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1.
Sustainability Network Breakfast Forum: Pollster Angus McAllister on Reaching the Minds that Matter
What makes Messaging Potent in a New Era of Social Networks?
Friday, October 30th, 2009, 8-9 AM $15 in advance, $20 at the door
215 Spadina Avenue (between Queen and Dundas)
What makes messaging potent in a new era of social networks? Join us as Angus McAllister, a perennial hyperactive mind, speaks his mind and shares recent insights into sustainability communications, as well as the tips and tricks to make messages work. He’ll discuss the latest ideas (what he calls the "new school") for making messaging work amidst a sea of competing podiums and high production value advertising.
Angus McAllister is a veteran researcher with over 15 years experience in conducting market intelligence and public affairs research in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Prior to founding his firm in 2001, Angus served as Vice President, Global Research with Angus Reid in Toronto, and prior to that was Vice President, Research with Environics International in Toronto.
McAllister Opinion Research is a Vancouver-based polling firm founded in 2001. They specialize in the use of state-of-the-art data collection and analytical techniques to understand the views of the public and specialized audiences including consumers, stakeholders, and opinion leaders. Their research team is known for both their analytical power as well as their strategic thinking and creative insight in the areas of public policy, market intelligence, and communications. McAllister research studies have been covered in the CBC, CTV, Globe & Mail, the CanWest Global media chain, Canadian Press and Associated Press.
For more details or to register please visit http://sustainabilitynetwork.ca
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2.
Sustainability Network Forum: Increasing Effectiveness Without Cutting
Thursday, October 15th, 3:30-5:00 PM, FREE but registration required
215 Spadina Avenue,4th Floor, Alterna Room
Facilitator: Bill Harper
Current economic challenges have many talking about cutting costs. But most organizations in our sector have been living with economic challenges for at least a decade, and we strive every day to control costs. So, is there a way to do even more with what we've got?
It's time to take a fresh look at our organizations and their structures. Not just to look at how we spend, but to look at how we work, how we organize ourselves to achieve our goals. It may be time to outsource. To share services. To grow. To look beyond our own four walls and reach out to partners in new, strategic ways.
This session will provide a realistic look at several practical options for strengthening the structure of our organizations, and for positioning our organizations to do more, to regain our focus, to invest all our energies where the payoff is greatest, and to move toward our vision, faster than ever.
In addition to a short presentation, the session will include a facilitated discussion among participants about how these options may apply to our organizations.
William (Bill) Harper, CA, is President of William Harper Associates, a professional advisory and consulting practice working exclusively in the not-for-profit sector. William Harper Associates' mission is to "help organizations that do good, do better." Bill works primarily in the areas of strategic planning and management, governance, finance and information technology. He brings over 30 years of professional experience, the majority of it working in and with the not-for-profit sector. He has worked with national, provincial and local not-for-profit organizations of all sizes, helping to improve governance, planning and operations.
Bill currently chairs the Board of Windfall Basics, a mid-sized charity that delivers over $10 Million worth of new clothes and other basics to people in poverty or crisis annually.
The session is free but we do ask that you register by sending your name and affiliation to registrations@sustainabilitynetwork.ca.
For more details, please visit http://sustainabilitynetwork.ca
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3.
Sustainability Network Workshop: Board Diversity Training Workshop
Wednesday, October 28th, 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Mississauga Central Library, 301 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W., Mississauga
OR
Thursday, October 29th, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
215 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
$90 for organization with budgets <$250K
$120 for organizations with budgets >$250K
This workshop will reveal the advantages of a diverse leadership, present examples of successful diversification efforts at the governance level, and provide practical, hands-on methods to expand networks, recruit and support new board members who reflect the communities that organizations seek to engage. Resources and tools, such as The Maytree Foundation/Toronto Summit Alliance DiverseCity onBoard program will be presented and explored as potential avenues to bring aboard leaders with a wealth of expertise and perspectives. Participating organizations will set goals for the next year to be presented to their boards for approval and follow-up.
