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Alberta Edition
February 2012
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This month our Ontario readers will be pleased to learn that we're hosting Tzeporah Berman on her new book This Crazy time next month. Also this month, a reminder about our diversity Project mini-grants.
All subscribers will want to read on for the latest from the HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector, the Charity Law Information Project, Blackbaud, Bridgespan, Pew and My Charity Connects.
Also … a very early heads-up that we will be celebrating our 15th anniversary at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto on the evening of Thursday, September 13th. Please mark your calendars. It's never too early to book a party!
- Sustainability Network Forum: Tzeporah Berman On Her New Book This Crazy Time
- GreenHeroes: Video Clip of the Month
- News: HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector
- Free Webinars: My Charity Connects
- Announcement: National Training Program in Children's Environmental Health
- Announcement: Emerald Awards Accepting Nominations for Environmental Excellence
- Capacity Building Opportunity: Offering from Volunteer Alberta
- Capacity Building Opportunity: Offerings from Volunteer Edmonton
- Capacity Building Opportunity: Offerings from Volunteer Calgary
- Conference: Connections 2012 April 25-26 at the University of Calgary
- Report: Survey Sheds Light on Alberta's Nonprofit Employees
- Resources: Charity Central's Road to Accountability
- Report Blackbaud Index on Charitable Giving
- Report: New study Offers New Insight into Motivation of Mobile Donors
- Resource: Receipting Kit for Charities from the Charity Law Information Project
- Report: The Donor-Grantee Trap: How Ineffective Collaboration Undermines Philanthropic Results for Society, and What Can Be Done About It
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1.
Sustainability Network Forum: Tzeporah Berman On Her New Book This Crazy Time
Join us on Monday, March 26, from 5:30 – 7:00 PM at 215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 120, in Toronto for a thought provoking and entertaining discussion with one of Canada's most respected activists.
This Crazy Time is passionate, profound, inspiring and funny. Part manifesto from a leader, part humorous activist memoir from a soccer mom – it offers a wryly honest, behind the scenes, ultimately uplifting look at the state of the planet.
For almost 20 years, Tzeporah Berman has been one of our most influential environmentalists. A founder of ForestEthics and currently Greenpeace International Climate and Energy Co-Director, she was instrumental in shaping the tactics and concerns of the modern environmental movement.
Presented in association with Environmental Defence, Greenpeace Canada, Randomhouse and the Centre for Social Innovation.
Free but please register by emailing rsvp@sustainabilitynetwork.ca specifying this event. |
2.
GreenHeroes: Video Clip of the Month
GreenHeroes, a Web/TV series produced by CineFocus Canada in association with TVO, tells the story of change – of how people improved their lives, what their tipping point moments were and how they overcome obstacles to on the road to becoming a GreenHero.
GreenHeroes.TV is featuring two GreenHeroes whose work relates to great events happening in Toronto this month:
Ian Clifford realized the impact his SUV and other cars were having on the environment and decided to create a solution. He founded ZENN Motor Company that creates emissions free, energy efficient transportation options. Ian’s story is a model for participants of the Smart Commute program of Toronto and Hamilton that helps commuters lower the environmental impact of their commute. Smart Commute is holding Carpool Week February 6-12. It is a great first step to greening your commute.
http://www.greenheroes.tv/webisode/4028489-Ian-Clifford
Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) brought trees back to Kenya after environmental degradation adversely affected the basic living needs of the women who lived there. The GreenHeroes Wangari Maathai short film tells her story and will be featured in MINT, a monthly Toronto film festival, on February 24. To mark this exciting occasion, we will feature Wangari on our home page.
http://www.greenheroes.tv/webisode/3505199-Wangari-Maathai |
3.
News: HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector
The HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector Newsroom is where you can subscribe to their monthly newsletter (Perspectives) and view archived issues. There are also links to news headlines relating to current human resources dilemmas and innovations in Canada.
The HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector's website also includes a multitude of resources for employers, employees, volunteers, and students looking for experience working in the nonprofit sector.
Check it out at:
http://www.hrcouncil.ca/newsroom/overview.cfm |
4.
Free Webinars: My Charity Connects
Want to learn more about fundraising, social media and online technology? Check out any of these free online training sessions are available to everyone with an internet connection and speakers. Click on the session names below for more details and to register.
February 15 - Introduction to TechSoup Canada's Online Donations Program
February 29 - Get Social with your Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Events
March 14 - Essential Facebook Tips for Your Charity
March 28 - Being Social Inside and Out: Fostering a Culture of Sharing and Collaboration
April 11 - The Rules Around Tools
April 25 - Essential Twitter Tips for Your Charity
May 9 - Preparing for a Website Redesign
May 23 - Editorial Calendar Essentials: Organize and Plan Your Online Communications
June 27 - Elements of a Great YouTube Video
For more information or to register, visit:
http://mycharityconnects.org/webinars |
5.
