🖋️Sign Up to Help Us Chart a Course For Appropriate Funding | Join us at Connections Conference in 3 Weeks
2024 Connections Conference
Presented by ATB and Suncor Energy Foundation
THURSDAY, APRIL 25 | 7:30AM-4:30PM | GREY EAGLE CONFERENCE CENTRE
CCVO's Connections Conference is less than a month away! Don't miss your chance to take part in hands-on workshops, hear from great speakers, and meet changemakers from Alberta's nonprofit, business, and government sectors. We'll also be celebrating our 20th anniversary and highlighting reasons to celebrate across the sector.
This year’s conference sessions include:
The Road (Blocks) Ahead: A Critical Conversation on the Patterns and Dynamics at Play Within Civil Society
Bukola Ojemakinde, Anna Johnson, and James Stauch will share 3 points of view on the forces beneath the surface that contribute to shaping civil society. This session is a tap-in-tap-out conversation. All delegates are invited to tap in and take the stage to advance a collective conversation on the systems of civil society.
The Autobahn of Giving – Trust-Based Philanthropy
Delve into trust-based philanthropy, confronting historical inequities and redefining what power dynamics can look like with Jolene Livingston. Learn about mutual accountability's importance and practical applications, empowering grantees and inspiring greater philanthropy.
Talent Unlimited: Increasing Organizational Capacity Through Student Projects
Learn how nonprofits can increase their capacity to complete projects tied to strategic advancement and enhanced service delivery. Various post-secondary programs offer course-based projects that allow nonprofits to access student support to undertake these projects at no cost.
Later is Too Late: Practical Steps for Nonprofits to Protect and Prepare for Climate Change
74% of nonprofits in Alberta have been impacted by climate change in the last year. Join Dana Decent (Program Director, Climate and Health) in this engaging and practical session outlining simple steps any non profit can take to 1) reduce emissions to limit the worse impacts of climate change, and 2) prepare your organization for the impacts already here and to come.
See the full conference lineup here.
Ticket Pricing
CCVO Members - $169/individual; $1,149/table of 8
Non-Members - $229/individual; $1,599/table of 8
Check our Member Directory to confirm your organization's current membership status.
Future of Good x Connections Conference
Our partner, Future of Good, has curated a collection for all Connections Conference attendees. In this collection you will find stories of inspiration relevant to Alberta and Canada's nonprofit, business and government sectors tackling our most complex challenges - from Indigenous reconciliation and government agency to meaningful partnerships and funding equity, and many more 'hot topics'! See the collection here.
Future of Good is also offering 20% off of their annual team memberships to Connections Conference attendees! A team membership allows your team access to trusted journalism covering the social impact landscape in Canada. Connect with thousands of changemakers from across the country at their summits (3x a year) and webinars (monthly) at a significant discount and be part of Canada's largest ecosystem of social change.
Future of Good covers a variety of streams, such as Wellbeing and care; Indigenous reconciliation; Tech/AI for social good; Global aid and international development; Diversity, equity and inclusion; Philanthropy and transforming funding models; The future of our workforce and volunteering sector; Social finance and impact investing; and much more. Conference attendees will receive a separate email with the discount code.
Preparing Albertans for Climate Change E-Course Information Session
MONDAY, APRIL 15 | 1:00PM-2:00PM | ZOOM
Mobilizing Alberta has just launched an exciting new digital e-course, Preparing Albertans for Climate Change. This e-course takes a closer look at climate change impacts and solutions in Southern Alberta. The tools in the course can be used to:
Empower your community: Equip individuals with the knowledge and tools to act on climate change locally.
Spark meaningful climate dialogues: Facilitate constructive conversations with Albertans using the toolkit.
Build your climate communication skills: Enhance your knowledge and confidence in discussing climate change-based best practices.
This information session is suited for any southern Alberta organizations and will guide participants in how to utilize these tools effectively.
Charting a Course
What do we want? Appropriate funding! When do we want it? Now! How do we get there? You!
CCVO’s annual reports identify a struggling sector. But we’re also a sector with a plan - and we need YOU to see it through. CCVO has launched an opportunity for Alberta nonprofits to give direct input into short- and long-term funding priorities for the nonprofit sector, building on what you’ve told us already. Your input will shape a 2025 Alberta Budget submission, recommendations to funders, and future advocacy by CCVO and The Nonprofit Vote. Find out more in our latest policy blog post here and sign up to participate in one of the online sessions running from April 29 to May 8.
