Understanding The Social Economy: A Canadian Perspective by Jack Quarter, Laurie Mook, & Ann Armstrong, Toronto: University of Toronto Press; 2009. isbn: 978-0-80209-645-6 CIRIEC: The Worth of the Social Economy. An International Perspective edited by Marie J. Bouchard, New York: Peter Lang Pub. Inc.; 2009. isbn: 978-9-05201-580-4 These two books represent milestones in defining, explaining, and describing…
It was with sadness that John’s colleagues and friends learned of his passing on Monday, January 24, 2011. John and I were fellow members of the Ontario bar, and I thought it would be fitting to say a few words about John’s contribution to our profession. John practised law for nearly 65 years as a…
Spirited Commitment: The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation by Roderick MacLeod and Eric John Abrahamson Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press; 2010. isbn: 978-0-7735-3710-1 Yves Savoie An acorn illustrates the jacket cover of Spirited Commitment: The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation recalling the phrase from a poem by David Everett “Large streams from…
Summary: The previous two issues of The Philanthropist, 23 (4) and 24 (1), featured an article prepared by Blake Bromley for the Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182 in support of his personal testimony in Ottawa on October 26, 2007. The following is the final installment: the text of…
This special issue is a collaboration between The Philanthropist and Imagine Canada. As part of its National Engagement Strategy, over 500 established and emerging leaders will come together from across the country and across the sector to be part of the National Summit for the Charitable and Nonprofit Sector in Ottawa, November 28–30, 2011. The…
Financial sustainability does matter. Funding for nonprofit organizations in Canada has reached a critical stage. Large numbers of organizations are constrained, and some are severely threatened by inconsistent and inadequate financing. The causes of this insecurity are many and varied, but the results are potentially changing the face of civil society right across the country….
Introduction: It’s not actually about “volunteering” at all I spent a part of my childhood in the back of a soup kitchen, quite literally. My parents started two soup kitchens when I was growing up, and I remember sitting with my brother, looking at all the cakes in the freezer and wishing we could eat…
Nonprofit employees matter Truly skilled nonprofit staff, like Olympic athletes, can make their work look easy. Calm in the face of crises, keeping in check inclinations to jump in and “fix” everything, and defying commonly held prejudices, they willingly engage and work with people of all backgrounds. In a mission-driven social service nonprofit, the staff…
This morning, a new generation of Community leaders awoke to a fundamentally new reality than that of the generation that came before them. Our climate is changing. Our economy is in the midst of a fundamental transition. The roles of government, civil society, and the private sector are in a state of flux, as are…
Imagine Canada’s National Engagement Strategy document (Imagine Canada, 2011) states that improving conditions to attract and retain paid staff is one of four priorities. Issues related to human resource management are not new in the nonprofit sector. In a seemingly endless cycle, every few years we identify our strengths and our challenges, as we have…