Intervention time: What non-profits want funders and government to know about their data problem
The sector’s data problem needs a unified approach, but organizations are struggling to get on the same page. From developing new data-sharing tools to convincing funders that data is crucial to their charitable missions, here’s how non-profits and charities are coordinating a data renaissance.
Funding journalism – for the sake of philanthropy and democracy
A group of foundation leaders is making the case that healthy news ecosystems are critical to the well-being of our communities, planet, democracy – and funders’ missions.
Philanthropy for digital safety
With one in five women in Canada experiencing online harassment, and government regulation and corporate motivation lacking, philanthropy has a responsibility to fill the gap, writes the Canadian Women’s Foundation’s Andrea Gunraj.
How an ecology fellowship leverages philanthropy to allow early-career change-makers to flourish
The Liber Ero Fellowship program gives highly trained conservation and biodiversity scientists, not yet bogged down by teaching, the tools and resources to make a difference at the beginning of their careers.
Featured
Analysis
Building a sense of belonging and connection at work in the hybrid era
With remote and hybrid work the new norm post-pandemic, non-profits are tailoring strategies to ensure that employees feel heard, seen, and valued – and have discovered that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
A look to the future: A philanthropic sector building trust to speed change
In part two of a series looking at the role of The Philanthropist Journal within the broader charitable and non-profit sector, contributor Tim Harper shifts focus from the past to the future, from the sector’s “elders” to its “reformers.”
Philanthropy and Funding
Toward inclusive education: Challenges and strategies in student awards
Bursaries and student awards remove barriers for those who have often been excluded from higher education. But it is important to examine the impact of these efforts, both positive and negative, write Nicole McVan and Tanya Rumble, and continuously work to improve the approach.
Closing the finance gap for women
It’s estimated that Canada could add $150 billion to our gross domestic product by 2026 by advancing gender equality and boosting women’s workforce participation. Everyone in the ecosystem of contemporary capital has a part to play, writes Canadian Women’s Foundation CEO Paulette Senior, including philanthropists.
Case Studies & Guides
Redefining advocacy, research, and funding in the arts sector
Guided by concepts of participatory governance and bottom-up decision-making, national arts service organization Mass Culture is building networks across the arts sector with the long-term goal of fundamentally changing Canadians’ relationship to the arts.
Three ways to support a new executive director
Are you hiring a new executive director, or are you a new ED yourself? These three new-ish executive directors talk candidly about their experiences and share some practical advice for supporting a new person in this role.
Decolonization and Reconciliation
Not your typical conference: Insights about hosting from The Circle’s All My Relations gathering
What happens when we are intentional about being a good host? Host Holly McLellan talks with guests Joleen Mitton, Justin Wiebe, and Josh Paterson about their experiences and reflections from The Circle’s 2023 All My Relations gathering.
Lessons from a transformational storytelling fellowship
Contributors Inda Intiar and Njoki Mbũrũ offer tangible examples of how storytelling is enabling and catalyzing systems transformation within the philanthropic ecosystem – and some important lessons about the importance of relationships, slowing down, and self-awareness learned along the way.
Series on Narrative Change
Shifting the conversation: How the sector is using narrative change to advance social change
Changing the way people think about an issue is a precondition to mobilizing action on it. But which organizations have institutionalized narrative change practices as a strategic priority, and how is that playing out day-to-day? How many non-profits are doing the deep listening necessary to understand how audiences perceive their issues, and developing strategic messaging that can shift the conversation?
Convincing people that change is possible by ‘painting the beautiful tomorrow’
Contributor Christina Palassio talked to renowned communications strategist Anat Shenker-Osorio recently about the power and promise of positive messaging and how non-profits and charities – from leaders and funders to fundraisers and communicators – can navigate increasingly polarized and polarizing political and cultural environments and move donors and supporters to take action for lasting positive, unifying change.
Shaping the narrative on abortion rights and access
While access to abortion is protected in Canada, not everyone who needs an abortion can get one, and public opinion has been affected by ideological shifts in Canada and abroad. Frédérique Chabot, director of domestic health promotion at Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights, talks about policy goals, framing the case for increasing access, and the need to dispel harmful narratives.
Anand Giridharadas on reclaiming persuasion to rebuild democracy
In an exclusive interview with Christina Palassio, Anand Giridharadas, whose latest book is The Persuaders, talks about building progressive fronts, crafting popular narratives that unite instead of divide, and crossing political lines to connect with people on a values level.
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Analysis
What does the future look like for non-profits working in networks?
ONN’s Cathy Taylor and consultant Kris Cummings tackle the question of whether the network model is a good approach during times of crisis. The stories of three networks offer some practical experiences and yield some consistent, yet nuanced, lessons.
Why we need a national conversation about volunteering
Volunteering is tied to increased rates of belonging and inclusion, and our social services rely on volunteers to deliver their programs, but volunteering rates in Canada are dropping. Volunteer Canada is strategizing to address the challenges and calls for a National Action Strategy for Volunteerism.
Rethinking the role of the office
What should organizations with underused office spaces do? Is the pre-pandemic hum necessary, and if yes, how can this vibrancy happen when workers are not in shared workspaces? What will happen if staff do not feel engaged? Contributor Yvonne Rodney talked to leaders from one collective that has tackled the empty-office problem about what they have learned.
Meeting the moment: The Philanthropist Journal looks to the future
The sector and The Philanthropist Journal have travelled more than 50 years together. Contributor Tim Harper talks to five sector “elders” about The Journal’s past and what its role, as a publication that belongs to the sector, should be going forward.
More articles From the Archives
A short history of voluntary sector–government relations in Canada (revisited)
The original version of this story, published in 2007, is one of The Philanthropist Journal’s most popular pieces of all time. In this updated version, Peter Elson and Peyton Carmichael expand on that detailed (and not so short) history.
Charities and the rule against perpetuities
Charitable status is a legally privileged status. The law in numerous ways, ranging from the trivial to the noteworthy, confers legal advantages upon charities. These legal advantages are often misunderstood.
‘We don’t have a word for philanthropy’
What do Indigenous Peoples mean when they talk about Indigenous philanthropy? Miles Morrisseau put this question and others to Indigenous people who are leaders in the philanthropic sector.
Strategies for a caring society
This article was developed from a paper presented at Investigating in the Whole Community: Strategies for a Caring Society, a conference organized by the Trillium
Featured Contributors
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Yvonne Rodney
Yvonne Rodney is a Toronto author, career consultant, speaker, and non-profit worker with extensive experience in career development. She is the author of Moving On: A Quick Guide for Non-Profit Workers and Military to Civilian Employment: A Career Practitioner’s Guide.
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Christina Palassio
Christina Palassio is a non-profit communications professional and freelance writer. When she tweets, she does so at @mcpalassio.
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Angela Long
Angela Long is a freelance writer currently working on a book about rural journalism in Canada.
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Miles Morrisseau
Miles Morrisseau is a Métis writer, journalist, and multimedia producer from the Métis homeland in Manitoba.
- All Featured Contributors