COVID-19 and its effects on the social impact world
About This Collection
In our special coverage, we bring you news, unexpected solutions, and examine the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the social impact sector, the systems we live in, and on our society. We dive into social safety nets, philanthropy, gendered effects, mental health, technology, racism, social finance, frontline work, and more. Valuable insights to help your organization understand, navigate, and adapt to new normals.
COVID stole the spotlight from Canadaโs health advocacy groups โ hereโs how theyโre adapting.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated conversation globally, healthcare advocacy groups find themselves in a battle for public attention in order to represent their patientsโ time-sensitive interests.
Vaccine mandates are a fact of life for frontline non-profits and charities โ hereโs how they feel about it.
Clients served by shelters, food banks, drop-in centres, and other frontline social impact organizations are among the most vulnerable members of Canadian society โ and it is nearly impossible to provide many effective community services while physically distanced.
The federal government is giving $100 million to womenโs organizations. Will it end the โshecessionโ?
Experts say COVID-19 has set back progress on Canadian gender equity, from workforce participation to gendered violence and more. Meanwhile, the organizations meant to support women and change sexist systems are struggling themselves. A $100 million project-based fund is helpful, but is it enough?
Callers are dialing 211 in droves during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many are reaching out for the very first time.
The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating pre-existing inequities around food access, mental health services, and income support. United Way Centraide Canadaโs findings suggest the virus is also impoverishing Canadians who were previously secure. Non-profits and government programming will need to be ready for an increase in demand.
Canadaโs largest charities ask Ottawa for $500 to $700 million COVID-19 relief fund
Sector leaders donโt expect corporate donations or philanthropies can cover the financial burden faced by community services organizations across Canada. Meanwhile, the federal government is due to table a new budget this spring, one that is expected to include relief packages for industries hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medical racism against Indigenous communities remains rampant. How can a COVID-19 vaccine be deployed equitably?
The Canadian government is promising a smooth rollout of approved COVID-19 vaccines to everyone who wants one. But even the best logistical systems will be irrelevant if Indigenous peoples, who are considered especially vulnerable to COVID-19, are reluctant to be vaccinated due to a history of medical racism.
Social impact professionals are still networking. Here are 4 ways theyโre doing it
Networking is an essential way for social impact professionals to make new connections, find jobs, share knowledge, and collaborate on projects. Ensuring that networks remain alive during the pandemic is one important way for the sector to remain collaborative and focused at a time of great uncertainty.
This grassroots group supports COVID-19 survivors around the world. Hereโs what Canadaโs social impact sector can learn.
About 386,000 Canadians have recovered from COVID-19, and another 76,000 have active cases. With potential long-term physical, mental and even social impacts of having survived the virus, these hundreds of thousands, and many more, will likely need support for years into the future โ and social impact organizations could support their recovery in a number of ways.
The pandemic revealed this massive blind spot in elder care
Senior care in Canada is a complex and disconnected system. After the pandemic, experts believe the elder-care system needs to take a more holistic approach that connects the social service of long-term care more closely to the medical system. This story is produced in partnership with SE Health, a social enterprise dedicated to impacting how people live and age at home.
Canadaโs first COVID-19 vaccine is on the way. How can the social impact world make sure it gets to those who need it most?
Canada just approved a COVID-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, Torontoโs Black community is getting infected with COVID-19 at disproportionately high rates. Medical inequities and distrust are part of the problem and the incoming vaccine may not be enough.
Seven things the social impact world needs to know about the federal economic update
Ottawaโs fall economic statement is traditionally a snapshot of spending from the previous year. In 2020, the document represents another hint for the Liberal governmentโs priorities in the upcoming federal budget. Its contents will be significant for struggling social impact organizations.
10 visionary leaders on the state of social impact in (post-pandemic) 2030
The last nine months have seen Canadaโs social impact sector go into survival mode. But survival alone is not sustainable. Huge challenges await Canada in the post-pandemic world, and vision, courage, and resourcefulness are required to remain relevant after the virus is defeated.
Social isolation is on the rise. Hereโs how service providers are still building community.
