Most philanthropists create a foundation as a way to give back to society. They commit their money, skills, experience, and knowledge to what promises to be most useful and satisfying (Philanthropic Foundations Canada, 2015). Sooner or later, however, they learn that the society or community they wish to serve has very specific opinions and expectations…
This article is the first in a renewed collaboration between The Philanthropist and The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. The goal is to highlight Indigenous philanthropy and share Indigenous perspective and wisdom on reciprocity as well as Indigenous-focused work happening in the philanthropic community. As a Métis person who grew up on my…
This is the eighth article in a series about European philanthropy. The series is published as a collaboration between The Philanthropist and The Lawson Foundation. In today’s globalized world, where many of our challenges know few borders, there is a growing need for collaboration, space to learn from one another and to co-create solutions. This series has provided…
This is the third article in our series about the role of networks in the non-profit sector. The series is published as a collaboration between The Philanthropist and the Ontario Nonprofit Network. Non-profits work with others all the time – whether it is with an organization down the road or with another member of their…
Engagement Organizing: The Old Art and New Science of Winning Campaigns, by Matt Price. Vancouver, British Columbia, On Point Press, 2017, ISBN 9780774890168 Most articles on social impact mention the importance of engaging those most affected by an issue in creating solutions. Unfortunately, in many cases in the non-profit sector, we’ve professionalized the community out…
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 Foundation of Ontario, which took place October 15-16, 1998 in Toronto. Introduction Building community capacity is about far more than addressing social problems. It is about both social intervention and…
This article was developed from a presentation to the National Conference for the Community Foundations of Canada, May 24, 1996. Two Scenarios for the 21st Century 1. A Polarized Society Marginalization of citizens-youth, minorities, low-skilled workers. Less social spending, but more spending on public security. Professional and technical workers with high skill are well compensated and…
This article was developed from the Administrator’s Annual Report in which he included a thought-provoking outline of the Foundation’s proposed “Youth Engagement Programme Initiative”, successor to the successful programs for “Children at Risk” initiated in 1990. The past year has been one of reconstruction and evolution as Laidlaw Foundation continues to be an innovator, inspiration…
This article was developed from a presentation to the Second Annual Symposium of the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy, held in Toronto, May 9, 1996. The author wishes to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of Robert Vokey in the preparation of this text. I am not one of those who believes that the voluntary sector is a…
This article has been adapted from a presentation to the Prevention V Conference held in London, Ontario on April 29, 1992. Foundations in Canada play a number of critical funding roles, the most important of these being the provision of venture capital for highly creative new ideas generated by bright entrepreneurial people working within Canadian…