Social Innovation and Social Finance: An Introduction for Nonprofits
Social innovation is the use of different strategies and ideas to address existing social and/or environmental issues. These innovations can take many forms, from community-centered planning to international labour standards to fair trade. Social finance, a form of social innovation, is the use of investments (loans, equity finance, bonds, etc.) to further a social and/or environmental impact while also generating financial returns for investors. This blog post introduces Social Innovation and Social Finance to nonprofits to help prepare and inform the sector in light of the Government of Canada’s new initiative.
Provincial Spending Update
If your nonprofit has been following the news or social media, you’ve likely seen some rumours of looming provincial cuts starting to swirl. The new provincial government is expected to release a budget in late October and speculation as to what it will hold has already begun. We have heard in traditional media, on social media, and directly from some organizations, that they are experiencing a “funding freeze”, ranging across sectors and issues, and is likely related to the fact that there is only an interim supply budget currently in place. This blog post provides an update on provincial spending in the midst of the UCP’s transition period and prior to their budget being finalized in October.
CCVO responds to upcoming City of Calgary Budget Cuts
On Monday July 22, Calgary City Council will meet to review Administration’s proposal on cutting $60 million in the City’s operational spending. The City has been asked to make these cuts to make way for property tax relief for business owners in Calgary. In this blog post, CCVO responds to these budget cuts in the context of the nonprofit community, and discusses our recommendations to the City of Calgary.
Alberta Legislative Round Up: 13 Bills Passed by the New Government
The first sitting of the new government began on May 22 with a Speech from the Throne and just concluded on July 4 with 13 bills passed relating to 55 of the UCP platform commitments. The House will not sit again until October when a budget is expected to be tabled. To give nonprofits an easy reference to all the legislation, this blog post provides a brief summary of each bill.
Bridging the Nonprofit Digital Divide with Sector Data
Part of the purpose of CCVO’s annual Alberta Nonprofit Survey (ANS) is to understand the adaptive capacity of the nonprofit sector. This includes the capacity for nonprofits to be technology savvy to meet the challenges of a fast-paced information age. We need this local data to tell the story of nonprofits in Alberta. This story helps inform government policies and can help give the push to self-organize around issues that matter to the nonprofit sector. Read more about how this year’s Alberta Nonprofit Survey will contribute to building an accurate picture of the sector.
Calgary City Council Standing Policy Committee on Community and Protective Services Discuss New Strategies for Mental Health, Gender Equity, and Multilingual Communications
On June 12, the Calgary City Council SPC on Community and Protective Services met to discuss funding and support for a Mental Health and Addiction Strategic Framework, approval of a Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, and review of the Multilingual Communications and Engagement Policy Report. This blog post discusses the outcomes of these discussions and what Calgarians can expect moving forward.
Breaking Down Bill 2: What It Means for Your Nonprofit
Bill 2: An Act to Make Alberta Open for Business is set to implement critical and strategic changes affecting the Alberta labour force. The bill covers a range of subsections including the Alberta Employment Standards Code, the Labour Relations Code and changes in the minimum wage. This blog post will break down Bill 2 and help you understand how your nonprofit will be affected by the new legislation, if it is passed in its current form.