Boland Survey Closes April 30
The Boland Survey is the most comprehensive source of compensation and HR data for nonprofits in Canada. Organizations have been using the Boland Survey for more than 25 years to make informed comparisons and predictions on salary and human resource practices – including flex time, on-boarding, paid time off, professional development practices, employee recognition, and recruitment practices. See sample reports here.
Your participation in the Boland Survey is a key part of its success. Participating helps strengthen Canada’s nonprofit sector through building a strong dataset of HR information that can also be used for advocacy. Participating in the survey only takes a few hours and gives you a discount of up to $500 on subscription to the reports.
Policy Highlights
Statistics Canada National Insights into Nonprofit Organizations
In the first quarter of this year, Statistics Canada surveyed 8,000 nonprofits. This was the first survey that Statistics Canada has done on the nonprofit sector since 2003. The results were released last week, and some of the key findings are:
Almost 50% of nonprofits reported increased demand.
Only a quarter of nonprofits reported increased capacity.
Over 80% of nonprofits had volunteers.
Racialized groups make up close to 10% of board positions.
Women make up close to 50% of board positions.
1/3 of nonprofits are focused on sports and recreation.
Find the full results here.
New Provincial Mental Health and Addiction Organization
As part of the health reorganization announced previously by the Government of Alberta, a new organization called Recovery Alberta has been created to deliver mental health and addiction services that are currently delivered by Alberta Health Services. Recovery Alberta will report to the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction. There will be no changes to terms and conditions of employment for AHS staff, and there will be no changes to grants or contracts for service providers currently under agreement with AHS upon establishment of Recovery Alberta. Read more here.
Imagine Canada Standards Accreditation Subsidy
Imagine Canada’s Standards Accreditation Program is designed to support organizations so that they can elevate their practices and demonstrate excellence to their donors, staff team, and partners.
Imagine Canada has recently launched a program with the Calgary Foundation to provide bursaries and support for Calgary and Treaty 7 Territory based organizations looking to go through the Standards program, with a focus on organizations serving Indigenous and racialized communities. Up to 15 organizations will receive in-kind assistance to pursue Standards Accreditation through the program. Applications are due April 12. Find the application and more information here.
Funding & Grants
Arc’teryx No Wasted Days Community Grant Program
The No Wasted Days Community Grant Program is open to grassroots organizations and individuals actively working to increase equitable access, diversify the outdoor industry and landscape, and create opportunity by opening doors for those within their communities to outdoor landscapes. Ideal projects are those that listen deeply to the needs of the community they intend to serve and work in relationship with those communities to build programs that support access to nature. Organizations can receive up to $5,000, and applications are due by April 16. Find the application here.
Burns Memorial Fund Community Organization Grants
Burns Memorial Fund’s Community Grants support the delivery of community-based programs or collaborative initiatives which contribute to the health, educational or recreational needs of children and youth who are living in low-income situations in Calgary.
Grants are intended to support time-limited projects, seed or start-up activities, capital costs, one-time program costs, capacity-building or other similar endeavours. Grants are not multi-year and cannot be used to cover ongoing program or staff expenses. The maximum grant size for 2024 is $15,000 per grant. Proposed projects should be completed within a year of receiving funding. Funding is open to federally registered charities only. The deadline for applications is May 1, 2024. More information can be found here.
Blogs & More
Governance Excellence and the Board-CEO Relationship
PANL Perspectives
Shared understanding of the mission, as well as values driving the mission, sound like common sense. In my work with boards and organizations, I often discover material variation on issues of mission and the very identity of the organization. Confusion can breed conflict, so a commitment to seek clarity and alignment is prudent.
Mutual accountability and clear, honest, and timely communication are also critical. Two-way accountability between the board and CEO allows for personal and collective responsibility and helps to build a culture where it’s okay to hold each other accountable in respectful and gracious ways. Read more→
Top Tips: 5 Canadian Nonprofit Managers Share How to Recruit and Keep Volunteers
Shannon VanRaes, Future of Goof
In many situations in established organizations, people inherit volunteer programs that often come with habits, processes, and even cultures that may not work for the current landscape.
Sometimes that is about the work allocated to volunteers, and sometimes that can be a list of “must-dos” when recruiting people for roles and tasks. It takes time and bravery to examine a current system, loosen the rigidity, let go of the things that are no longer working and find a pathway rooted in what communities need in 2024. Read More→