Social isolation is one of the most severe consequences of public health restrictions intended to curb the spread of COVID-19. Building meaningful community among marginalized service users requires not only addressing persistent social inequities, but also figuring out how to keep them connected.
6 ideas to try at your next virtual event
Running a digital gathering is vastly different compared to an in-person conference or workshop or gala. Few social impact organizations had experience with digital events before the pandemic. And with the second wave, the future of in-person events remains uncertain.
5 social purpose co-ops helping communities recover from COVID-19
Pandemic recovery will require community-led solutions โ to rising rates of food insecurity and addiction; to the lack of access to affordable childcare and pharmaceuticals; for the struggling arts sector; and more โ and co-ops could be well-positioned to provide them.
The social impact sector has a mental health crisis looming โ hereโs what to do about it
The social impact sector is arguably more needed than ever, as Canadians recover from the devastating social and economic impacts of the pandemic. But years of deprioritizing mental wellness combined with a massive global crisis has led to a burned out, stressed workforce โ ultimately hurting the communities it serves, too.
Canadaโs recovery plan could miss a huge opportunity to boost climate finance, experts say
Fighting climate change remains Canadaโs greatest existential challenge. As the country recovers from COVID-19, it has the opportunity to transform its carbon-intensive economy - but government financing alone may not be enough. Social financing could fill the gap and ensure a green economic recovery for all.
Trudeauโs $400 million international COVID-19 plan is feminist โ but is it enough?
Women and girls are leading the charge on COVID-19 response efforts around the world. Yet many women around the world are seeing an alarming rise in domestic violence. Canada has earmarked $400 million towards humanitarian aid with a focus on women โ a move INGO sector advocates say is hugely important.
Throne Speech scorecard: What grade do social impact leaders give Trudeauโs plan?
Demand for social impact organizationsโ services is rising dramatically, from food banks to employment support to mental healthcare. The federal government outlined an ambitious recovery plan in its Throne Speech last week, but without committing to more support for the social impact sector, its scope is limited.
The Canada Recovery Benefit still leaves out the most vulnerable, social impact organizations say
Millions of Canadians are currently dependent on CERB. While the Liberal governmentโs new Canada Recovery Benefit is a strong safety net, social impact organizations will still need to provide for their users - and expand their missions.
Everything the social impact sector needs to know about Canadaโs COVID-19 recovery plan
A Throne Speech is a federal governmentโs rough policy blueprint, and 2020โs is a particularly bold one. The federal government is promising major new commitments as Canada braces for a second wave of COVID-19, but the social impact sector is in desperate need of relief - and the Throne Speech doesnโt offer much.
Defending the climate during COVID-19: The trials and tribulations of five climate justice organizations
Climate change is the gravest existential issue our planet is currently facing. But the COVID-19 pandemic is our most urgent crisis at the moment, one that threatens news coverage of the climate crisis and the organizations fighting it. How they adapt will be critical to fighting climate change for years to come.
How Friendship Centres are Preparing for a Possible Second Coronavirus Wave
Friendship centres across Canada say they are supporting Indigenous people who have nowhere else to turn, as they face discrimination from mainstream service providers. Yet, the National Association of Friendship Centres says the government has not prioritized Indigenous voices, which is essential in planning how to build back better.
Recovery plan 2020: 20 bold ideas from 20 social impact leaders
The pandemic has amplified inequities in Canadian society. Social impact organizations working with and advocating for vulnerable communities have unique insight into how to close the gaps. Their ideas, borne from on-the-ground experience, could make Canada a more resilient nation in the face of adversity.
Events and gatherings are transforming in the era of physical distancing. Hereโs what you need to know.
COVID-19 has put in-person seminars, charity dinners, and other in-person gatherings on ice. The risks of crowds and travel are here to stay. Over the following Special Report, Future of Good will dive into the growing demand for digital events โ and explain how the sector will need to reconsider key activities like programming and fundraising.
New Zealand has a social impact worker visa program. What can Canada learn?
Post-pandemic, Canada will be left with massive social challenges requiring unprecedented levels of innovation to overcome. Enlisting help from elsewhere in the world could boost the countryโs recovery โ if New Zealandโs social impact visa program is an indication.
