Foundation Magazine March/April 2020

FOUNDATION The Business & Spirit of Philanthropy in Canada March/April 2020 | Vol. 1 | No. 3

Peter Oliver of Oliver & Bonacini & The Leacock Foundation

The Mackie Family – Corporate Philanthropy in Motion

INSIDE: • In Conversation with Marina Glogovac • Students Map the Future of Social Good • Should Foundations Increase Granting?

• A Social Protagonist: The Fundraiser?

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THE LEAD IN

True Facts from Our World

There is no shortage of response to help Canadian institutions battle the pandemic, both by providing funding to help frontline health-care workers, and to up the ante on research. And on a grand scale. The Temerity Foundation gave the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine $10 million in early April. The funds established the Dean’s COVID-19 Priority Fund. So how do you put that kind of donation into action immediately? You expand the University’s Containment Level 3 facility, you create a COVID-19 Biobank to house virus samples, you figure out how to safely reuse personal protective equipment…and many other major initiatives. Leah Temerty-Lord, the Foundation’s managing director, said, among other things, “We want to support a local network of heroes.” Let’s add Leah’s name to that network. Read more at www.uoft.me/covid We want to introduce you to Nanuq, Narco, Narley, Neeka, Nelly, Nero, Newman, Nina, Nixon, Niya, Noah, Nova, and Nytro.

They’re all recent additions to one family and it’s worth checking them out. You’ll never stop smiling. https://www.rcmp-grc. gc.ca/en/name-the-puppy-winners. You don’t need a hint do you?

Pay it Forward, Supported by Desjardins: A partnership with La Ruche Quebec Desjardins is teaming up with the crowdfunding platform La Ruche Quebec to encourage consumers to shop local and support organizations in urgent need across the province. Until August 31, a $1 million budget will support community initiatives and encourage collaboration as part of the Pay it Forward, Supported by Desjardins program. When people buy gift certificates for local stores or make donations to fundraising campaigns, Desjardins will donate an equivalent amount — up to $25,000 — to local organizations. To give the program an extra boost, Desjardins will cover participation fees for local businesses and provide $2,000 for promotional videos about the program.

Canada Post’s parcel delivery operations discovered that a surge in orders meant they had days when their volumes matched the increase usually seen at Christmas. Most retail remained closed and many people were working from home, which meant Canadians were less likely to venture out and more likely to peruse the shopping sites. Add to cart. Click. Add to cart. Click.

Checkout. Done. CPC also reduced interactions with buyers by asking employees to knock on doors and ring bells and leave the parcels in the safest place and depart. We hope that at least some of those orders included either portions allocated as donations or were items bought directly from non-profits. And, we wonder, what’s happening to the returns.

The Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservatory appealed for help to feed the Zoo’s animals. The closure of the park meant a complete loss of revenue from parking and admissions, with the facility closed as of March 14th. They asked Canadians to donate $100,000 towards feeding the 5,000 residents and we responded in a very short order by giving more than 5X that amount by mid April. The shortfalls at the Zoo aren’t over though, as programs such as the wildlife breeding and release initiative still need your help. If you want to help, visit the Wildlife Conservancy’s “Ways to Give” page. Dolf DeJong, the Zoo’s CEO, called the outpouring of support for the animals “genuinely overwhelming.” But we say, not surprising. Have you seen those critters? :) Speaking of supporting animals during a human crisis, the Vancouver Aquarium got help from the Vancouver Whitecaps MLS team, who sold more than 57,000 face masks imprinted with their logo. The fundraising campaign was so popular that the site at first crashed and then sales were being made across the country and in countries such as Austria, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal and Britain. It also allowed the manufacturer to keep staff working and bring back those who had been laid off. The Ocean Wise Conservation Association, which operates the aquarium, said “we’re months away from bankruptcy and we need $1 million a month.” So far, that’s how much the masks have brought in already.

