Observations from Communitech’s Tech Leadership Conference
“Communitech’s Tech Leadership Conference brings the best entrepreneurs, innovators and thought leaders [together] to connect, learn and help shift the power and control of technology in the right direction.” That’s a pretty big mouthful. Said another way, the goal of the conference is to bring together a bunch of smart people who are interested in […]
Capacity’s design sprint: Winded and rewarded at the end
By Matthew Reynolds, Professional software developer, novice letterpress printer, and metalhead. Living in Kitchener, Ontario. How much can a team, dedicated to exploring a given problem, achieve in three days? Which approach would they take in order to make the most of that time? Recently, Capacity Canada hosted a three-day Google Design Sprint to learn more […]
Our Governance BootCamps: Homework that makes a difference
For Craig McNiven, the timing was perfect. With about a year behind him on the board of Carizon, a family and community services agency in Waterloo Region, Ont. McNiven enrolled in Capacity Canada’s Manulife Board Governance BootCamp last November. He graduated this week (March 9), and now applies what he learned to two key responsibilities on the board: […]
Don’t let evaluation become the elephant in the room
Evaluation… Impact Assessment… Reporting… Simple in concept, but capable of causing severe challenges for your organization if not properly managed. So, why are many nonprofits missing this important piece? In the private sector, where my experience lies, measurement and evaluation is relatively straightforward: Return on investment. Profitability. Efficiency and effectiveness. In the nonprofit world as […]
Summit helps non-profits navigate in the digital world
There are lots of opportunities in the digital world for charitable non-profits to connect with people. And most of them are missed. So, this week Capacity Canada and the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre did what organizations do when there’s a problem: They called in the experts. “Online is unstoppable,” Paul Nazereth told attendees Jan. 31 at […]
Capacity Canada’s board-matching program expands to EY Waterloo Region
When Cody Buchenauer was growing up, the Wilmot Family Resource Centre always seemed to play a role in the background. He went to the centre’s day care. Later, his minor hockey team helped the centre’s Christmas hamper drive. Now he serves on the board of directors for the organization, a connection made through MatchBoard, a […]
EvalU completes third session, heads into 2017 with more to come
Not a bad day in the life of an executive director. You go into a workshop worried about one thing, and come out pleasantly surprised, with useful take-aways. Such was the experience of Alison Vandergragt, one of nearly 40 participants in a recent EvalU session in Renfrew, Ontario. EvalU is Capacity Canada’s boot camp on […]
Submit a Nomination Now for Canada’s Volunteer Awards!
The 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation is fast approaching. During this celebration year, it is important to acknowledge that our country would not be the same without the work of volunteers. We would like to recognize the important work of volunteers across the country. The call for nominations for Canada’s Volunteer Awards is now open […]
More grads for innovative boards
The demand for stronger organizations through better board governance knows no borders. Participants from the board governance boot camp Capacity Canada held in st. John’s, N.L. last May reconvened Oct. 19 for graduation. They reported on what happened when they applied what they learned at the boot camp to challenges in their organizations. Capacity’s local […]
Hamilton agency wins award for board turnaround
Unread agendas. Iffy meeting attendance. A sense of disconnect on the board. These ranked among the challenges facing the Children’s International Learning Centre (CILC) when it sent a team to Capacity Canada’s board governance boot camp in Hamilton earlier this fall. This week, the organization, which puts together a range of themed children’s programs in the city, […]
