Imagine Canada and The Philanthropist Journal are excited to partner in advance of the 2023 Budget Coalition meetings to provide participants with a curated reading list that connects to the driving force behind this event, and some lessons learned that are shaping this work. We hope the content and perspectives provoke and inspire you to start conversations with other participants and dive deeper into critical topics.
Start your pre-coalition reading journey here with Imagine Canada’s recent analysis of the sector’s 300+ pre-budget asks for 2023, Imagine’s reaction to the Federal Budget 2023 and this collection below.
Building the charitable sector’s policy muscle
The need for the sector to lead on policy advocacy has been described as a moral imperative, yet it often faces criticism that it has lost its sense of urgency and become too content as a service-delivery vehicle. Contributor Tim Harper looks at policy institutes across Canada that are teaching the pragmatic skills of building support, refining a policy “ask,” and having bureaucratic and political doors open.
The ties that bind: Four case studies of issue-based networks
Canada is full of examples of groups of organizations, individuals, and communities coming together to address what are often big, systemic issues such as poverty or climate change. This article profiles four networks: International Child Protection Network of Canada (ICPNC); Green Budget Coalition (GBC); Campaign 2000; and BC Alliance for Arts + Culture.
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.
More articles From the Archives
The changing landscape for nonprofit policy advocacy
SUMMARY: How should nonprofit organizations (charities or otherwise) respond to changing political environments, leverage digital tools, maximize their impact on policy change, and assert themselves
The connections between us: Learning to leverage the power of a network approach
From neighbourhood efforts to improve employment to national efforts to tackle climate change, non-profit organizations in Canada are increasingly turning to the science of networks to inform the way they structure themselves, who they engage with, the actions they take, and the way they determine and measure success.
The advocacy riddle
How do we ensure the sector has a significant voice in affecting public policy? New research shines a light on the sector’s advocacy efforts, the related challenges, and the structures needed to make that advocacy both broad-based and nimble.
Method matters: How to avoid common policy traps
This article looks at what we mean by good policy, some pitfalls that commonly interfere with the development of good policy by nonprofit organizations, and methods that can help organizations to minimize or avoid these pitfalls altogether.