Canadian non-profits need an HR council (again) โ hereโs why, according to sector leaders
Plenty of reports, studies, and surveys on Canadian non-profits exist, but very few of them cover the nationโs non-profit workforce in a comprehensive manner. In a time when organizations are laying off staff and preparing shoestring operating budgets, having good human resources coast-to-coast could be vital for non-profit directors.
Ontarioโs Non-profits Are Still Struggling To Survive The Pandemic
Ontarioโs non-profits are needed more than ever as the COVID-19 pandemicโs health implications give way to a looming economic depression and acute mental health issues. Yet many are in dire financial straits. The provincial and federal governments have offered business relief, but a new report says it isnโt enough to sustain the sector.
Federal government announces $31 million for community-led infrastructure projects that support local recovery
COVID-19 is changing Canadian communitiesโ infrastructure needs: outdoor public space is more precious than ever, public transit is unsafe for those vulnerable to the virus, and a connection to the internet has become a lifeline for many community members.
The Canadian fund for charitiesโ overhead costs is here. Hereโs how it works โ and a major trend it signals.
Before COVID-19, Canadian donors were generally opposed to funding charitiesโ operating capacity or overhead โ they preferred to support programming for their beneficiaries only. But the pandemic is changing this mindset. Itโs also breaking the long-held taboo in the sector when it comes to talking about funding for operating capacity.
5 tips on going digital from the CEO of the world's first and only tech non-profit accelerator
With 82 percent of social impact organizations digitizing some or all of their services, many organizations cancelling fundraising events, and a massive drop in donations, Canadaโs social impact sector is facing a reckoning. Fast Forward founder and CEO Shannon Farley shares five ways non-profits can use tech to support their beneficiaries and scale their impact.
Hereโs whatโs inside Canadaโs first-ever feminist economic recovery plan
COVID-19 is a feminist crisis that requires a uniquely feminist response, say the authors of Canadaโs first feminist economic recovery plan. Women and non-binary people, particularly those who are racialized, have been both on the frontlines and the most devastated. Failing to centre their needs in economic recovery planning would mean an incomplete pandemic recovery.
Hereโs how Canadian culture needs to change to tackle climate change post-pandemic
Climate change is headed quickly toward a point of no return. Polls show that Canadians donโt want to go back to normal post-pandemic โ they want less commuting and less consumption, good moves for the environment. But can our capitalist culture support that kind of wholesale change?
Women are leading pandemic relief and recovery as non-profit workers, but their childcare duties are holding them back
Women make up between 75 and 85 percent of the non-profit workers at the forefront of pandemic relief and recovery. They also take on a disproportionate share of childcare duties, both pre-pandemic and while schools and daycares are closed. Lifting some of this burden could be critical to the pandemic recovery.
Canada's Social Finance Fund should pivot in four big ways, say sector leaders
Local economies are devastated in the wake of COVID-19. Social purpose organizations are struggling. Already marginalized populations have been disproportionately impacted. The $755-million Social Finance Fund was announced years before any of this happened, but now it has the potential to support Canadaโs much-needed recovery.
8 women in social impact share their visions for an equitable pandemic recovery
Canadians are facing a long road to recovery from the pandemic, but not all have been, or will be, equally impacted. Women of colour and young women have led the country through the pandemic, and theyโll feel the most intense economic and societal impacts โ so their perspectives should be at the forefront of any conversation about recovery.
For a full pandemic recovery, Northern Canada needs policy change on food insecurity
Before the COVID-19, over half of Nunavutโs households experienced food insecurity. Pandemic lockdowns have heighted the issue. In partnership with Community Foundations Canada we look at Qajuqturvik Food Centre, which is providing solutions through food, tradition and community.
Four social impact leaders on how COVID-19 has shifted their perspectives on the SDGs
Ten years out from the deadline for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the entire world was turned upside down by the Coronavirus pandemic. While the crisis may have taken some spotlight away from the SDGs, these social impact leaders say itโs also deepened their understanding of what needs to change in order to meet the Goals in an inclusive, meaningful way.
