What a year. The charitable sector has been engaged in massive disruption. But is it all gloom & doom?

Join BCACG and Volunteer BC from the comfort of your home or office space at this year’s VIRTUAL Volunteer Futures & BCACG Symposium – November 12 & 13.

The two-day virtual conference will be filled with impactful workshops designed to navigate the challenging landscape, volunteers, non-profits and charities are experiencing during the pandemic.

We spoke with Bruce MacDonald, President & CEO, Imagine Canada about his keynote and what he hopes to achieve in supporting nonprofits. 

What’s the focus of your Keynote at this year’s conference?

From the global pandemic to the WE charity controversy to a seismic shift related to systemic racism, the charitable sector has been engaged in massive disruption. I’ll address some of the main issues from 2020 and look ahead to the possibilities of 2021.

I want to further dive into this important topic and invite participants to find the opportunities that lie within an overall pessimistic narrative that has dominated this year.

What is Imagine Canada doing to advocate for the sector during this challenging time? 

The charitable sector is still struggling to stay afloat in the pandemic climate, despite having been covered by the federal wage subsidy and a dedicated $350 million fund.

We continue to advocate for a Sector Resilience Grant Program and we are urging sector organizations to join the effort by sending a letter to their MP. This Program would help organizations affected by the crisis meet their core operating costs and continue to serve communities not just today, but as Canada emerges from COVID-19. Communities are greatly strengthened by charities and nonprofits working in areas as diverse as health, support for seniors, immigrant and refugee settlement, gender equality to homelessness. 

Despite their challenges, many nonprofit groups continue to offer services one way or another. Do you have examples of what organizations have done to innovate and adapt during the pandemic?

Our research shows that 42% of charities have created new programs and 54% have transitioned in-person programs online since the beginning of the pandemic. As part of our COVID-19 impact stories, we explored how organizations have changed their programs and services in response to the pandemic. Here are a few examples of how some groups have adapted their programs.

What do you hope to accomplish and what are the takeaways for the conference attendees? 

I am hopeful that conference attendees will be able to incorporate some of the information into their planning for 2021. Within the presentation will be links to data and information that could be of benefit when thinking about the future of their organizations. I think we all want to start the New Year with a sense of moving forward and ensuring that the important services provided by charities and nonprofits will continue to be available for Canadians.

You can learn more about Bruce MacDonald, Imagine Canada and get tickets to the VIRTUAL Volunteer Futures & BCACG Symposium – November 12 & 13. 

Lorelynn Hart is the Program Director at Volunteer BC, an organization working to raise the profile of volunteering, encourage investment in volunteer engagement and link the network of volunteer centres. Volunteer BC is the voice of volunteerism with the goal of promoting the value of volunteerism and building healthy BC Communities.