Capacity Canada Communique

Celebrating Non-profit Sector Week of Appreciation

With the unanimous passage of Bill 9, Ontario has become the first province to host a Non-profit Sector Week of Appreciation. Every third week of February will henceforth celebrate non-profit staff throughout the province, and the inaugural week is February 14-20, 2022.

The Bhayana Family Foundation, in partnership with United Way of Greater Toronto and the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN), originally hatched the idea for a province-wide week of recognition for the staff in their sector. Not an easy feat to achieve, Daisy Wai, MPP for Richmond Hill, passionately championed Bill 9 and ensured the non-profit sector was honoured for its social and economic contributions to society.

Non-profit leaders are the voice of the people and the communities they serve. Identifying early on that there was a need to honour and celebrate our non-profit staff for their contributions to society, Capacity Canada introduced its Hall of Fame last year. “It is important to recognize the leaders that make a difference in our communities. Capacity Canada is committed to appreciating the hard-working professionals in our non-profit sector,” says Cathy Brothers, CEO, Capacity Canada. To read more, visit our website.

To combat Islamophobia, charity leaders must commit to diversity and inclusion 

In the wake of the national day of remembrance for the victims of the Quebec mosque shooting on January 29, Capacity Canada’s Cathy Brothers and MAC’s Memona Hossain co-authored an article that offered six practical steps leaders can take to close the charitable sector’s diversity gap. The article, published in The Philanthropist Journal, also highlighted the importance of addressing Islamophobia.

Capacity Canada highly values and appreciates its collaboration with The Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) on the importance of diversity and inclusion. Last year, Capacity Canada invited experts from MAC to speak at its annual Board Governance BootCamp. The theme of the BootCamp was Transforming Governance: Preparing Your Board for Diversity. As part of the sessions, the speakers from MAC shared the complexity of the term Islamophobia and highlighted the various factors that fueled it.

In the most recent collaboration, MAC and Capacity Canada, a pioneer in social innovation, joined together to foster discussion about what dismantling the drastic rise in Islamophobia means for the Canadian charitable sector.

Read the complete article here.

Kick-Off Meeting: Women’s Leadership Co-Creation Studio

The first week of February marked the beginning of Capacity Canada’s new project – Makeover: Women’s Leadership Co-Creation Studio: Advancing Equitable Nonprofit Sector Change. The first group meeting brought together the advisory table that included members from five partnering agencies: Coalition of Muslim Women, Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, YWCA of Cambridge, Sexual Assault Centre of Waterloo Region, and SHORE.

The 15-month project, funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), will support a feminist response and recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19 through systemic change. Capacity Canada will achieve this by addressing systemic barriers to women’s underrepresented participation within both services’ delivery leadership and governance roles of non-profit organizations.

Capacity Canada acknowledges the support of WAGE for this project and is thankful for the opportunity it has given us. The WAGE works to advance equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression through the inclusion of people of all genders, including women, in Canada’s economic, social, and political life.

To learn more about WAGE, please visit their website.

Capacity Canada Presents Emerging Governance Trends – Webinar Series for 2022 

Starting April this year, Capacity Canada will be offering a new four-part webinar series – Emerging Governance Trends Webinar Series 2022 – to prepare you and your board for success. Tailored to prospective, new, and experienced non-profit board members, executive directors, CEOs, and corporate partners, Capacity Canada’s 90-minute workshops on post-pandemic governance trends and strategies are an ideal way for you to meet your professional development goal.

The four-part series includes:

• Post-Pandemic Reality: April 21, 2022, 6:00 – 7:30 pm, presented by Fred Galloway.

• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Part 1): June 23, 2022, 6:00 – 7:30 pm, presented by Sandra Hanmer.
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion – Making It Happen (Part 2): September 22, 2022, 6:00 – 7:30 pm, presented by Sandra Hanmer.
• Building a High-Performing Board – Board Recruitment and Retention: November 10, 2022, 6:00 – 7:30 pm, presented by Marion Thomson-Howell.

Registration will open soon. Stay tuned for email updates or visit our website.

