A joint message from our Board Chair and President & CEO

2023-24 brought an opportunity for CCVO to focus on strengthening our organization as we emerge from the immediate need for advocacy and support for nonprofits through an intense period of pandemic, pandemic recovery and rising inflation. This internal work included the end of a two-year process to select a new name and brand for our organization that best reflects who we are now and how we will show up in the future. We are grateful to all the stakeholders and community members that participated in helping us establish our new brand, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen our support of Calgary and Alberta’s nonprofit sector under our new name. 

In concert with our re-brand, we entered a lab with Capacity Canada to examine our current membership program and have since been building a suite of member benefits that respond to the supports and actions that our members are seeking from us now. We have also refurbished our job board, Reach Hire, to be more effective both for those seeking meaningful employment and for those looking to add great talent to their team. Look for more news on membership and how we are growing our support for employers and those seeking nonprofit employment in the months to come! 

CCVO celebrated our 20th anniversary in April at a reception following our most highly attended Connections Conference ever, where we welcomed 640 delegates from the nonprofit, government and private sectors. We are so fortunate to be able to stand on the strong foundation of 20 amazing years supported by incredible leaders and look forward to continuing to grow the Connections Conference in 2026 to ensure that it remains a highly anticipated event on the Calendar of our nonprofit community. We also added a new event that is quickly becoming a nonprofit favorite, a Stampede Party hosted by The Nonprofit Vote and the Public Affairs Association of Canada (PAAC). Thank you to everyone who joined us at these gatherings and others such as member round tables, Political Gossip with Friends, budget debrief, and learning events hosted throughout the year. 

Alberta held its 31st general election in May 2023, and CCVO stepped forward with advocacy around a suite of platform priorities through our shared home for sector-wide advocacy, The Nonprofit Vote. We welcomed both Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley to present their vision for our sector in one-on-one conversations, and we secured the adoption of all or most of our platform priorities from the NDP and the Alberta Party. Thank you to the hundreds of nonprofit workers who advocated alongside us for nonprofit supports as well as supports for the arts through our partnered campaign with the Rozsa Foundation, Vote Arts Alberta. 

Find out more about the current state of our sector and our advocacy priorities through the most recent state of the sector report, Facing the Storm, and join us in raising your voice through The Nonprofit Vote. 

Finally, a hearty thanks to Marisa Barber, who left us this year to pursue new opportunities in Winnipeg, and to Mike Duszynski, who continues to support nonprofits here in Alberta, and a big welcome to our new Director of Programs and Operations, Dave Ford, our Research Manager, Celia Lee, and our Administrative Coordinator, Taylor Rhodes. We will continue to add new faces to our team in the year to come as we work collectively to expand the agency of all nonprofits to thrive. 

Greg Juliano

BOARD CHAIR