#BuildBackBetter: Driving a forward-looking recovery
In this time of pandemic and rapid change, dialogue and stories help us understand whatโs happening around us, and the new choices ahead of us. Weโre announcing #BuildBackBetter digital conversations on our collective recovery, including international perspectives, grassroots expertise, and people with lived experiences to better understand how communities are evolving โ and how social impact work should adapt.
#BuildBackBetter Digital Conversations: Driving a forward-looking recovery
In this time of pandemic and rapid change, dialogue and sensemaking help us understand whatโs happening around us, and the new choices ahead of us. #BuildBackBetter digital conversations on our collective recovery, including international perspectives, grassroots expertise, and people with lived experiences to better understand how communities are evolving โ and how social impact work should adapt.
COVID-19 will โabsolutely exacerbate homelessness in Canada,โ say advocates
Approximately 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness each year, and there are even more who are underhoused. Housing advocates say these figures may increase, due to economic instability during the coronavirus pandemic. Our fifth story in partnership with United Way Centraide Canada examines how a movement to close the housing gap influenced the federal governmentโs first national housing strategy.
The pandemic derailed a real estate development in Toronto. Whatโs the big deal?
Toronto is not the only one with plans for a futuristic โsmart cityโ powered by data and technology โ your city is likely working on something similar, too. Their experience working with a technology company has important lessons for the social impact sector, especially as more services are delivered online, and communities across Canada explore similar partnerships as part of their post-pandemic recovery efforts.
How a leading mental healthcare organization transitioned to digital
Health Canada estimates that 11 million Canadians are experiencing high levels of stress, and close to 2 million are experiencing traumatic stress in the wake of COVID-19. The mental healthcare sector is working on overdrive to keep up, by reaching clients digitally โ and overcoming some major challenges to do so. All frontline organizations can learn from this organizationโs successful pivot to digital service delivery.
This entrepreneur has stepped up to help during two global crises โ hereโs what heโs learned
Along with the rest of the world, Canada is facing some major challenges as we recover economically from the pandemic. Unemployment is at a high, experts say homelessness rates will rise, and small businesses are fundamentally threatened. Corporations with the means to do so have a responsibility to contribute to recovery.
Where does the Social Finance Fund stand in a post-COVID universe?
The governmentโs landmark Social Finance Fund was set to launch this year, claimed to generate up to $2 billion in economic activity and create 100,000 jobs. But where do those plans stand in the midst of 2020โs extreme events, and what role could it play in rebuilding communities after COVID-19? In the first article in a new special report, Future of Good examines what the fund means for Canadaโs social finance market, and for societal recovery.
States of Changeโs Learning Festival Weekly Digest: Unconventional cooperation is the future
The COVID-19 pandemic and the global protest against racism and police brutality are demanding deep changes to our political and social systems. The Learning Festival, from States of Change, is sharing lessons on how to make this kind of change happen, from public innovation thinkers and actors around the world. In week one, we learned that now is the time to harness unconventional ways of working together, from collaborating with political enemies to closing down defunct organizations.
Women led startups could have a harder time bouncing back post-pandemic โ here's why
Women-owned businesses are twice as likely as their male-owned counterparts to be considered social enterprises in Canada โ and less likely to receive venture capital funding. Without meaningful access to the same kind of funding support, women-owned social enterprises may have a harder time recovering from the economic impacts of the pandemic.
How the pandemic has accelerated healthcare innovation
Healthcare has fundamentally changed in the wake of COVID-19, with many providers reaching up to 90 percent virtual encounters. But adapting to virtual service delivery is only one of the many important ways healthcare innovation โ which has historically been sluggish โ has accelerated during this time.
Is Sidewalkโs departure the end of the road? 10 lessons for communities building their own smart and inclusive cities
Sidewalk Labsโ dream was to build a next-generation, high-tech neighbourhood in Toronto as a showcase for what cities of the future could look like. It was one of the highest-profile and most anticipated projects of its kind, anywhere in the world. Their successes, failures, and decision to walk away has lessons for communities across Canada.
TDโs head of corporate citizenship on balancing pandemic relief with long-term recovery
Late last month, TD announced a $25 million commitment to helping communities make it through COVID-19. But this funding is only part of the bankโs total commitment to spend $1 billion by 2030 to fund social impact work, and the pandemic is revealing some key issue areas that TD will prioritize moving forward.
