An Afternoon With Rachel Notley Apr 24 | Too Essential To Fail Platform Priorities Updates
An Afternoon With Rachel Notley
APRIL 24 | 3:00PM - 5:00PM | THE GRAND | CALGARY
We’ve invited the leaders of the Alberta UCP and Alberta NDP to present their vision for Alberta's nonprofit sector. We are pleased to feature Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley on April 24 and look forward to confirming an event with UCP leader and Premier Danielle Smith in the future. The doors will open at 2:30 PM with the program beginning at 3:00 PM. A post-show reception will follow.
EVENT DETAILS
Monday, April 24
3:00 - 5:00 PM
The Grand, 608 1 St SW, Calgary
TICKETS
CCVO members: $25 | Nonmembers: $40 for non-members.
Not sure if you're a CCVO Member? Visit our member directory here. Want to become a CCVO Member? Visit our website here to learn more!
ABOUT THE NONPROFIT VOTE
The Nonprofit Vote is a nonpartisan collaborative home for shared advocacy in support of Alberta’s nonprofit sector. To learn more about the top five platform priorities from The Nonprofit Vote to ensure a strong and robust nonprofit sector in Alberta visit the CCVO website or The Nonprofit Vote website.
Too Essential to Fail: 2023 Platform Priorities
Last month we released our 2023 Platform Priorities, courtesy of The Nonprofit Vote members: Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations, Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations, FUSE Social, Volunteer Lethbridge, and the Rozsa Foundation.
With the provincial election on the horizon, Alberta’s provincial parties have a critical opportunity to ensure essential nonprofit services are there for Albertans when they need them. Our five platform priorities help them get there. They include:
Appropriate Funding: Invest $300 million over 3 years in a Community Prosperity Fund for nonprofits to address the impacts of the pandemic, inflation, and historic under-resourcing to ensure this essential sector is here for Albertans when they need it most.
A Workforce Strategy: Undertake a labour market study and strategy to stabilize the nonprofit workforce by addressing recruitment and retention concerns.
Better Data Collection: Collaborate on data collection to ensure government and nonprofits can be more effective through data-informed actions.
A Door To Government: Explore creating a dedicated space in government to share challenges, successes and opportunities with renewed partnership from the Government of Alberta to address them.
An Empowered Sector: Make funding go further by cutting red tape and sharing decision-making with nonprofits on the most effective allocation of government dollars.
Read more about the platform priorities here.
The Nonprofit Vote has launched a campaign in conjunction with the platform priorities. Sign the letter of support to tell the provincial party leaders that nonprofits are important and you want to see these priorities included in their platforms.
Updates on The 2023 Platform Priorities
The 5 priorities CCVO and The Nonprofit Vote launched just a couple weeks ago are grabbing attention in the legislature! In this exchange from last week, Marie Renaud, NDP critic for Community and Social Services, indicates her support for CCVO’s work and Jason Luan, Minister of Culture, responds with support for CCVO’s advocacy. It’s great to see cross-party support for the nonprofit sector!
In the News
Here is the full CTV video coverage of the launch of our Platform Priorities.
Election Advocacy
Over the next two months leading up to the election, we’ll share what others are asking to see in provincial party platforms.
This week, our eyes are on Calgary: The City of Calgary and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.
The City of Calgary wants to hear from provincial parties on 5 themes: economic resilience, social resilience, climate resilience, the downtown and modern government. In the past, the City has solicited responses through surveys, but are looking to switch up their approach this year to encourage responses that are more detailed and tailored specifically to the needs of Calgary.
The 5 election priorities released by the Calgary Chamber in February include: Fiscal responsibility, Affordability and rising costs, Economic diversification and competitiveness, Talent and labour, and Strategic infrastructure investments. They highlight meeting the needs of today while planning for long-term fiscal sustainability; alleviating the pressure of rising costs on businesses and families; supporting innovation and competitive access to capital for innovators; increasing the talent pool through education, access to childcare and streamlined immigration systems; and investments in infrastructure that create jobs and attract talent – by being a vibrant, safe, and accessible place to live
We see a lot of common ground between our priorities and those we highlighted today, and will be looking for win-win scenarios in party platforms.
Subscribe Today to the Boland Survey!
The Boland Survey is the most comprehensive source of nonprofit compensation and HR data in Canada. It has up-to-date information on flex time, on-boarding, paid time off, professional development practices, employee recognition, recruitment practices and more.
The Boland Survey is now open and closes on April 30. Sharing your organization's data helps create a better dataset and gets you a discount on reports. View sample reports and pricing here.
Policy Updates
Budget 2023: A Missed Opportunity for Structural Change
Imagine Canada
After making advances in previous budgets to support charities and nonprofits, it was disappointing to see this critical sector left behind when many organizations are still grappling with the effects of the pandemic and facing a recession.
Action on long standing recommendations related to the creation of a home in the federal government for charities and nonprofits, improved data on the sector, and the urgent need for core funding were noticeably absent. As a sector with 2.6 million workers, the lack of recognition of charities and nonprofits as a significant employer was evident.
We were heartened to see some commitments of funding to build the capacity of organizations serving Black communities and the disability community. It is absolutely crucial that the government centre equity in core and capacity-building funding to address historical inequities. Read Imagine Canada's full summary of the budget here.
