Workforce Needs and Development Survey | Volunteer Screening Grants
Talent Needs and Student Work Survey
We want to know what nonprofits think about talent needs in Calgary. Specifically we are looking to better understand how organizations engage students that are looking for work experience in their field. Your perspectives are critical and what we learn will help us better deliver services, develop programs that meet your needs and understand some of the issues you are facing. The survey takes approximately 10-12 minutes and survey participants will be entered into a draw for $500.
Policy Updates
Influence, Affluence & Opportunity: Donor Advised Funds in Canada
KCI and CAGP Foundation
Donor-advised funds in Canada have a seventy-year history, and their use as a tool for charitable giving has become more popular in the past decade. Excluding the 100,000+ DAFs in place at Charitable Impact , there are approximately 20,500 DAFs in Canada. Over half have been established with independent foundations or those linked to financial institutions. Approximately 3,800 new DAFs were opened in the period 2019 – 2021.
70% of grants, in terms of value, were directed to one of three causes: health, religion and religious causes, and social services. 3% of grants were directed to international causes. On average, each DAF made 3.3 grants in 2021 and it is estimated that at least a quarter of operating charities received at least one grant from a DAF in 2021. The granting rate and flow rate for DAFs in Canada are lower than those in both the US and UK, which points to additional opportunity for impact from Canadian DAFs in the future. See the full report on DAFs here.
Learning Opportunities
Unlearning: Being
Jun 21 | Online
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Writing Capacity Grant Proposals
Jun 21 | Online
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The Future of Corporate Community Investment
Jun 27 | Online
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How to Build a Case for Your Nonprofit to Invest in Technology
Jun 28 | Online
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Is a 4-Day Work Week Right for Your Organization?
Jun 28 | Online
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Beyond the One-Time Gift: Advanced Techniques for Donor Retention
Jun 29 | Online
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Solutions Cafe
Jun 28 | cSPACE Calgary
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SOGIE Workplace Inclusion with Anda Rabrig
Jun 28 | Online
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Funding & Grants
Volunteer Alberta Screening Development Grant
The Screening Development Grant supports nonprofit organizations facing resource and capacity challenges in the area of volunteer screening. Organizations can receive up to $3,500 to help develop effective screening practices and processes.
To be eligible organizations must:
Be a nonprofit currently operating in Alberta, with a sole mandate to provide programs and services to Albertans
Have an annual operating budget less than $10 million
Have screening policies and/or procedures that are incomplete or have not been updated in the past 2 years
Have volunteer position descriptions that are incomplete or have not been updated in the past 2 years
Have fewer than 10 permanent staff (full or part-time, not including temporary contracts)
Have more than 10 volunteers a year requiring vulnerable sector checks
Approved applicants for the Grant must participate in foundational learning by viewing the webinar, Screening Volunteers In, Not Out. Additionally, throughout the granting period Volunteer Alberta will offer a community of practice for grant recipients to check in and interact with other grant recipients. Applications are due by July 14. Find out more information and apply here.
CIP Operating Grant Government of Alberta
The CIP Operating Grant funds non-profit organizations and established community collaboratives whose primary mission and purpose is to address social issues. This can include food security, poverty, mental health, disability, programming related to life skills and programming focused on individuals facing barriers. Organizations must have been legally registered and operating in Alberta for a minimum of one full year and have one year of financial statements available to apply. Up to $75,000 is available with $60,000 in core funding and $15,000 available in organizational development funding. Core funding must be fully matched with eligible community fundraising. There are two intakes per year on with deadlines of July 15 and January 30. Find out more information here.
Blogs & More
Governance & Trust, With Yves Savoie
Let's Imagine Podcast
The last few years have seen some media reports that have called the nonprofit sector’s governance into question - whether justified or not. A few organizations have been under scrutiny for their governance practices - WE Charity is an example, Hockey Canada another, and more recently, The Trudeau Foundation. A pattern that has emerged when looking at these situations has been questions about their governance practices. These range from overly complex structures to issues about what the board knew and when to the influence of founders.
The situations are different, but they have one thing in common, they contribute to eroding trust in our sector. In this episode, Imagine Canada discusses governance with nonprofit Strategy & Governance Advisor, Yves Savoie. Listen to the podcast →
When the DEI Discussion Offends
Ashleigh-Rae Thomas The Philanthropist Journal
Thomas asked Mathews what she thought of two participants leaving a DEI keynote with such conflicting feelings. Mathews thinks it’s a good thing when a session leaves people feeling emotional. It means it’s done something to you and heightened your awareness. “For people who just may have never been exposed to DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion], education is key. In the research around unconscious bias, it does say forcing people to participate in this kind of training doesn’t work,” Mathews explained.
When it comes to having a conversation with people like the man I sat beside, Mathews says that taking an empathetic approach can be key. “I will empathize because it can be overwhelming. The second piece, I might just flip it and say, ‘What’s making you feel that way? What did you get out of it?’” Read more →