Why DiverseCity Counts

It should come as no surprise that the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is often classified as one of the most ethnically diverse urban centres in the world. Consisting of the central city of Toronto, along with four surrounding regional municipalities...

Your mission, should you choose to accept it

Many of us would rather get a root canal than go through yet another organizational revisioning process. The question is: Is it still important to have a mission statement in 2012? The story of Family Services of Hamilton (FSH) offers...

Fundraising Q&A: Helping your board to fundraise

Our board is very new to fundraising. What would you recommend to support their efforts? The board’s role in fundraising is one of my favourite topics, albeit an evolving one. Times are changing as the development profession matures but many...

Harnessing the potential of cross-sector partnerships

Against the current backdrop of sector challenges, nonprofits have a tremendous opportunity to use cross-sector partnerships to support their mission by accessing highly skilled and engaged volunteers. Unlike previous times when partnerships with corporations were mainly philanthropic in nature and...

Don’t be a nonprofit party to terror

Canadian charities and terrorism aren’t generally subjects associated with one another. But recent legislative changes to Canada’s anti-terrorism laws, the Criminal Code and heightened scrutiny by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) on how domestic charities finance and oversee projects abroad...

A hostile environment

To say we're witnessing some interesting times is akin to stating Harry Potter has a way with wands: it's an understatement. It seems every day there's a disparaging revelation, a new accusation, pitting charities against federal leaders or special interest...

Governance Q&A: Asking board members to give

Given how much time board members give to their charity, is it ethical to also expect them to donate? Yes, it is. Volunteers are usually the best source of funds for a charity, and it would be irresponsible not to...

Trend watch for nonprofits

Trends that are becoming mainstream, affecting most associations and charities, need to be high on the list of issues for strategic discussion and action by nonprofit leaders. These trends are pronounced and are becoming more significant. The question becomes how...

Imagine Canada launches Standards Program

It's official. Today marks the launch of Imagine Canada's new Standards Program. The initiative, which was in a testing phase from last year into early 2012, now goes full steam ahead with a set of requirements, funding partners and participating...