher Holz

Government Relations Advisor, capitalW

Christopher (Chris) Holz is a seasoned public affairs executive with over 20 years of experience working with government decision makers and clients.

Providing counsel at all three levels of government, he has served corporate clients, citizens groups, charities and non-profits, in several policy areas including financial services, energy and utilities, real estate and infrastructure development, gaming, film and television, health care, municipal government, environment, among others.

Chris and his colleagues led a pro bono campaign for Canada’s survivors of thalidomide which received national (and international) sustained media coverage, resulting in a unanimous vote in the House of Commons (a rare feat), and a funding agreement of over $180 million to provide survivors with ongoing tax-free support for the rest of their lives.

In addition to his consulting experience, he previously served as a Senior Advisor to several Ontario cabinet ministers, including the Minister of Energy, the Minister of Finance, and the Chair of Cabinet.

Chris holds a Masters of Arts from the University of Toronto, and completed research work at the University of Bath (UK) and Katholische Universitat Brabant (Netherlands).

Andrew Chunilall

CEO, Community Foundations of Canada

Andrew Chunilall joined Community Foundations Canada in 2013 and became CEO in 2017, following a six-year tenure as Vice-President of Finance for the London Community Foundation and his long-standing service as a finance and regulatory expert for Canada’s philanthropic milieu. Now at the head of the community foundation movement, Andrew is working closely with the Community Foundations of Canada Leadership team, Board and foundations in Canada and abroad to help the philanthropic sector transform, innovate and meet the new challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

An increasingly active public speaker, Andrew is helping raise awareness for how the philanthropic sector’s convening power, leadership and action around targets such as the Sustainable Development Goals can help Canadian communities reach their full potential.

Carolyn Stewart

CEO, Feed Ontario

Carolyn Stewart is the CEO at Feed Ontario, Ontario’s only provincial network dedicated to serving food banks and hunger-relief agencies. Since joining Feed Ontario in 2009, Carolyn has held a variety of roles and work primarily in Operations and program development. Since 2016, she has held the role of CEO, leading the organization through their rebranding, expansion of programs and services, development of research and advocacy portfolio, and most recently, Feed Ontario’s COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery.

Carolyn is a graduate from the University of Guelph with a major in Public Policy and Criminal Justice and more recently Cornell University in Equitable Community Change. She is passionate about food security and social justice and is committed to Feed Ontario’s vision of an Ontario where everyone is food secure. In her spare time, Carolyn loves baking, the outdoors, and spending time with husband and two small children.

Nicole Danesi

Senior Manager, Strategic Communications and Brand, CanadaHelps

Nicole Danesi is Senior Manager, Strategic Communications and Brand at CanadaHelps where she leads the organization’s media, communications, and brand strategy. As a charity and Canada’s largest online donation and fundraising platform, CanadaHelps has raised more than 3 billion dollars for thousands of Canadian charities in Canada from more than 4.9 million Canadians.

In her spare time, Nicole has volunteered for a number of causes including supporting arts and culture, student mentorship, civic engagement, alleviating food insecurity, and more. A graduate from the University of Toronto, Nicole resides in Mississauga.

Olga Stachova

CEO, MOSAIC

Olga Stachova is the CEO of MOSAIC: a registered charity serving immigrant, refugee, migrant and mainstream communities in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, as well as throughout the province of BC. Its broad range of services include settlement support, English language training, employment assistance, and family services among others. As one of the largest immigrant serving organizations, MOSAIC serves over 30,000 clients annually from 47 accessible locations in Greater Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

Olga has over 20 years of experience managing fast growing, distributed, non-profit organizations, as well as operational expertise in program design, delivery, and evaluation, and a proven track record of building strategic partnerships among diverse stakeholder groups.

Olga joined MOSAIC after a long career as Chief Operating Officer at Mitacs, a national non-profit organization delivering research and training programs to graduate and postgraduate students in Canada through partnerships with the private sector and the federal and provincial governments.

Olga has a Master’s Degree in English and Philosophy from the University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra, Slovakia. Prior to immigrating to Canada, she was Senior Project Manager at Management Partners, the leading HR consulting company in the Slovak market. She was highly successful in her role of recruiting personnel for international organizations opening subsidiaries in Slovakia.

Olga is the recipient of the 2009 Business in Vancouver Top Forty Under 40 Award, as well as the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and King Charles III Coronation Medal.

Olga currently serves on the Invest Vancouver Management Board as well as a Co-Chair of the IRCC National Settlement and Integration Service Delivery Committee.

Aleks Selim Dughman Manzur

Co-Executive Director, Rainbow Refugee

Aleks Selim Dughman Manzur (J.D., LL.M.) (They/Them) is a transgender Palestinian born and raised in Santiago, Chile. As a Chilean lawyer with an LL.M. from the University of Toronto, Aleks specializes in human rights, reproductive and sexual health law, LGBTQI+ rights, and refugee rights, and serves as the Co-Executive Director of Rainbow Refugee. They are a former President of the Canadian Council for Refugees and currently sit on its Executive Committee. Aleks also co-chairs From Borders to Belonging, a Canada-wide solidarity network of organizations advocating for LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers.

Their work focuses on building pathways to refugee protection and creating inclusive communities for individuals with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC). Aleks designs and leads programs tailored to LGBTQI+ asylum seekers, refugee claimants, and refugees. They are an active advocate for refugee rights across multiple levels of government, both domestically and internationally. Aleks also provides expert opinions, represents Canada in international refugee forums, and leads webinars and workshops for global and local organizations.

About your Host

Mary Barroll

President of CharityVillage

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.

CharityVillage Resources from this Episode

- CharityVillage Connects: Navigating the Stormy Waters of Political Uncertainty

Additional Resources from this Episode

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

- Weekly Results: Current Issues and Challenges (Charity Insights Canada Project, February 5, 2025)
- HungerCount 2024 (Food Banks Canada)
- The Giving Report 2024 (CanadaHelps)

Watch the full interviews with our guests

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