These 8 Canadian startups launched to help those most vulnerable to the coronavirus
COVID-19 has been an extraordinarily difficult time for startups โ an estimated $28 billion in investments could dry up this year alone. The pandemic also presents new and pressing problems that need solving, an atmosphere in which social entrepreneurship can thrive.
Here's why community capital institutions could be the key to recovery
The United States puts more than $1 billion per year into a fund for community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and mandates that big banks make investments into low-income neighbourhoods, which they do by lending to CDFIs. Canada doesnโt have similar institutions that could classify as CDFIs, but if we did, hundreds of millions of dollars could be catalyzed to support communitiesโ recovery and regeneration.
The $350M fund for charities and non-profits has launched. Hereโs how it works.
With charities and non-profits across Canada struggling for volunteers and experiencing surging demand, the rollout of the federal governmentโs $350 million emergency funding charitable projects comes not a moment too soon. The fundโs support for local initiatives and its inclusion of non-qualified donees could be an effective way of reaching vulnerable Canadians, partner organizations say. But without a much larger stabilization fund in the long-term, much of the social impact sector might not survive the pandemic.
5 sustainable development experts on what itโll take to achieve the SDGs
The deadline for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is less than 10 years away, and much progress still needs to be made. And not only is the pandemic highlighting what progress still needs to be made on inequities in Canadian society, itโs creating an even greater need for a commitment to sustainability, for a stronger recovery and regeneration. This is our second story in partnership with the Waterloo Global Science Initiative in the lead up to the Together|Ensemble conference.
Rates of domestic violence are increasing during the pandemic โ hereโs what the Canadian Womenโs Foundation is doing to help
While rates of domestic violence are going up as isolation continues, experts say they were epidemic-level even before the pandemic. Victims are in need of stronger support networks, especially easily-accessed virtual networks, to help break the cycle.
Why the federal governmentโs startup support doesnโt help new non-profit founders
Established non-profits with significant impact in Canada โ like Kids Help Phone, which is a critical counselling resource for young people or Canada Learning Code, which excels in boosting digital skills โ were once startups. Today, a generation of non-profit startups are set back by the federal governmentโs lack of support during COVID-19 โ likely setting back Canadaโs recovery too.
Post-secondary students are graduating into a recession โ hereโs what that means for the social impact sector
Compared to the general population, recent graduates are particularly hard hit by economic downturns, experiencing long-term reductions in wages, employment, and even higher mortality.
This could be social procurementโs big moment. Does anyone care?
Across Canada, governments alone spend $200 billion on procurement โ what would it mean if a portion of that money went to social impact businesses or organizations? Advocates say that COVID-19 could be an opportunity to accelerate the social procurement movement, but can they convince governments and other stakeholders to buy in?
How the CEO of one of Canadaโs biggest food retailers is rallying community during COVID-19
While small businesses are facing unprecedented challenges, those in the business community who do have the means to contribute to relief efforts have an important opportunity to help mitigate some of the virusโs effects on society, says Mohamad Fakih, founder of the Fakih Foundation, Paramount Fine Foods, and the Canada Strong campaign.
Give5 pledge sets the bar far too low for Canadian philanthropyโs response to this crisis
The Give5 campaign, which asks Canadian foundations to bump their disbursements from 3.5 percent to 5 percent in response to the COVID-19 crisis, has the potential to unlock $700 million for Canadian charities. But what about the other 95 percent of foundationsโ endowments?
Employment support organizations are busier than ever during COVID-19. Hereโs how theyโre adapting to support even more people.
Since March 2020, Canadians have lost one million jobs due to COVID-19. Employment support organizations, especially those serving already vulnerable populations, are working on overdrive to keep up, while pivoting business models in innovative ways.
How we do it: The Energy Futures Labโs best strategies for adapting to the uncertainty of COVID-19
COVID-19 presents a massive change in plans for most social impact organizations. In order to make it through not only this moment but future disruptions, too, organizations should implement strategies that make their teams adaptable, resilient, and open to change.
