Nonprofit & Tech Startup Partnerships Event Feb 22 | Stats Canada Census Consultation
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Nonprofit & Tech Startup Partnerships:
When, How and Why
FEBRUARY 22 | 12:00-1:00PM | ONLINE
Are you a nonprofit looking to transform your work through a digital transition, but you're not sure where to start?
Join Doug Watson, President & CEO of Volunteer Connector & Leonard Nooy, Partner at Structured Abstraction as they answer questions about how to ensure successful tech/nonprofit partnerships from their ten years of successful collaboration.
Some of the questions they'll be answering include:
When is the right time to reach out to collaborate?
How do collaborations finance this transition and continuing costs?
How do we show our client/community/staff/board that partnership is necessary?
What can collaborating across sectors do for your long-term sustainability?
and many more...
If you've ever had questions, here is your chance to ask them.
Panelists:
Structured Abstraction - is a technology and design firm that focuses on transformative software projects for positive-impact ventures. They work with organizations to remove obstacles and provide resources often reserved for privately funded startups. This process can include: strategic planning, design, custom software development, fractional CTO, training, or technology stewardship. They build capacity by building community.
Volunteer Connector - is a charity that has been on the forefront of community building for over 65 years. They are the Volunteer Centre of Calgary and have transformed into working with regional partners all across Canada. Their commitment to providing digital solutions for volunteer engagement comes from an understanding that volunteers need to be engaged in a way that is consistent with the rest of their online lives.
Presented in partnership with the Centre for Social Impact Technology & Platform Calgary.
Policy Highlights
Policy Highlights
ACCELERATE: Driving Alberta Forward
Calgary Chamber of Commerce
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce has released their provincial election platform, ACCELERATE: Driving Alberta Forward. Included in their platform are five recommendations for supporting the nonprofit sector including:
Commit $300 million over three years to the nonprofit sector, as outlined in our Community Prosperity work. Funds should prioritize talent attraction and retention, digital transformation, mental health supports for staff and volunteers, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and training.
Support the nonprofit sector with an immediate increase of 10 percent to all current operating agreements. Further, commit to indexing all granting programs to inflation starting in 2023-24.
Incentivize workplace volunteerism by creating a tax incentive for organizations enabling employees to volunteer during working hours, creating similar incentives for volunteerism as financial contributions.
Commit to a comprehensive review of all operating agreements with service providers in the non-profit sector within the next year, and every five years thereafter, consulting with them on their long-term budgetary needs.
Commit $90 million annually over the next three years, supporting non-profit agencies by covering 25 percent of the current cost for new affordable housing builds. Facilitate the participation of private capital in the development of affordable housing units.
Read their full platform here.
2026 Statistics Canada Census Consultation
Statistics Canada is currently conducting a consultation on the content and dissemination strategy of the Census. Consulting with census data users and the Canadian public allows Statistics Canada to identify whether or not the questions asked in the census are relevant, how census data are used and how important the census is to Canadians.
Organizations and individuals can submit their feedback through an online questionnaire. A report detailing the content consultations and the process that was followed to test and determine possible changes, will be published online in mid-2024. Fill out the questionnaire here.
Statistics Canada Quarterly Update
After five consecutive quarters of increases, the GDP of Canada's non-profit sector was flat in the third quarter of 2022. At the same time, the economy-wide real GDP increased by 0.7%, the fifth consecutive quarterly increase.
With the continued reopening of the economy, the GDP of non-profit institutions serving businesses rose 0.7% in the third quarter and the GDP of non-profit institutions serving households rose 0.2%, coinciding with greater use of food banks. This was offset by a decline in the real GDP of non-profit institutions serving governments.
Employment in non-profit institutions rose 0.7% in the third quarter, led by business and professional associations, unions, and social services. This marked the ninth consecutive quarterly job gain in social services. Find out more here.
The Foundation for Black Communities to be Awarded Stewardship of $200 Million Black-Led Philanthropic Endowment Fund
The Government of Canada today announced plans to award the stewardship of its Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund to the Foundation for Black Communities (FFBC). This historic and ground-breaking investment of $200 million will positively impact Black-led, Black-focused and Black-serving non-profit organizations and registered charities across the country by economically empowering them to build, sustain and expand on transformational ideas and initiatives generated by Black communities.
“On behalf of the FFBC Board of Directors, employees, and Black Canadian communities across our nation, we are pleased to accept this endowment from the federal government,” said Gladys Ahovi, FFBC President and CEO. “The FFBC was honoured to receive overwhelming community support and over 830 letters of endorsement in response to our proposal for the stewardship of the federal Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund. We look forward to working collaboratively with other Black-serving organizations to realize projects that directly benefit Black Canadian communities and improve social and economic outcomes.” Read the full press release here.