By the end of this workshop, participants will have:
• Shared experiences and awareness of how a diverse board is advantageous to their organization
• Increased their understanding and the practicalities of how to recruit diversity onto the Board
• Been introduced to some tools and resources to move forward with board diversification efforts
• Identified challenges or obstacles that still need to be addressed
• Developed preliminary board diversification goals/actions to follow-up on
The workshop will be facilitated by Nidhi Tandon of Networked Intelligence for Development (http://www.networkedintelligence.com) and Kathleen Padulo from Generation Seven Consulting (http://generationseven.com)
To see details and to register and pay online, please visit: http://sustainabilitynetwork.ca |
4. Update: Boreal Learning Network 2009-2010 – Call for participants
The Boreal Learning Network 2009-2010 builds on our successful 2008-2009 effort and was developed in response to the urgent call to protect Canada's boreal forests, and to address the challenges faced by environmental NGOs and First Nations in communicating, planning and negotiating with one another.
This year, we will be clustering participants into two regional networks. This will enable us to focus on shared challenges among groups and communities with common interests and accommodate the high demand for participation. The Western Boreal Learning Network will involve groups from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and the Central Boreal Learning Network will convene groups from Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec.
The first session for the Central Boreal Learning Network will be held at Maison Gault, Mont Saint Hilaire, Québec from November 4-6, 2009. For the Western Boreal Learning Network, the first session will be held some time in Edmonton, Alberta in January 2010.
We are inviting ENGOs and First Nations communities engaged in boreal work in BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan to participate in the upcoming Western Boreal Learning Network session. To apply, please e-mail Victor Reyes at victor@sustainabilitynetwork.ca and let him know your affiliation and why you think your participation in the program will help your work and your community.
We would like to thank the Suncor Energy Foundation, The Ivey Foundation, RBC Foundation and The Winnipeg Foundation for their support of this project.
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5. Sustainability Network and the Environmental Monitor: Major Discount on Public Opinion Research for Environmental Nonprofits
Sustainability Network, McAllister Opinion Research and GlobeScan are pleased to offer a special arrangement for environmental nonprofits to subscribe to the GlobeScan's (formerly Environics International) Environmental Monitor.
The Environmental Monitor provides subscribers up-to-date and in-depth insight into where Canadian public opinion is headed on issues like global warming, air pollution, water pollution, protection of wilderness ecosystems, energy conservation, environmental credibility and much more. This information will help you assess which audiences care about your issues most, what matters to them and how to reach them.
Subscribers receive:
- A copy of the Environmental Monitor (fall 2009, spring 2010) for use throughout your organization
- Access for up to two representatives to two ENGO briefings in Toronto (with phone hook ups) by report author Angus McAllister.
You can acquire this highly respected source of public opinion research at a significant discount from the regular ENGO price of $18,500. There are several ways your organization can participate:
Small ENGO Discount Package
(Limited to small ENGOs with 10 staff or less and budgets under $1 million)
Cost: $1,590
ENGO Regular Discount Package
(Limited to ENGOs with budgets of under $2 million)
Cost: $5,300
Qualified environmental organizations across the country are being invited to take advantage of this offer. The next Environmental Monitor and briefing will be available in the fall of 2009.
Please contact us if you would like to receive a 9-page (PDF) prospectus. To subscribe to either ENGO Regular Discount or the Small ENGO Group Package, please contact Paul Bubelis at 416 324 2792 or paul@sustainabilitynetwork.ca Anyone interested in finding out more about Full Service ENGO subscriptions should contact Angus McAllister at 604 601 2111 or angus@mcallister-research.com
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6. Update: Sustainability Network's Environment and Diversity Project
The Environment & Diversity Project is a four-year collaborative initiative designed to help the Ontario environmental NGO community consider, develop and implement strategies to better reflect and engage under-represented communities. The project will train, support and inspire ENGOs interested in diversifying their audience; provide opportunities for young professionals from under-represented communities to work in ENGOs; and create networks by facilitating links between NGO diversity resources and the ENGO community.
Each month we will highlight a few useful diversity-related resources and offer news about upcoming workshops with our e-digest readers. This month, we point to you to a resource developed by OCASI, the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants. The "Facilitator Guide to Encourage Newcomer Voluntarism" provides "staff and volunteers who work with newcomers with a practical and easy to use resource to assist them to introduce newcomers to opportunities to become engaged in civic and community participation through voluntarism." To download the Guide and the Power Point slides for the associated workshop, visit http://www.ocasi.org/index.php?catid=175
Did you like this resource? Sign-up for our Environment & Diversity Project community listserv to receive up-to-the-minute information about upcoming events and amazing resources by contacting Sonia Dong, Diversity Project Manager at (416) 324-2792 or sonia@sustainabilitynetwork.ca. You can also visit our website at http://www.sustainabilitynetwork.ca/environment_project.html to find resources or find out about past and upcoming diversity events.