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March/April 2020

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CONTENTS

March/April 2020 | Vol. 1 | No. 3

COVER STORY CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY

www.foundationmag.ca

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Twitter: @foundationmaga1 PRESIDENT / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Steve Lloyd - steve.lloyd@lloydmedia.ca

EDITOR Brendan Read - brendan.read@lloydmedia.ca DESIGN / PRODUCTION Jennifer O’Neill - jennifer@dmn.ca CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Richard Boire Allen Dividov David Bosworth Christine Gilliland Malcolm Burrows Tracy Howard Alison Clements Christine Morgan

Estee Pierce Kathleen Provost Brendan Read Colin Taylor

LLOYDMEDIA INC. HEAD OFFICE / SUBSCRIPTIONS / PRODUCTION:

Serving Up Philanthropy Peter Oliver, co-founder of Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality, on his restaurant career, the Leacock Foundation and why we all need to put in more than we take out

302-137 Main Street North Markham ON L3P 1Y2 Phone: 905.201.6600 Fax: 905.201.6601 Toll-free: 800.668.1838 EDITORIAL CONTACT: Foundation Magazine is published bi-monthly by Lloydmedia Inc. Foundation Magazine may be obtained through paid subscription. Rates: Canada 1 year (6 issues $48)

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4 THE LEAD IN 6 SEEN, HEARD & NOTED COLUMNIST

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Should Foundations Increase Granting?

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A Social Protagonist - The Fundraiser?

Wealth Management - Malcolm Burrows Leadership - Kathleen Provost

INSIDE ANALYTICS - BRADY HAMBLETON Will return next issue

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FOUNDATION Magazine

March/April 2020

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CONTENTS

GIVING REPORT

27 In Conversation with Marina Glogovac, President & CEO, CanadaHelps.org

STEVE LLOYD

FUNDRAISING

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Donor Insights

Expanding Your Reach With High-Level Prospect Research

34 In The Mail

Simplicity and Intrigue

COURTESY MCCONNELL FOUNDATION

How the Canadian Cancer Society attracted new donors and boosted response rate

36 Analytics In Action

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Looking at the Numbers in COVID-19

Unlock the Potential of Your Existing Donor Base During an Unprecedented Time

HISTORICAL PLAQUES GARY TANNYAN

39 Robert Alexander Laidlaw 1886-1976 CHAPTERS REPORT

42 40 AFP New Brunswick Chapter

CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY

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A Major Mover Puts Healthcare Charities in Motion How the Mackie Family Rolls

SOCIAL GOOD

22 Mapping The Future

Canadian Students Show How Social Impact Changes our World

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A Maritime AFP Chapter Seeks to Eradicate the Fundraising Ick-Factor AFP Newfoundland & Labrador Chapter AFP Nova Scotia Chapter

COMMENT

42 Good Donor Relation Management in a Crisis is Paramount

Next Issue… Next Issue: Special Finance in Non-Profits Report March/April 2020

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SEEN, HEARD & NOTED Shhhh…They’re not saying…

Environment and Climate Change Canada is the 2019 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the federal category. The award is given annually by The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University (CFE), News Media Canada and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) to call public attention to governments, government departments and agencies that put extra effort into denying public access to government information to which the public has a right under access to information legislation. An example: during the lead-up to the federal election, Ottawa Citizen journalist Tom Spears wanted to know if Environment and Climate Change Canada had timed the release of research showing Canada is warming at double the global rate to coincide with their new carbon tax taking effect. So, he filed an access to information request to try to find out the answer to that question. In response, Environment and Climate Change Canada said it would take seven months to release the relevant records — well after the Oct. 21 election. This, and countless other similar examples of government secrecy, mean Canadians are increasingly forced to rely on party propaganda to figure out who they should vote for.

That may be what our parties want. But that’s not much of a basis for a democracy, they point out.

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Greta Thunberg

••••••••••••••••••• Greta Thunberg and the NGO Human Act launch a child rights driven coronavirus campaign for UNICEF. Climate activist Greta Thunberg launched a child rights driven campaign with Danish NGO Human Act to support UNICEF’s efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic and protect children from its direct and knock-on consequences. These include food shortages, strained healthcare systems, violence and lost education. “Like the climate crisis, the coronavirus pandemic is a child-rights crisis,” said Thunberg. “It will affect all children, now and in the long-term, but vulnerable groups will be impacted the most. I’m asking everyone to step up and join me in support of UNICEF’s vital work to save children’s lives, to protect health and continue education.” The campaign is being launched with an initial donation on behalf of Human Act and the Greta Thunberg Foundation to UNICEF of $200,000. Greta Thunberg was recently awarded for her global activism by Human Act who granted her

March/April 2020

foundation the prize money of $100,000. This sum will now go to UNICEF along with an additional $100,000 from Human Act. •••••••••••••••••••

Science Centre offered IMAX films to watch online in May. The IMAX® TELUS theatre consistently ranks among the world’s top three box offices for educational films so it seemed only fair to give fans an opportunity to revisit some of its all-time greatest hits. Plus it offered science games and experiments for families to try at home.