Announcement: National Training Program in Children's Environmental Health
If you are a Canadian researcher, community advocate or policy thinker invested in improving children's environmental health in urban settings or your work includes a focus on the well being of lower-income or marginalized children and youth living in urban areas, check out the National Training Program in Children's Environmental Health
The Centre for Environmental Health Equity (CEHE), in collaboration with the Canadian Partnership for Children's Health and the Environment (CPCHE) and the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA), is calling for applications for a one-week national collaborative training program in children's environmental health. While research and knowledge of children's environmental health in urban setting is growing, there is little examination of how problems become prioritized, what social and historical mechanisms have led to present-day health problems, and what strategies are best suited to resolve them.
The goal of this national training program is to develop and nurture a deliberate Knowledge Mobilization Network that supports collaborative learning and relationship building among actors in research, policy and advocacy to address children's environmental inequity in urban settings.
Application deadline is March 30th 2012, 5pm CST.
Complete overview, program details, application instructions are available at:
http://www.cehe.ca/ceheproject |
6. Announcement: Emerald Awards Accepting Nominations for Environmental Excellence
Do you know an individual, group or business in Alberta that has set an example for environmental achievement? Someone who has gone above and beyond what is expected of them in the protection of the environment? Why not share that success and let others learn from your experience by submitting an Emerald Award nomination? There are several award categories, including for individuals, nonprofits, the public sector and businesses. The nomination deadline is February 24, 2012.
For more information visit:
http://www.emeraldfoundation.ca |
7. Capacity Building Opportunity: Offering from Volunteer Alberta
De-Complicate the Complicated Business of Privacy for Your Non-Profit Organization Friday, February 10, 2012 (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
This two-hour presentation provides a solid understanding about practices in privacy protection and answers to questions related to such matter.
For more information and to register, please visit:
http://volunteeralberta.ab.ca/news-and-events/events-calendar |
8.
Capacity Building Opportunity: Offerings from Volunteer Edmonton
Volunteer Management: An Introduction
Wednesday & Thursday, February 8 & 9, 2012
Wednesday & Thursday, February 15 & 16, 2012
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
This four-day workshop provides a more formalized training to those who are new to managing volunteers or in an organization with new volunteer program.
For more information and to register, please visit:
http://volunteermgmtintroduction.eventbrite.com/
Strengthening Volunteer Boards
Saturday, February 11, 2012 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (MT)
This is a workshop for those who are new to the board wanting to learn more aobut your role, or an experienced board member hoping to enhance your skills and work effectively as a team member.
For more information and to register, please visit:
http://strengthenvolunteerboards.eventbrite.com/
The Breakfast Learning Series: Staff and Volunteer Recognition on a Dime
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 from 7:45 AM to 9:30 AM (MT)
Join this session to explore the compelling reasons why recognition is important to attraction and retention. Come prepared to share your successes in recognizing staff and volunteer as well to explore other strategies and ideas to use within your organization.
For more information and to register, please visit:
http://volrecognition.eventbrite.com/
Grant Writing Workshop
Saturday, February 25, 2012 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (MT)
In this workshop, you will explore the world of writing to prospective funders requesting their support and how to prepare well focused proposals, thus increasing your chances for success.
For more information and to register, please visit:
http://writinggrants.eventbrite.com/ |
9. Capacity Building Opportunity: Offerings from Volunteer Calgary
Prospecting and Discovery Session
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 (9:00 am – 4:00 pm)
Join Brent Barootes in this one-day workshop if your organization is seeking to generate more revenue. The session will draw on a series of important key industry examples, lecture and hands-on development and will enable participants to confidently prospect.
Leadership Fundamentals
Thursday, February 16, 2012 (8:30 am – 4:00 pm)
This session will focus on who you are a leader, and the basic knowledge, skills and behaviours that effective leaders should demonstrate.
Element of Volunteer Engagement
February 22 & 23, 2012 (9:00 am – 4:00 pm)
'EVE' is a two-day workshop that aims to provide participants with new skills and tools created specifically for non-profit organizations with a high regard for volunteers. It will provide valuable insight to organizations that are implementing a new volunteer program or updating an existing one.
For information and to register for the above events, please visit:
http://www.volunteercalgary.ab.ca/learning_development/courses_date.html |
10.
