Connections Conference 2024
About This Collection
Now in its 10th year, Connections Conference brings together changemakers from Alberta’s non-profit, business, and government sectors to share innovative best practices and thought leadership that inspire action to tackle our country’s most complex challenges. This year, the conference will focus on various themes, from agency and government relations and the future workforce to Indigenous reconciliation and meaningful partnership in funding, bringing a systems perspective to the forefront of the issues. In partnership with The Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (CCVO), Future of Good assembled this collection of stories that explores these concepts – foundational to meaningful change.
More than half of Alberta non-profits can’t find skilled staff: report
Alberta non-profits are struggling to recruit and retain staff. An approach that sees leaders "put their own masks on first" could help create healthier workplaces.
A Palestinian surgeon’s GoFundMe bid to evacuate his daughter from Gaza — and the digital army that’s mobilized to help
People in Gaza are facing a catastrophic humanitarian situation — extreme shortages of food, water and medical supplies. To get to safety, hundreds of Palestinians are appealing to donors worldwide through GoFundMe.
First-generation Canadians in non-profit sector have lower job satisfaction: study
Newcomers often turn to non-profit organizations for Canadian work experience, but new data reveals that 34 per cent of first-generation Canadians are dissatisfied with those roles. Could building more inclusive work cultures change that?
Financial literacy as an antidote to stress
Money is the most significant source of stress for many Canadians—more than work, personal health and relationships. Most Canadians cannot access an employer retirement plan, making retirement planning their responsibility. However, financial literacy can help reduce this tension for many Canadian households, increasing their wellbeing.
Funding needed to keep toxic drug supply data dashboard going: St John Ambulance
Crowdsourcing data points and information can help organizations in similar sectors access a single truth source. However, developing and sustaining databases requires financial sustainability.
Information ‘vacuum,’ government secrecy drives charitable sector's fight against Alternative Minimum Tax
There are a variety of opinions on the proposed charity-related changes to the Alternative Minimum Tax. Yet the sector’s advocacy was united. Why?
When helpers need help: compassion fatigue on the frontlines
Compassion fatigue can affect a person’s mental, physical and psychological wellbeing, but there are strategies frontline workers and their employers can use to recover and recharge.
How experts are dismantling colonial approaches to business and housing
One of the main ways Canadians start businesses and build wealth is by leveraging their homes. However, Indigenous home ownership is close to zero, creating huge systemic barriers to economic development — barriers that can be broken down by decolonizing financial structures.
Taking the long view, EntrepreNorth supports Northern Indigenous entrepreneurs to create transformative change
In convening partners to launch a Northern impact fund, EntrepreNorth brings a decolonization lens to financial equity and impact capital in the North.
Philanthropy experiment: 12 strangers; £100,000; four weeks. How did they give it away?
In making giving decisions, affluent benefactors tend to rely on their judgement or the advice of paid staff and advisors. But what if there's a better, fairer way?
Charity faces backlash over 'body bag for her' femicide campaign
Facing a decline in donors and an increasingly crowded social media landscape, charities may increasingly turn to “edgy” campaigns to raise awareness, but doing so brings inherent risk.
LEGO Foundation provides financial building blocks to Grand Challenges Canada
The future wellbeing of children impacted by conflict and climate emergencies hinges on inclusive education.
Grassroots advocacy, charities help secure $212M in federal funding to house asylum seekers
Some charities don’t engage in advocacy believing it’s not relevant to their mission. But one expert says a recent advocacy campaign to house asylum seekers shows the big impact this work can have.
Exclusive: Dozens of grassroots groups cut off from funding after Ontario Trillium Foundation repealed ‘shared platform’ policy
Recent changes in federal law have made it easier for foundations to grant to grassroots organizations. But some Ontario charities say policy changes made by the Ontario Trillium Foundation in 2020 move the province in the opposite direction, making it tougher for grassroots groups to access funds.
New AgentsC and Imagine Canada study reveals significant inclusion barriers for Black and Indigenous CSR professionals
Black and Indigenous-led non-profit groups are often the most underfunded by corporate groups, which mainly consist of white professionals making the funding decisions. This study shows that 25 per cent of Black CSR practitioners have funding decision-making, in comparison to the 96 per cent of white practitioners. Knowing what improvements can be made within the sector could be useful for those who need better support.
“Maps can be seen as truth”: Why Indigenous communities are using digital mapping to defend their land
GIS mapping superimposes layers of data about a location over a digital map to reveal trends and gaps in an area. For social purpose organizations working at local or regional levels, this information can be critical in driving awareness and funding towards specific communities’ challenges.
New report shows funding gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous charities remains astronomical in size
A second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has gone by, and Indigenous charities still receive $1 for every $138 received by non-Indigenous charities, while also facing systemic underfunding by governments.