New crowdfunding platform to save small businesses launches
Two in five independent businesses in Canada are worried about permanent closure from the impacts of COVID-19. As they struggle to stay afloat, a pilot project hopes to boost their chances with community crowdfunding, which has emerged as a vital tool for the social impact sector. Could it provide a model for Main Streets across Canada?
Five tips for hosting digital fundraising events during COVID-19
Online giving is growing at three times the rate of overall giving in Canada, and physical distancing restrictions could accelerate this growth. But thereโs one fundraising tactic that hadnโt yet switched over to digital โ until now: live fundraising events.
This new campaign asking foundations to increase donations could unlock $700 million for charities
Canadian charities could see upwards of $4.2 billion in donations dry up this year in the economic fallout from COVID-19. Canadaโs GIVE5 campaign is asking foundations to step up and help address the gap.
Better government support for youth entrepreneurs can help us get through the Coronavirus crisis
Job losses in the 15 to 24 age category have totalled almost 400,000, and the youth unemployment rate is the highest itโs been this century. At the same time, history shows us that in times of crisis, as weโre in now, youth innovation flourishes. To best position Canadian society for post-pandemic recovery, we need better governmental support for youth entrepreneurs.
One of Canadaโs fastest-growing family businesses is becoming employee-owned. Hereโs why that could be a major trend post-pandemic
Seventy-two percent of Canadian small business owners are planning to exit their businesses in the next 10 years, and the economic chaos of COVID-19 is bringing the resilience of those businesses into even sharper focus. Advocates say this is an opportunity to transition these community businesses into social enterprises or community-owned cooperatives, which could mean a huge boost for recovery.
Hereโs why the future of work needs to include Indigenous perspectives post-pandemic
If we want an inclusive and fair future (of work) coming out of the pandemic, it must also be an Indigenous one. A future that makes space for Indigenous knowledge and worldview, languages, and connection to lands and waters.
The charitable sector needs to change in four big ways to recover from the pandemic, Senator Ratna Omidvar says
Canadaโs charitable and non-profit sector contributes 8.1 percent of the countryโs GDP, more than the retail industry, and employs about two million Canadians. The sector will play a vital role in our countryโs recovery from COVID-19, but canโt do so without its own recovery in the meantime.
Hereโs how a feminist approach could lead to a stronger COVID-19 recovery
COVID-19 is not impacting all Canadians equally โ the most marginalized communities are bearing the brunt of it, both economically and in their vulnerability to the virus itself. These are patterns our government should not ignore, because they illuminate deep inequities in our society that need to be addressed with policy change.
How This Canadian City is Curbing Youth Homelessness
Affordable housing was one of the top issues on young peopleโs minds in the last federal election โ even before COVID-19 highlighted the intense vulnerability people who are homeless face. As housing becomes less affordable in mid-size and major cities across the country, thereโs a need to strategize how to prevent youth homelessness, both during the crisis and afterward. Our third story in partnership with United Way Centraide Canada.
Urban Indigenous organizations need more COVID-19 funding, says National Association of Friendship Centres
Despite a lack of resources, friendship centres across Canada are finding innovative ways to support their communities. Across the country, these centres provide emergency support to communities โ but need more funding to continue doing so effectively.
Trudeau announces $350 million COVID-19 fund for charities and non-profits. Hereโs what it means.
The COVID-19 pandemic is stretching non-profits, charities, and social enterprises across Canada as they deal with disruption and surging demand โ but these are only the immediate challenges. The federal governmentโs $350 million fund will help, but organizations in the charitable and non-profit sector say much more support is needed in the long term.
How Earth Day shifted from strikes to a 72-hour livestream
Climate action typically includes street protests โ gathering in person to show strength in numbers โ and Earth Day is no exception. Pivoting to a digital live-stream event has meant major challenges for organizers, but also new opportunities for global connectedness and accessibility. Canadian activist movements can learn valuable lessons from Earth Day about refocusing quickly in the face of a major change of plans.
8 Companies Showing CSR Leadership in Response to COVID-19
As governments and civil society work on overdrive to respond to COVID-19, corporate social responsibility is taking exciting, unexpected forms. Many large companies are stepping up to support communities in tangible ways, proving that the purpose of business is changing to include a positive social impact.
Will COVID-19 derail climate finance?
