The meaningful participation of people and communities with lived experience is key to a human-rights-based approach to poverty. Storytelling is a start, but it is only one side of the process, says Maytree’s Elizabeth McIsaac. We need to think deeply about how we receive those stories and incorporate people’s expertise into decision-making, she says, and we will improve our practice if we admit that we have lots to learn.
In the midst of Canada’s housing crisis, there’s a strong narrative that housing is a commodity rather than our right. Bonnie Mah, strategic narrative lead at Maytree, considers the opportunities and challenges of rights-based framing and talks about how she and her colleagues are trying to shift the conversation on housing in Canada.
Toronto Foundation’s Nicola Hives reflects on her organization’s three-year learning journey via the Trust Collective, a group of women philanthropists and community organizations serving women and girls. “We made a lot of mistakes,” she says, but they also learned some important lessons. First and foremost: “We can’t let our ambition to make a difference get the better of us. Thoughtfulness and partnering with community are everything.”
Grassroots organizations are an integral part of the non-profit sector, responding to needs and shaping how communities care for each other. This profile, the fourth in a series, looks at how two sisters, starting with a podcast aimed at amplifying Indigenous voices from across Turtle Island, followed by a meal program to help the residents of a homeless encampment in Regina, are helping urban Indigenous youth reclaim their culture.
With a patchwork of laws across Canada governing the investment of charitable funds, and a lack of clarity and CRA guidance around impact investments, charities that operate in more than one province must spend considerable time and money on ensuring compliance – resources that would be better directed toward their charitable work.
Artist Isabella Stefanescu’s essay about volunteering in the arts focuses on Kim Jernigan’s work with The New Quarterly as a pivotal example. As with other sectors, volunteering in the arts, where volunteers often sign up for the long haul, has been losing ground, and the pandemic has further disrupted volunteering at a time when the cultural sector is facing historically high job vacancies.
The term “misogynoir” refers to a particular form of discrimination against Black women, girls, and gender-diverse people. As we mark Black History Month, the Canadian Women’s Foundation’s Paulette Senior calls for those with philanthropic clout to vie for better work, invest in better futures, and join the uproar for policy-making that actively includes Black women and gender-diverse people.
What can funders do to be part of a much-needed transformation in the philanthropic sector? Professional fundraisers Tanya Rumble and Nicole McVan offer three practical steps.