Capacity Canada is thankful for United Way WRC’s support 

During the most challenging days of the pandemic over the past two years, United Way Waterloo Region Communities (United Way WRC) has raised funds to support charities throughout the Waterloo Region. Undoubtedly, United Way has faced several challenges, especially with the impact of losing in-person fundraising in workplaces. And yet, United Way WRC has maintained a brave and nurturing focus on the well-being of the agencies they support and the people served by these agencies. Consistently, United Way’s CEO and staff have reinforced their respect for the charities and their concern for the well-being of the staff within these agencies. From the top leadership, United Way has been clear that its role is to raise funds so that others can do good work.

Capacity Canada is fortunate to be supported by United Way WRC. We are working in partnership with the United Way to build a stronger and more resilient social good sector. We are grateful to United Way for bringing the charitable sector together to better understand what resiliency looks like and to design actionable steps in putting solutions into practice.

Please remember how essential United Way WRC is to the well-being of thousands of people in the Waterloo Region. Will you be a part of the solution in helping them raise the remaining $1 million to reach their year-end March 31, 2022 goal? If yes, please visit their website to donate.

Remember, every donation counts.

Celebrating Black History Month 

February marks the beginning of Black History Month that focuses attention on the contributions and legacy of Black Canadians and their communities. It is an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of Black communities that make Canada a culturally diverse, prosperous, and inclusive country.

This year, the Government of Canada’s Black History Month theme is ‘February and Forever: Celebrating Black history today and every day.’ It invites us to pay tribute to, and learn more about, the important roles Black Canadians have played in building and shaping a more prosperous, diverse, and inclusive Canada.

Discover Black History Month programs, events, and reading lists by visiting your nearest library or on the Government of Canada’s website.

Imagine Canada’s Revised Accreditation Standards 

Capacity Canada congratulates Imagine Canada for its recent revisions to its Accreditation Standards in board governance. There is no better oversight for a board than the assurance that their non-profit meets the Imagine Canada Standards in areas of board governance, financial accountability and transparency, fundraising, staff management, and volunteer involvement.

Learn more about Imagine Canada’s Accreditation Standards.

Find more funding to help you grow your nonprofit’s impact

Charities and nonprofits spend countless hours identifying funding opportunities and determining whether they’re a good fit. That’s why Imagine Canada’s fundraising research platform has been designed to help organizations save time and secure more funding with high-quality funder data and easy-to-use research and collaboration tools. Find out all the ways that Grant Connect can help your organization achieve its fundraising goals.

Learn more https://buff.ly/35Yq9Ln

Effective Board Support for Executive Assistants

Capacity Canada Presents Effective Board Support for Executive Assistants. The workshop is led by Marion Thomson Howell, Catherine Heal, and Andrew Jardine. They will share information and best practices, facilitate discussions with our experts, engage you through polls, and groups discussions in breakout rooms.

The two-sessions online workshop is being held on the following dates:

• Tuesday, March 1st, 2022 between 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm ET
• Friday, March 4th, 2022 between 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm ET

To learn more and to register visit https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/245941727327
You will learn the following:

• Governance basics that board assistants need to know
• Meetings – preparation, organization, minutes
• Ways in which board assistants can be a valuable resource to the board
• Learn more about regulatory requirements and governing documents

The course fee is $300 for both sessions. The class size is limited.

Registration Open For Modern Board

Registration for course 1 for Capacity Canada’s Modern Board program – Essentials of Governing – is now open. The course is offered twice this year, beginning March 1, 2022, and September 12, 2022.

The micro-credential program, offered in partnership with Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, equips you with the knowledge that allows you to modernize your approach and have a positive impact in your community. It offers a unique and credible, two-course online training module. Board directors and executives are provided with the tools they need to drive their boards. It includes multi-media guidance through video lectures, reading materials, and journaling opportunities to reflect on your personal experience with board roles, responsibilities, and more. The multiple courses in the program can be completed in your own time.

To learn more about Modern Board and to register, visit our website.

Support Capacity Canada

Each year, we help non-profits from all across Canada with Board Governance training. We are always grateful for our non-profit partners, community leaders, and their support, and even more so now with the ongoing pandemic. Your financial support will help Capacity Canada bring together the ideas, people, and resources that fuel social innovation.