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7.
Web Site of the Month: Risk Management and Governance
Published by the Chartered Accountants of Canada, this site offers concise, informative guidance materials for boards of directors and senior managers. Topics include fraud risk, HR issues, and liability, among others.
Check it out at:
http://www.rmgb.ca/ |
8.
Workshops and Webinars: Charity Law Information Project
The Charity Law Information Program is a project of Capacity Builders and funded by the Canada Revenue Agency. The project's goal is to help Canadian charities become more aware of their legal obligations under the Income Tax Act and to increase compliance with those requirements.
They provide plain-language resources, tools and practical training so you can quickly get the information you need to ensure you are meeting your legal obligations. Special emphasis will be placed on supporting small and rural charities. Charity lawyer Mark Blumberg is CLIP’s lead trainer and will be providing workshops and webinars across the country.
In the next month, sessions are planned for Sudbury, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton on these dates:
• Tuesday October 13, 2009, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm, Howard Johnsons, Sudbury
• Wednesday October 14, 2009, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm, Howard Johnsons, Sudbury
• Tuesday October 21, 2009, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm, OCSA Conference, Toronto
• Saturday October 24, 2009, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm, YMCA-YWCA, Metro Central Y, Ottawa
• Sunday October 25, 2009, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm, YMCA-YWCA, Metro Central Y, Ottawa
• Monday October 26, 2009, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, YMCA-YWCA, Metro Central Y, Ottawa
• Tuesday October 27, 2009 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, YMCA-YWCA, Metro Central Y, Ottawa
• Thursday October 29, 2009, 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm, TransCanada Tower, 450 – 1st Street SW, Calgary
• Friday October 30, 2009, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm, Edmonton (exact location TBA)
For details visit:
http://www.capacitybuilders.ca/clip/clip.php |
9.
Reminder: Changes and Expansion of the Shell Environmental Fund
The Shell Environmental Fund (SEF) provides financial support to grass roots, action-oriented projects that improve and protect the Canadian environment. Beginning in Fall 2009, SEF grant amounts will be increased from $5,000 to up to $10,000. The SEF supports projects that yield direct environmental benefit and engage the local community through hands-on involvement. Applications are accepted twice yearly for Spring and Fall and must be submitted prior to the deadline: February 15 and September 13.
Shell Canada will also grant up to $100,000 towards four major initiatives that improve and preserve the Canadian Environment. Eligible recipients must be located in areas adjacent to Shell Canada’s operations, and/or:
• Have a national focus
• Have direct environmental impact
• Have a large volunteer component
• Capitalize on partnerships with other organizations
Shell is not accepting applications for these funds, but encourage those who are interested to contact the Shell Environmental Fund Administrator for more information.
For more information or to apply, please visit:
http://www.shell.ca/sef |
10.
Resource: Banff Centre Scholarships for Leadership Development
Are you a leader of a non-profit organization looking to sharpen your leadership skills in team building, coaching, communication or strategic planning and implementation? Apply now for a scholarship to attend one of the excellent courses available.
Check it out at:
http://www.banffcentre.ca/emails/leadership/2009/scholarship.html
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11.
From the HR Council Toolkit: Workplace Wellness
A healthy workplace means more than just warding off colds and the flu. It is more holistic and takes into consideration the physical, spiritual, environmental, intellectual, emotional, occupational and mental health of employees. Wellness promotion doesn't just benefit the employee because an organization filled with healthy and fulfilled employees is a productive workplace that retains its employees.
More and more organizations are creating Health and Welfare Committees who are responsible for recognizing health and safety concerns and identifying solutions.
Check out more on this at:
http://www.hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/workplaces-health-safety.cfm |
12.
Report: TREC Fundraising Survey
Training Resources for the Environmental Community (TREC) helps groups in western North America working on wild lands and wildlife. They have just released their latest fundraising survey which provides valuable insights and tips to help make your fundraising activities more successful.
In Weathering the Storm: Timely Strategies for Landing on Solid Ground you will find detailed information about the steps environmental groups in the west are taking to cope with the downturn in the economy and advice and guidance on remaining financially resilient during these challenging times.
Check it out at:
http://www.trec.org/download/trec-report_fundraising_09.pdf |
13.
Guide: Advancing Your Cause Through the People You Manage
This publication, created specifically for busy nonprofit leaders, is a 28-page guidebook that highlights common pitfalls that managers fall into, provides a management self-assessment tool, identifies root causes of poor employee performance, and offers tips for successful staff meetings.
