Telling Your Organization's Story
At the core of many not-for-profits is empathy, compassion, and community. Every Not-for-Profit has a story behind their cause. Telling a story in a compelling way will help solidify a cause, attract donors, and position an organization strongly in their community. Donors are searching for meaning, and hearing the stories from not-for-profits helps them feel connected to the cause.
CCVO Releases Budget 2022 Analysis for Nonprofits
CCVO has recently released their in-depth analysis of Budget 2022 for nonprofits. Under the theme of “moving forward”, this budget outlined a fiscal plan for the next three years, with the focus on economic recovery in Alberta. In this budget, the Government of Alberta announced three key priorities and outlined their objectives for each priority area in the strategic plan. The budget projects total revenue of approximately $62.6 billion while total expenses, including the COVID-19 Recovery fund, will equal approximately $62,096 billion, leaving a surplus of $511 million.
Government of Alberta Budget 2022 Analysis
The budget projects total revenue of approximately $62.6 billion while total expenses, including the COVID-19 Recovery fund, will equal approximately $62,096 billion, leaving a surplus of $511 million. While this budget represents a projected surplus, it does not recognize the importance of community recovery or identify the nonprofit sector as a leader in that effort with any major new investments to support community recovery. In terms of the sector, the focus is on debt elimination and maintaining status quo, stating “until the debt is eliminated, resources will continue to be used to pay interest costs rather than being directed to delivering the important government programs and services that Albertans rely on”.
CCVO to Host 2022 Alberta Budget Analysis Event for Nonprofits
With the release of the 2022 Alberta Budget yesterday, CCVO will be working on a detailed budget analysis over the coming weeks (read their initial analysis here). On March 22, CCVO will host a presentation and panel discussion focused on the budget, including a walk-through of their detailed analysis by CCVO Research Manager Kirsten Boda. After the presentation of the analysis, CCVO President & CEO Karen Ball will moderate a panel discussion focused on what Budget 2022 means for the nonprofit sector, followed by audience Q&A.
Budget 2022 and Community Prosperity in Alberta: Initial Analysis from CCVO
Budget 2022-23 in Alberta was tabled Thursday, February 24th, 2022. Under the theme of “moving forward”, a fiscal plan was outlined for the next three years (2022-2025) with the focus on economic recovery in Alberta. Alberta Budget 2022-23 is overall a maintenance budget of the province’s investment in the work of Alberta’s community nonprofits. It is not a budget that supports community recovery or that recognizes investment in community prosperity as an important and necessary element of Alberta’s economic recovery, which CCVO outlined in our 2022 budget submission.
How to Budget in Uncertain Times
As organizations continue to navigate through uncertain times, it can be tricky to budget when a multitude of outside factors could change your course of action. This post from guest blogger Robin Butler of Baker Tilly Catalyst highlights a few guidelines and tips that can be utilized to plan your budgeting even during turbulent times.
Alberta Immigrant Mentorship Innovation Grant
The Government of Alberta has announced $1 million in funding meant to “help newcomers access mentorship opportunities to build their careers and further diversify Alberta’s economy”. This funding “supports organizations in delivering career mentorship programs that help newcomers find meaningful employment based on their work experience, education and skills”. To be eligible, projects must fall under one of four grant priority areas.
Alberta Immigrant Mentorship Innovation Grant
The Government of Alberta has announced $1 million in funding meant to “help newcomers access mentorship opportunities to build their careers and further diversify Alberta’s economy”. This funding “supports organizations in delivering career mentorship programs that help newcomers find meaningful employment based on their work experience, education and skills”. To be eligible, projects must fall under one of four grant priority areas.
Creating Community Prosperity in Alberta’s Recovery: CCVO Alberta Pre-Budget 2022 Submission
This post covers CCVO’s recent Alberta 2022 pre-budget submission, focused on the recommendation to invest a portion of unallocated Recovery Plan contingency dollars through a strategic Community Recovery Fund. This fund would support community-focused recovery through investment in social infrastructure that will create jobs and spur economic stimulus. The recommendation contained within this submission outlines a role for the Government of Alberta in working collaboratively with nonprofits to meet the Government’s economic recovery goals while supporting efforts for solutions to pressing social issues.
Government of Alberta Announces new Crowdfunding Platform for Nonprofits
The Government of Alberta has announced a new crowdfunding platform, intended to support organizations to fundraise online. According to their release, the Crowdfunding Alberta platform is meant to “enable organizations to quickly raise money by collecting small, individual contributions from a large pool of donors through an online platform and help donors find local non-profits and causes they care about”. In addition to managing the platform, the government is providing $1 million in “top-up” funding aimed at encouraging donations through the platform.
Women’s Economic Recovery Challenge Grant Program
The Government of Alberta recently announced the Women’s Economic Recovery Challenge Grant Program. The purpose of this new program is to fund, “initiatives led by Alberta nonprofit organizations that help enhance women’s economic opportunities by providing strategies and solutions to address barriers and engage more effectively in the economy”.
CCVO’s Submission Regarding the Charitable Fund-raising Act
CCVO recently made a submission to Tanya Fir, Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction, asking that the Charitable Fund-raising Act is amended to exempt charities and nonprofits from being required to register. With approximately 900 organizations currently registered under the Charitable Fund-raising Act, creating this exemption could significantly reduce the administrative burden on nonprofits, charities, and public servants alike.
Government of Alberta and Federal Government Affordable Childcare Agreement
The Government of Alberta and the Federal Government have reached an agreement regarding affordable childcare in Alberta. Read the Government of Alberta’s announcement here and the Government of Canada’s announcement here. According to the Government of Alberta, “this plan will reduce fees for parents of children aged zero to kindergarten by half in early 2022 and provide an average of $10 per day childcare by 2026”. This agreement brings a total of $3.8 billion to Alberta that will be invested over the next five years. Different tiers of funding based on income will be available for parents of children aged 0 to kindergarten.
Government of Alberta Second Round of Civil Society Funding
The second round of the Civil Society Fund (CSF) through the Government of Alberta is now open for applications. Full updated guidelines regarding eligibility and how to apply have also been released. The CSF was created “to expand civil society capacity” by providing $20 million in funding over three years with the first round of funding released in fall 2020. This second round of funding “will focus on achieving social recovery and inclusive economic participation by building civil society’s capacity to address social challenges impacting Albertans”.
Alberta Public Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns
Last week, Sonya Savage, Minister of Energy, presented the results of Commissioner Steve Allan’s report on the Alberta Public Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns. CCVO has previously noted our concerns with this public inquiry, including the potential impacts on nonprofit organizations. CCVO and the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) have articulated how essential the nonprofit sector is in public policy discourse.