2020 was set to be an important year for climate action. COVID-19 will delay progress in the short term as stimulus packages intended to soften the impending recession will stretch public dollars, threatening the climate action the world so urgently needs.
DO B CORPS TREAT THEIR EMPLOYEES BETTER DURING TIMES OF CRISIS?
Millions of Canadians have applied for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit during COVID-19, but millions more are still employed โ and worried about their safety. B Corp-certified companies make a commitment to high standards for how they treat their employees. This gives them a foundation to navigate a new world of work โ one that any Canadian organization can learn from.
COVID-19 is highlighting Canadaโs digital divide. What can we do about it?
With prohibitive prices and huge gaps in access to the internet, COVID-19 is bringing Canadaโs digital divide into sharper focus. The social impact sector is finding it difficult to help the most vulnerable โ especially considering that only 34 percent of rural households and 24 percent of Indigenous communities have access to high speed internet.
Hereโs how impact investors are responding to COVID-19
Like so many businesses around the world, social purpose companies are struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 crisis. Impact investors have an important role to play in helping social purpose businesses through the crisis โ from staying afloat to finding ways to contribute to relief efforts.
Why precarious workers need more support โ during COVID-19 and beyond
Part-time and gig workers are holding up our communities through COVID-19, and yet both employers and the federal government have largely left these workers out of support measures. Gaps in social support for these workers have long existed and needed closing โ but the pandemic is highlighting their urgency.
7 digital tools to support your mental health during COVID-19
In pre-pandemic society, one in five people in Canada personally experienced a mental health problem or illness. Today, many in the social impact world face increased stress levels while also being cut off from their usual sources of support, like in-person therapy or coaching. Digital solutions are more needed now than ever.
Why the social impact sector should demand โ not ask nicely for โ bailouts
As COVID-19 continues to force the shutdown of businesses and industries, those same businesses and industries are demanding support from governments. Should charities, social enterprises, and non-profits โ who have so far asked nicely for smaller amounts of money than their corporate counterparts โ do the same?
On not letting (another) crisis go to waste
COVID-19 is highlighting some of the most pressing gaps in Canadaโs social infrastructure โ an underfunded healthcare system without โsurgeโ capacity, for example. The social impact sector should not waste this opportunity to address these gaps, and define the new normal in a post-Coronavirus world.
Coronavirus crisis poses risks and opportunities for unions
COVID-19 is illuminating how essential low-paid, precarious workforces are to our collective wellbeing. Unions play a crucial role in making sure businesses and policy makers don't forget this in a post-pandemic world.
COVID-19 could change foundation grant-making forever
Non-profits and charities are on the frontline of helping vulnerable people through the COVID-19 crisis, but traditional grant-making may not provide the support they need. In response, foundations are finding quicker, less restricted ways of funding their grantees. This is leading to completely new ways of working, begging the question of whether grant-making will ever be the same.
McConnell Foundation is creating $2 million in funds for a post-pandemic world
Access to emergency funding has been a top priority for many in the social impact sector over the past two weeks. But the sector will feel the impacts of COVID-19 long after social distancing ends. Hereโs how the McConnell Foundation is already working on funding for a post-pandemic world.
How crowdfunding is transforming COVID-19 community response
Crowdfunding is the fastest-growing trend in fundraising โ and itโs a particularly useful tool in times of crisis. As communities navigate COVID-19, crowdfunding campaigns are popping up to move money and supplies to those who need them, demonstrating crowdfundingโs potential as a rapid-response, grassroots fundraising tool.
How a universal basic income could jump-start Canadian entrepreneurship after COVID-19
Canadians are facing massive economic setbacks in the wake of COVID-19. For a country that was already seeing declining rates of entrepreneurship, our entrepreneurial ecosystem is threatened. Venture for Canadaโs CEO argues that introducing a universal basic income could solve the problem.
What Canada can learn from global tech non-profits pivoting to address COVID-19 needs
As the social impact world tries to adapt to the impacts of COVID-19, organizations are pivoting and re-tooling to help with relief efforts. Hereโs what Canadian non-profits can learn from these eight organizations about pivoting, and zeroing in on where they can make the most impact right now.
