📣Facing the Storm: State of the Sector 2023 is now live| 🎟️Conference registration is open
Facing the Storm: State of the Sector 2023
On Wednesday, we launched our new state of the sector report, Facing the Storm. This year’s state of the sector survey had a record-breaking number of responses that show nonprofits are struggling with increased demand while also dealing with numerous other issues like rising hate and anger, climate change, staffing problems, a lack of volunteers, and more.
Some key findings of the report include:
Just over 1/3 of survey respondents experienced a big impact from rising hate and anger in 2023. This is concerning as people are less likely to volunteer for causes that they are passionate about if they are worried about their own safety.
74% of survey respondents felt climate change had impacted their operations in 2023. Smokey skies across the province this past summer led to cancelled programming and fundraising events.
A startling 30% of Albertans expect to access charitable services to meet their basic needs in the next 6 months, according to a recent survey from Ipsos-Reid. This is the highest this number has been, and most of these folks have never had to rely on charitable services before.
Budget Analysis and Political Gossip with Friends
TUESDAY, MARCH 5 | 12:00PM-1:15PM | ONLINE
The provincial budget will be released February 29. Get an analysis of the budget and some insight into what it means for nonprofits from public policy and government relations experts at this event from The Nonprofit Vote.
The budget analysis will be presented by Melissa Caouette. Melissa is principal of the bespoke political risk practice, MC Consulting, and founder of Pocket Lobbyist – an innovative, subscription-based public policy tool.
Panelists:
Melissa Caouette (profiled above)
Sabrina Grover is a principal with Shakti Strategies. She has experience in political campaigning at all three levels of government.
Cheryl Oates is a principal with gt&co. She previously served as the Executive Director of Communication and Planning to Alberta Premier Rachel Notley from 2015-2019.
Richard Gotfried is a senior advisor at Alberta Counsel. Prior to Alberta Counsel, he served as MLA for Calgary-Fish Creek.
Moderator: John Alho is Associate Vice-President, Government Relations at the University of Calgary. He previously worked in senior policy and communications advisory roles with federal Cabinet Ministers.
Emcee: Amanda Jensen, Executive Director of Volunteer Lethbridge
Connections Conference - Early Bird Tickets Available!
THURSDAY, APRIL 25 | GREY EAGLE CONFERENCE CENTRE
Registration for the 2024 Connections Conference is open! This year’s conference will have something for everyone with streams on fundraising and partnerships, advocacy and government relations, HR and workforce, and hot topics. We'll also be celebrating CCVO's 20th anniversary and highlighting reasons to celebrate across the sector. Early bird pricing runs until March 9.
Early Bird Pricing
CCVO Members Individual: $139, Table of 8: $899
Non-Members Individual: $179, Table of 8: $1,299
Not sure if you are a member? View our membership directory here.
Policy Highlights
Bill S-279
Bill S-279, the Registered Charity Board Diversity Data Collection Act, seeks to amend the Income Tax Act to address the governance data gap in the charitable sector. Currently, there is very little information on who sits on charitable boards. The proposed legislation would require organizations to submit demographic data on their boards on their T3010. This information would let the charitable sector and government evaluate progress in diversity governance and work to address any disparities.
The idea for Bill S-279 came from the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector. It also draws from similar reporting requirements in the corporate sector. The Bill reached 2nd reading at the senate on February 8. Read more here.
City Building Program - Calgary
Calgary is growing rapidly and will soon be a city of two million people. The City of Calgary is charting a 30-year vision and 10-year action plan to support this growth and ensure Calgary continues to be a great place to live. This includes identifying where we want natural spaces, homes, amenities, and transportation infrastructure to support our daily lives.
Why is this relevant to nonprofits? The way we build our city affects workforce attraction and retention, nonprofit access to real estate, and the health and productivity of employees. Cities that attract a great workforce are affordable, convenient and enjoyable. They promote good health, opportunities to socialize, and connection to nature.
The City Building program may also intersect with your nonprofit’s mission. It has implications for equity in: accessing greenspace, transportation, housing, and amenities; quality of life for children, seniors, and vulnerable Albertans; ability to volunteer, participate, and socialize; housing affordability; conservation; food production; climate change; air quality; and more. Share your thoughts for Phase 2 of the City Building program until March 3 here.
Learning Opportunities
Tuning Up the Board and Senior Executive Partnership
Feb 27 | online
REGISTER
The Nonprofit Treasurer's Role in Practice
Feb 29 | online
REGISTER
Cultivating Safe Spaces with Creativity
Mar 5 | online
REGISTER
AAISA Settlement & Integration Conference
Mar 4-5 | Best Western Calgary Plaza
REGISTER
Calgary Talent & Funding Fair
Mar 6 | Platform Calgary
REGISTER
Nurturing Psychological Safety for Thriving Teams
Mar 7 | online
REGISTER
New Beginnings Facilitator Training Workshop
Further Education Society's New Beginnings is a parenting after violence literacy program, designed to help families who have been impacted by domestic violence and abuse. Workshop participants will explore the impact of violence on families, how to help families build their literacy and parenting skills, how to provide families with strategies to move forward in their lives, and how to include the New Beginnings program in your agency’s programming. The program runs March 5-7 at the Further Education Society in Calgary. The $300 fee covers lunch, snacks, and the New Beginnings Facilitator’s Guide. Contact Krissy here for more information or to register.
Funding & Grants
Co-op Community Spaces Grant
Co-op Community Spaces Grant funds capital projects in any of the following categories:
Recreation - provide enhanced recreation spaces in the community
Environmental Conservation - preservation of natural spaces in the community
Urban Agriculture - small-scale community agriculture initiatives
Projects must be a capital project that will be completed within two years. Projects must be located in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba and provide an opportunity for permanent signage. Organizations can apply for between $25,000 and $150,000 in funding. Applications are open to registered nonprofits and charities. Applications are due March 1 and can be found here.
Bell Community Fund
The Bell Community Fund supports projects that improve access to mental health care, supports, and services for people in Canada. Preference is given to applications that:
Leverage, expand, or replicate proven programs and services already being offered
Have clear objectives and a measurement plan
Are evidence-based or evidence-informed
Include a detailed budget and have secured funding from other sources for the project
Identify community impact and specify the number or increased number of individuals helped through the project
Organizations can apply for up to $25,000 in funding. Applications are open to registered charities until March 15. Find the application here.
Blogs & More
Welcome Aboard: How Organizations Create Belonging for New Hires
Alexandra Theroux & Priya Andrade, Impact Organizations of Nova Scotia
Onboarding requires a lot of time, effort, and intention. Organizations typically recruit due to a skills gap, heavy workloads, or a period of crisis management – which likely means strain on the current team as they try to manage additional tasks on top of their own responsibilities. With that sense of urgency, prioritizing a slower, more intentional onboarding process can be challenging. How do you balance the time needed to support a new hire while alleviating workloads of current team members?
There’s no easy answer to this question, and the approach depends on your organization’s values, external pressures, and the capacity of your team. Read more→
How Equitable Hiring Practices Can Help Nonprofits Attract Talent in a Challenging Labour Market
Ellie Rusonik & Samantha David, Imagine Canada
A good first step is to ensure that the application of any existing equity practices related to recruitment are not performative but rather authentically reflect the organization’s true commitment to inclusion and the stage that the organization and leadership are at in their equity journey. For example, ask if the equity “persona” your organization presents in the job market is aligned with organizational “reality.” It gives us pause when we see equity statements on job postings, with no salary listed, followed by a statement that says that only those who are invited for an interview will receive acknowledgment. Read More→