From the videos shared on social networks, it is clear that these experiments have been very popular with budding scientists. All these achievements would not have been possible without the invaluable support of

Montreal’s Science Centre

Montreal’s Science Centre is celebrating its 20th anniversary with experiments and movies to enjoy at home On the morning of May 1, 2000, the Science Centre (then called Centre ISci) opened its doors in the Old Port of Montréal. Its exhibits introduced visitors to science via a novel interactive approach that would become the Centre’s trademark. More than 13,300,000 visitors later, the Centre’s team continues to pursue new opportunities, including an interactive hall for toddlers, which will open next year, and provide science activities for the public to do at home. In collaboration with producers Giant Screen Films and MacGillivray-Freeman, the

partners, donors and the Science Centre Foundation.

•••••••••••••••••••

Save Your Skin Foundation Creates Healthier, Sun Safe Canada During Melanoma Skin Cancer Awareness Month May is Melanoma Awareness Month and Save Your Skin Foundation (SYSF) put together several new initiatives meant to bring greater awareness to the dangerous disease. The foundationmag.ca

SEEN, HEARD & NOTED COVID-19 pandemic has forced many Canadians to stay home, but many have more time than usual to enjoy the outdoors, making sun safety education as relevant as ever. “COVID-19 has highlighted everyone’s willingness to take drastic measures to preserve our health,” says Kathy Barnard, stage 4 melanoma survivor and Founder of Save Your Skin Foundation.

“Increased preventative efforts and methods of early detection, particularly in the form of public education, public policy and built environments are also needed to reduce skin cancer rates.” Skin cancer rates in Canada continue to rise, including melanoma, and non-melanoma skin cancers, despite being 90% preventable. Throughout the month of May, SYSF will be engaged in several initiatives to bring awareness to melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancers, and ocular melanoma. The month will be starting out with a bang thanks to a new drawing contest aimed at youth. The contest’s theme “This is what sun safety looks like”, will encourage participants to submit drawings depicting actions or environments which help prevent skin cancer. The winning entry will be determined through open voting once the May 15th deadline for submission has passed, with a $100 gift card going to the artist with the most votes. Additionally, they host an educational webinar and post special content on social media channels every day. A PSA will be airing on Shaw Cable. foundationmag.ca

••••••••••••••••••• We Love Where We Live According to a Leger survey conducted on behalf of RE/ MAX prior to the outbreak, 82 per cent of Canadians say they would sacrifice at least one desirable attribute in order to live in the neighbourhood they believe meets their liveability “must-haves” and 90 per cent of Canadians love the neighbourhoods they live in.

The 2020 RE/MAX Liveability Report explores the qualities that give each homeowner the true satisfaction of living in their neighbourhood, such as access to green spaces or restaurants and

entertainment. According to the report, 91 per cent of Canadians have at least one important liveability factor that’s very important to them when it comes to the neighbourhood they live in now or would like to live in, in the future. And where they live, they donate, volunteer and organize. Good news for local charities.

••••••••••••••••••• Sprott Foundation makes transformational $20 million donation to fight hunger during pandemic A transformational donation of $20 million is split between two organizations to extend food supports for March/April 2020

Canadians, many of whom are confronting hunger and food insecurity as a result of the pandemic’s economic toll. Second Harvest, the largest food rescue organization in Canada, supporting non-profits and charities with perishable surplus food; and Community Food Centres Canada, which builds health, belonging and social justice in low-income communities through the power of food. Each received $10 million, of which a minimum of $12 million of the total will be directed to the purchase of grocery gift cards, which were made available via application to community groups across the country who help feed hungry or at-risk Canadians.