Check it out at:
http://www.managementassistance.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/582
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14.
Toolkit: Fundraising Guide From the UK
The key to successful fundraising is to start with a clear understanding of the work you want to do and the resources required. Only then can you work out how best to raise the funds.
This toolkit guides you through the fundraising process: developing a strategy, considering different ways to raise funds, making applications, managing your project and evaluating its success. Contents include:
1. Developing a fundraising strategy
2. Different ways of raising funds for your organization
3. Are you ready to fundraise?
4. Understanding how funders work
5. Identifying and demonstrating need
6. What makes a good application?
7. Managing your project
8. Monitoring and evaluation
9. Glossary of fundraising terms
Check it out at:
http://www.thebasisproject.org.uk/Resources/The%20Basis%20Project/Documents/PDF/Fundraising-full3.pdf
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15.
Workbook: Financial Responsibilities of Not-for-Profit Boards
Published by the Muttart Foundation and the Alberta Culture and Community Spirit Board Development Program, this self-guided workbook provides an overview of board roles and responsibilities, basic accounting principles, budgets, and financial management.
Check it out at:
http://www.culture.alberta.ca/bdp/workbooks/Financial_Responsibilities09.pdf |
16.
Report: What Charities Report to the Canada Revenue Agency
New research into the fundraising costs of Canadian charities provides some assurances, while raising questions about the accuracy of accountability measures according to the Muttart Foundation, which recently released Perspectives on Fundraising, a research report it commissioned from Imagine Canada. In examining fundraising costs, study authors Steven Ayer, Michael Hall, and Lindsey Vodarek reported that almost 86% of charities reported fundraising costs of less than 20% of the total revenues raised. Another 5% of charities reported fundraising costs between 20% and 35%.
These ratios were calculated for 61,141 charities - about 75% of the total number of returns. In the remaining cases, Imagine Canada was unable to calculate ratios because charities had not broken out their expenditures in the required way that specifically identifies fundraising costs. This problem was but one of several identified by the researchers that raise questions about the accuracy of information provided by charities in their annual returns.
Click here to download a copy of the report.
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17.
Article: Stanford Social Innovation Review Interviews, Fred Krupp of US Environmental Defence
By any measure, Fred Krupp’s 24-year tenure as president of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has been a success. The organization’s budget has jumped from $3 million to more than $100 million, the staff has grown from 50 to 400, and membership has expanded from 40,000 to more than 500,000. More important, under Krupp’s leadership EDF has become one of the most important power brokers in the environmental arena.
Krupp has accomplished all of this by relentlessly focusing on an important insight— that economic incentives can be used to entice businesses to behave in environmentally friendly ways. It’s like using the carrot instead of the stick to get people to do what you want them to do. This social innovation has garnered its share of critics, but Krupp is unwavering, and by all indications his approach is gathering momentum.
In this interview with Stanford Social Innovation Review Managing Editor Eric Nee, Krupp explains why EDF is putting so much energy into getting a cap-and-trade bill regulating greenhouse gases. Krupp goes on to discuss the lessons EDF has learned from its pioneering partnerships with corporations like FedEx and McDonald’s. And last, Krupp explains why EDF opened an office in Beijing 15 years ago and why he is optimistic that China is on the right environmental path.
Check out the 5-page article, published in the fall 2009 edition of the Stanford Social Innovation Review at:
http://www.ssireview.org/images/articles/2009FA_QA_Krupp.pdf |
We
are always looking for ways to broaden our reach and impact. If you know an Ontario-based
environmental leader who could benefit from our programs and services, please forward
them this message and encourage them to sign up for our free, monthly, e-newsletter
at http://sustainabilitynetwork.ca/nexus.htm
ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILITY NETWORK
The Sustainability Network is a support centre for environmental nonprofit organizations.
Our mission is to strengthen the capacity of the environmental community by improving
organizational management and leadership skills. Find out more at http://sustainabilitynetwork.ca
Paul Bubelis, Executive Director, paul@sustainabilitynetwork.ca
Victor Reyes, Program Manager, victor@sustainainabilitynetwork.ca
Sonia Dong, Diversity Project Manager, sonia@sustainainabilitynetwork.ca
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For any inquiries related to this edition of the Sustainability Network Digest or if you have any trouble accessing
the documents offered here, please contact Victor Reyes at 416-324-2792 or victor@sustainabilitynetwork.ca
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