This is how Canadaโs foundations should respond to COVID-19
The COVID-19 crisis requires urgent action across sectors to help vulnerable Canadians. Philanthropic foundations have the funds, expertise, and networks to make a significant difference, so what should they be doing? Philanthropic Foundations Canada (PFC) and their partners just released a new set of guidelines for foundations.
The Difficult Economic Side-Effects of COVID-19 for Women
Women make up 60 percent of Canadians living in poverty and are overrepresented in industries of precarious work. As COVID-19 and social distancing continue to disrupt our economy, women will see the most devastating effects.
Community-based COVID-19 relief could be more effective. Hereโs how.
Front-line service organizations like food banks are overwhelmed, trying to respond to the needs emerging in the wake of COVID-19, so communities are stepping up to care for their neighbours. But, as Rahul Chandran, managing director of CARE writes, they need the social impact sectorโs help to do so safely and effectively.
Hereโs what impact investors are urging the federal government to add to its COVID-19 aid package
In response to COVID-19โs unprecedented impact, last week the federal government passed a huge stimulus package to help Canadians. But these impact investors from across Canada say much more can be done โ from accelerating the launch of the Social Finance Fund to implementing a universal basic income.
11 ideas from non-profit CEOs on how the federal government's aid package can be better
COVID-19 presents an unprecedented challenge to Canadian non-profits, social enterprises, and charities. Fundraising efforts are on hold, meanwhile, many are seeing increased need for services and having to figure out how best to protect their frontline staff. These CEOs share their ideas on the measures the federal government can take to support non-profits through this crisis, and make them less vulnerable to future crises, too.
Coronavirus: Racism and the long-term impacts of emergency measures in Canada
Asian Canadians have been experiencing racism since the COVID-19 crisis emerged. And Canadian history tells us that this racism and xenophobia could find its way into policy, writes Laura Madokoro, history professor at Carleton University.
COVID-19 is accelerating our move to digital โ charities must act now to keep up
A shift toward digital ways of working, delivering services, and fundraising has been a long-time coming in the social impact world. But social distancing has accelerated it โ and organizations that arenโt prepared wonโt be able to keep up, writes Marina Glogovac, President & CEO of CanadaHelps.
COVID-19 relief lessons from the fastest rapid response fund in the world
Grantmakers, social finance organizations, and governments are gearing up to rapidly fund relief to social impact organizations. Future of Good asked the advice of Sean Lowrie, creator of the Start Fund: a global humanitarian response mechanism which disburses money in less than 72 hours. As we face this unprecedented crisis, how should funders create quicker mechanisms of disbursing capital?
Not on the frontlines of COVID-19 relief? Hereโs what your organization can still do to help.
COVID-19 is an all-hands-on-deck crisis. Whether your organization is on the front lines providing services or not, itโs essential to ask yourself and your team these questions to make necessary contributions to relief efforts.
How Well Does Canadaโs Stimulus Package Support the Social Impact Sector?
Canada has released a stimulus plan to help Canadians survive the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. But just how well does the economic response package address the needs of non-profits and the communities they serve?
In 2013, Calgary Non-profits Faced a Natural Disaster. Hereโs how that helped them prepare for COVID-19.
After the 2013 flood in Calgary, the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations equipped non-profits in the community with emergency preparedness plans. Here are three tips they have for local organizations navigating the COVID-19 pandemic today.
Non-profit fundraising is uncertain in the face of COVID-19. These tips will keep you on track.
In the midst of a lot of uncertainty in the non-profit world, dig into these practical insights from a leader in fundraising โ Nejeed Kassam, founder of fast-growing fundraising platform Keela. If youโre looking to up your fundraising game in the coming weeks and months, these tips will be helpful.
Why women will feel the societal impacts of coronavirus more intensely
COVID-19 will have important and lasting effects on society โ that means women will feel the worst of it, economically and socially, from additional caregiving work to increased domestic violence.
How these women-led virtual work technologies will get you through COVID-19
To follow social distancing guidelines, many of us in Canada who are privileged enough to have this capability, will be working from home in the coming days and weeks. Stay connected and collaborate with others in the social impact world through these virtual technologies.