Call For Applications: National Advisory Council on Poverty
The National Advisory Council on Poverty (Advisory Council) helps the Government of Canada stay accountable to Canadians for lowering poverty. The Advisory Council:
advises the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (the Minister) on poverty reduction
reports annually on the progress made to meeting the poverty reduction targets
engages Canadians in discussions about poverty
Applicants are invited to apply to the following positions on the National Advisory Council on Poverty:
chairperson (full-time)
member with particular responsibilities for children’s issues (full-time)
general member, including those with lived experience of poverty (part-time or full-time)
Advisory Council members serve terms of up to 3 years. Members must be available and willing to participate over the entire period of their appointments. Part-time members should be available for about 15 to 20 days of remunerated work per year. The chairperson and the member with particular responsibilities for children’s issues will be paid a full-time salary. Find out more about the National Advisory Council on Poverty here.
Learning Opportunities
Indigenous Protocols for Nonprofits
Apr 11 | Online
REGISTER
From Brittle to Nimble: How to Lead Organizations and People With Resilience
Apr 13 | Online
REGISTER
Ask Me Anything About Social Enterprise
Apr 12 | Online
REGISTER
Digital Divides
Apr 17 | Online
REGISTER
Marketing Steps for Mission and Money
Mar 15 | Online
REGISTER
Summit For Strength
Apr 25-27 | Online
REGISTER
Funding & Grants
Climate Innovation Grant Program
Alberta Ecotrust's Climate Innovation Grant Program provides up to $100,000 in funding for climate mitigation projects in Calgary and Edmonton. From technology demonstration to collective impact and policy advancement, Alberta Ecotrust is looking for local climate solutions that can be scaled up and create tangible benefits for our communities.
Organizations can apply for funding in one of our four focus areas:
Overarching or Foundational
Building Better or Retrofitting Wiser
Moving on Mobility
Decarbonization and Renewable Energy
Nonprofit and Qualified Canadian Donees are eligible to apply for projects based in Calgary or Edmonton.
Expressions of Interest will be accepted until April 21. Find the application and more information here.
Peter Gilgan Foundation
The Peter Gilgan Foundation's focus is Children, Youth & Families; Climate Change; and International Development, offering three types of grants.
Project Grants fund specific programs or activities. Most grants provided through our Grant Program are single-year project grants.
Capacity-building Grants are discrete, specific investments to strengthen internal capabilities, knowledge and resources.
General Operating Grants are typically only awarded to repeat grantees after a successful project or capacity-building grant, and to Indigenous-led organizations. Grantees may use these funds to cover any costs of running the organization and fulfilling the mission.
Grants typically range between $10,000 – $100,000 per year. Applications are open to registered Canadian charities that employ at least one paid staff member and have completed a tax return or financial audit for the previous fiscal year.
If your application falls within the Children, Youth & Families or Climate Change priorities, there are no deadlines. Expressions of interest on a rolling basis. Find out more information and apply here.
Jane's Walk
Jane’s Walk is a global event of free neighbourhood walking tours held in Calgary and around the world each May inspired by urbanist and activist, Jane Jacobs. After two years of virtual and self-guided walks due to the pandemic, Jane’s Walk Calgary is back to being in-person. This year's event is being coordinated by the Federation of Calgary Communities and will be held from May 5-7. See the current list of planned walks and sign up for a walk here.
Organizations and individuals can also be walk leaders and lead a variety of activities:
In-person guided group Jane’s Walks
Jane’s Walk virtual activities (e.g.: a panel conversation on Zoom about the history of a neighborhood)
Self-guided walks using the Story-City app – an app that allows creators to tell interactive stories and experiences that only open when you are standing in the right location. You are also welcome to use Google Maps, or another platform of your choosing.
Find out more details about submitting a walk here.
SVP Calgary Fast Pitch
SVP’s signature Fast Pitch Program provides a unique opportunity for nonprofit organizations to build awareness of their cause and increase engagement in their work. In the Fast Pitch 2023 Program, ten applicants will be selected to work with pitch coaches in September and October 2023, preparing to deliver a three-minute pitch of their organization’s vision, mission and social impact. This fun and collaborative process will culminate in the November 1 Fast Pitch Finals at SAIT, where $40,000 in prizes will be awarded in four categories: Judges Prize, Accelerator Prize, Coaches Prize, Audience Choice Award.
Applications are open to registered charitable organizations doing work in Calgary. SVP Calgary is specifically looking at nonprofits who deliver innovative programs and services that promote inclusion and help build a healthy, equitable community. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis until May 15. Find the application and further details here.
Blogs & More
Cheatsheet: 23 Important and Under-the-Rader Highlights from Budget 2023
Brennan Doherty, Gabe Oatley, Ramona Leitao, Sharlene Gandhi & Tahmeed Shafiq,
The Future of Good
Budget 2023 had a massive hole where many non-profit and charity leaders expected to see renewed funding, a home in government, or robust support for the populations they serve. But this year’s federal fiscal plan wasn’t all bad news for the social impact world.
The Future of Good editorial team combed through hundreds of pages of the budget, and its associated financial tables, to pull out both topline and smaller, but potentially catalytic numbers the social impact world should care about: Read more →
Federal budget 2023: What does it mean for the nonprofit sector? With David Coletto and Jordan Gray
Let's Imagine Podcast
David Coletto, Chair & CEO of Abacus Data, and Jordan Gray, Public Policy Specialist are both members of Imagine Canada's Public Policy Committee. They analyze the 2023 federal budget from a nonprofit sector perspective, and more broadly from a social & economic perspective. What are the measures announced that will help support nonprofit organizations and the communities they serve? Are investments sufficient to help address the increased demand for social services and programs resulting from the long-lasting impact of the pandemic, and the rising cost of living caused by inflation? Listen to the podcast →