Conference: Connections 2012 April 25-26 at the University of Calgary
CCVO's Connections 2012: Three Sectors for Strong Community Conference will explore the issues and questions facing the nonprofit sector now and in the near future. Keynote speakers include: Karl Wilding, Director of Research, National Council for Voluntary Organizations, UK, addressing lessons learned in the United Kingdom by nonprofits experiencing "Big Society" policies, and Jason Saul, CEO of Mission Measurement in Chicago on measuring social impact. He is the author of The End of Fundraising: Raise More Money by Selling Your Impact, Benchmarking for Nonprofits, and Social Innovation, Inc.
The conference will bring together leaders from the nonprofit sector, corporate community, government, other funders and community leaders, to dialogue about the significant changes that will impact the sector and its ability to meet community needs in the foreseeable future.
For registration forms and more information, please visit:
http://www.calgarycvo.org/events/2012Connections |
11. Report: Survey Sheds Light on Alberta's Nonprofit Employees
Without doubt, the passion, skill and talents of our workforce are the heart and soul of the nonprofit sector. The commitment and dedication of our employees and volunteers provide the foundation that helps our sector, and our communities thrive. But as labour markets once again begin to tighten, our focus needs to return to developing the resources and systems to effectively attract, develop and retain staff in the nonprofit sector. In order to better understand and promote the sector's workforce, this fall the Alberta Nonprofit Workforce Council, undertook a survey of nonprofit employees from across the province.
The Workforce Council surveyed 569 employees regarding their view of the benefits and challenges of working in the nonprofit sector. Their insights shed some light on what we as need to consider going forward. The next phase of the Council's work - the 100,000 Voices Campaign - seeks to profile the important career opportunities in the sector and demonstrate the sector's critical role in contributing to the quality of life Albertans enjoy in our province.
For a copy of this 8 page summary report, visit:
http://www.calgarycvo.org/sites/default/files/resources/201201 WorkforceConnect_LoudandClear.pdf |
12.
Resources: Charity Central's Road to Accountability
Road to Accountability, a project of Charity Central in Edmonton, develops plain language resource materials and provides learning opportunities on accountability and transparency practices for registered charities and not-for-profit organizations. In addition to an accountability self-assessment, they have posted slide decks for three modules:
- Accountability - The Basics
- Accountability - Tools
- Transparency - The Basics
Check out these resources at:
http://www.charitycentral.ca/node/711 |
13. Report: Blackbaud Index on Charitable Giving
Blackbaud, Inc. recently announced that, according to their research, US fundraising has returned to pre-recession levels. Through the first 11 months of 2011, overall giving was up 3.4% over 2010, and is now officially above the level of giving last seen in 2007. It is important to note that while giving has increased, the increase is not uniform across all sub-sectors. However, most nonprofits saw greater stability and predictability in their 2011 fundraising than in the past few years.
Check out this 12 page report from January 2012 at:
https://www.blackbaud.com/files/resources/downloads/bbindex_report_january2012.pdf |
14.
Report: New study Offers New Insight into Motivation of Mobile Donors
According to a new study on mobile giving by Pew Internet, 64% of American adults now use text messaging, and 9% have texted a charitable donation from their mobile phone. This in-depth study on mobile donors, which analyzed the Text to Haiti campaign after the 2010 earthquake, found that these contributions were often spur-of-the-moment decisions that spread virally through friend networks. Three quarters of these donors (73%) contributed using their phones on the same day they heard about the campaign, and a similar number (76%) said they typically make text message donations without conducting much research. Yet while their initial contribution often involved little deliberation, 43% of these donors encouraged their friends or family members to also give to the campaign. In addition, a majority of those surveyed (56%) have continued to give to more recent disaster relief efforts using their mobile phones.
Check out the full 25 page report, published in January 2012, at:
http://pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2012/Real%20Time%20Charitable%20Giving.pdf |
15.
Resource: Receipting Kit for Charities from the Charity Law Information Project
CLIP recently released a new Receipting Kit that outlines how charities should receipt and is accompanied by an index of Canada Revenue Agency's policies and guidance on receipting.
For a copy of this 25 page guide, visit:
http://capacitybuilders.ca/clip/documents/ReceiptingKit-ReceiptingGuide.pdf |
16. Report: The Donor-Grantee Trap: How Ineffective Collaboration Undermines Philanthropic Results for Society, and What Can Be Done About It
In an era of severe government cutbacks, modest economic growth, and escalating social needs, philanthropists and the nonprofits they support must get the absolute most from every scarce dollar they invest. A significant opportunity may lie in more effective donor-grantee collaboration. This guide for nonprofit leaders, their boards, and their donors explains three imperatives of effective collaboration—for which all parties must share responsibility—and highlights how better execution can increase the impact of limited resources.
Check out this 21 page report from October 2011 at:
http://www.bridgespan.org/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=28162 |
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