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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WATERLOO REGION, Nov. 18, 2016: The Volunteer Action Centre of Kitchener Waterloo and Area is the 2016 winner of Manulife Governance Excellence Award presented by Capacity Canada.
The award recognizes outstanding board work in Waterloo Region’s charitable not-for-profit sector. It was presented at the start of Capacity’s annual Manulife Board Governance Boot Camp Nov. 17-19 in Kitchener.
“Organizations thrive when their boards recruit innovative people who bring ideas to the table and challenge conventional thinking,” said Cathy Brothers, chief executive officer of Capacity Canada.
The Volunteer Action Centre has been promoting volunteerism in Kitchener and Waterloo, and the townships of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot, for 32 years. More than 165 agencies belong to the centre. In addition, the centre collaborates with businesses and post-secondary institutions in the community.
The competition for the award drew 12 nominations this year. “Tone-at-the-top” improvements in how the centre’s board conducts its business impressed a panel of three judges.
“Tone at the top” refers to such qualities as efficiency, openness and strategic thinking. Succession planning and stepped-up orientation for new board members rank among several best practices adopted by the board in recent years.
“I think it’s an evolution rather than instant change,” said Jane Hennig, the centre’s executive director. “We’ve been to the boot camp three times, and each time we’ve implemented components of it. The board members who have come with me have all been extremely invigorated by the process and the learning. They immediately came back with suggestions.”
The Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre in Kitchener was the inaugural winner of the award last year. Nominees have to be previous attendees of Capacity’s governance boot camp.
Winning organizations get a $5,000 grant.
Capacity Canada has held a governance boot camp in Waterloo Region every year since 2009 to help board leaders and top administrators understand their complementary but separate roles in the operation of charitable not-for-profits. It has also worked with local partners to host similar boot camps in Hamilton, Ont., Fort McMurray, Alta. and St. John’s, NL.
Contacts:
Cathy Brothers,
Chief Executive Officer,
Capacity Canada,
[email protected]
519-513-2606, Ext. 1
Jane Hennig,
Executive Director,
Volunteer Action Centre of Kitchener Waterloo and Area,
[email protected]
519-742-8610