Learning Opportunities
Curious Conversations: Mental Health
Feb 10, Feb 24, Mar 10 | Online
REGISTER
Data and Tech for Social Impact
Feb 15 | Online
REGISTER
New Solutions for Old Problems: Tackling Workplace Mental Health in 2023
Feb 16 | Online
REGISTER
Building a Culture of Resilience and Positive Workplace Mental Health
Feb 16 | Online
REGISTER
Lobbying 201: Understanding the 'what,' 'where,' how' and 'why' of government
Feb 21, 23, 28 | Online
REGISTER
Impact Capital and the Spectrum of Social Enterprises
Feb 22 | Online
REGISTER
Legal Series: Charitable Funding Changes to Pay Attention to in 2023
Feb 23 | Online
REGISTER
Non-Profit Day
Mar 9-10 | Double Tree West Edmonton
REGISTER
Funding & Grants
Community Safety Investment Framework Call for Proposals
CSIF is a collaborative effort between The City of Calgary, the Calgary Police Service and community partners. The Framework guides investment in outcomes for Calgarians experiencing crisis, with the long-term outcome to improve the wellbeing of Calgarians through an equitable and effective crisis response system.
The purpose of this Call for Proposals is to strengthen existing community crisis response programs and transform the crisis response system to improve the wellbeing of Calgarians through an equitable and effective approach.
Non-profit organizations are invited to apply for up to $5 million in available funds for new, enhanced and existing initiatives which work to advance four priority outcome areas:
Improved crisis triage: programs and services that direct a person in crisis to get to the right service at the right time.
Increased availability of 24/7 non-emergency support and outreach services: programs and services other than emergency services (Police/EMS/Fire) that are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Increased access to community and peer support programs: crisis response programs and services that address gaps in services to Indigenous, Black, and diverse Racialized communities.
Integrated case management: crisis response programs and services that are collaborative, coordinated and client-centered, meeting the unique needs of clients/participants.
Applications are open until March 1. Find out more information and apply here.
Community Services Recovery Fund
This fund is a collaboration between United Way Centraide Canada, Canadian Red Cross, and Community Foundations of Canada to provide funding to Community Service Organizations, including non-profit organizations, Indigenous Governing Bodies, and Registered Charities located across Canada. The Community Services Recovery Fund supports organizations as they adapt to the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The three areas of focus are:
Investing in People Funding will support one-time projects that focus on how organizations recruit, retain, engage and support their personnel, including staff, volunteers and boards of directors. (Canadian Red Cross)
Investing in Systems and Processes Funding will support one-time projects that invest in the systems and processes involved in creating the internal workings of an organization’s overall structure. (Community Foundations Canada)
Investing in Program and Service Innovation and Redesign Funding will support one-time projects primarily focused on program and service innovation and redesign using information gained during the COVID-19 pandemic. (United Way Canada)
Community Service Organizations can apply until February 21. Find out more details and apply here.
All Sport One City
Sport Calgary's All Sport One City is back. Adults and families can try a new sport or activity for free from February 11-February 20. There are over 200 sessions at locations across Calgary. See the schedule and sign up here.
Reimagining Governance Lab
In collaboration with Ignite NPS, ONN has been working on the Reimagining Governance project over the last four years. The Reimagining Governance Lab brings together all of that work; done alongside a diversity of organizations from the sector. The Lab aims to help nonprofits discover new, innovative, and more equitable approaches to governance through co-created resources, tools, and prompts.
Changing how we think about governance creates changes in how we do it, which ultimately helps nonprofits serve their communities better. The Lab is a living, virtual hub - not a training program or set curriculum. You'll find resources that are designed to provoke shifts in thinking, deepen relationships within governance, and explore new ways of thinking and working. Check out the lab here.
Blogs & More
Opinion: Calgary’s Vulnerable Have No Fat to Trim in Cost-of-living Crisis
Bernadette Majdell, Leslie Hill, Heather Morely, Mike Pasma, Calgary Herald
Our organizations are not alone in calling for the strengthening of the social safety net for the growing number of Calgarians who have run out of options. Battered by pandemic, inflation and the threat of recession, many organizations are stretched thin. The Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations has called for a “one-time cash injection of $30 million” to bolster the province’s non-profit sector. While a cash injection could help, we need the community to rally around the need to stop this cycle.
We are calling on the public to support their local non-profits by encouraging policy that funds social supports, invests in affordable housing, and inflation relief measures that target Alberta’s most vulnerable — as they are the hardest hit by this crisis. Read more here→
A Call for an Alberta Citizens' Assembly
David Swann
Across the world Citizen Assemblies have been adopted by a number of countries and many report a favorable impact on public trust, citizen participation and in related public policy. A Citizens Assembly is a randomly selected group of non-partisan individuals representative of geography and demographics, convened by government. It meets regularly and deliberates on important, often controversial, public issues. With the help of researchers and experts, it proposes to the government of the day, what it, by majority or consensus, determine to be in the public interest in any identified areas.
Swann believes that a political party that is serious about understanding and acting on the public interest will welcome a CA on the pressing issues of these times, including climate change, electoral reform, recession, pandemic management, etc. Read more here→
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Canada's Nonprofit Sector
CharityVillage Connects
Global movements like Black Lives Matter, and demands for equity and inclusion by LGBTQ2S+ communities and Persons with Disabilities have all gained traction and momentum since 2020, especially among young people involved in social justice issues. And many Canadians believe that nonprofits that focus their efforts on the marginalized or disadvantaged in our communities should be at the forefront of such a movement. But are Canadian nonprofit organizations ready to take the next step in their diversity, equity, and inclusion journey? And what tools and resources are available to help make a meaningful transition to DEI? Listen to the podcast here→