The remaining funds support Second Harvest’s expansion of food rescue to ensure good healthy food gets to underserved communities across Canada and will enable CFCC’s partner network to safely provide emergency meals, good food hampers, and produce boxes. “We set out to find the fastest and most effective way to get food into the hands of those who need it most,” said Eric Sprott, co-founder and chairman of the board of the Sprott Foundation. “Local community groups know what their neighbours need to cope with during these difficult times and gift cards empower organizations and individuals to make their own choices.”

Organizations apply for gift cards via Second Harvest’s online food donation platform FoodRescue.ca.

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COLUMNIST

WEALTH MANAGEMENT MALCOLM BURROWS

Should Foundations Increase Granting?

A Malcolm Burrows 8

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GARY TANNYAN

BY MALCOLM BURROWS

cross the world granting foundations are grappling with their response to COVID-19. As a group, foundations, under the auspices of various umbrella organizations, are taking pledges or adopting principles to loosen grant restrictions and reporting requirements. Other foundations are advocating for increased granting levels — that is, giving more in a time of great need. This approach is, perhaps surprisingly, generating more debate.

A Canadian initiative, Give5.ca, is one of the groups advocating for increased granting through a time limited pledge in 2020. Simply, the ask is for foundationmag.ca

COLUMNIST foundations to pledge to grant at least of five percent of their assets to registered charities in 2020. That’s it. There are no restrictions related to cause or type of charity. Every charity and cause will be affected by the pandemic.

Give5 is a movement initiated by a broad coalition of foundations, not the usual charitable sector or foundation groups. There are private foundations, community foundations, environmental foundations, religious foundations and foundations with donor advised funds. At launch on May 4, there were 58 foundations with more than $4.5 billion in assets that had signed on. Full disclosure: I am on the Give5 steering committee and a number of foundations I’m involved with have pledged.

For most Give5 signatories making the pledge is an obvious act in the COVID-19 moment. Imagine Canada predicts that donations to Canadian charities could drop up to 50% or $6.2 billion due to the economic crisis caused by COVID. Assets in private foundations alone total over $81 billion. If every foundation granted at least 5% in 2020, there would be at least $1 billion extra granted to Canadian charities this year. Even with significant investment loses.

some legal, some philosophical, and some that merely reflect the schisms and power dynamic within in the Canadian foundation community.

The Give5 slogan references the socalled 3.5% disbursement rule in the Income Tax Act of Canada. In simple terms, foundations with assets must

“Let’s not forget that granting is the reason being for foundations.” use the equivalent of 3.5% of the average previous 24-month market value on charitable purposes each year, primarily granting to other registered charities. Historically, this number was 5% (starting in 1969), 4.5% in 1984 and then 3.5% in 2001. The U.S. rate is 5%.

Pre-2010, the disbursement quota rate was tied to income earned from invested capital and distributed annually. This is old trust law thinking and it was previously imbedded into the Income Tax Act. The rate went down because investment yields went down. Using capital was not an option.

“We always say we should save for a rainy day and right now it’s pouring.”

And let’s not forget that granting is the reason for being of foundations.

Assets in foundations have already been donated and exist exclusively for “charitable purposes”. As Hilary Pearson, former CEO of Philanthropic Foundations Canada said on the Give5 launch webinar, this is “social capital, for social purposes, not just financial capital.”

Yet despite the societal need and charitable role of foundation, there is debate and misgivings behind the scenes.

Many major foundations are sitting on the sidelines and not pledging. Why? There are a few reasons: some legislative, foundationmag.ca

undone without a court application. A high bar. Many charities have standard fund documents that impose restrictions on how much an endowment could disburse each year. The Income Tax Act can’t change these trust restrictions.

This creates a conflict of laws with the disbursement quota.

While Give5 is not about legislative change, it is easy to imagine that a tweak to the Income Tax Act could change the giving landscape by introducing a 5% disbursement rate. The disbursement quota is an expression of public policy, and it could be increased to ensure there is more public benefit. Using charitable capital is the right thing to do, but there would be howls of protests from some foundations and sector organizations.

A little understood factor governing many foundations are legal restrictions, typically imposed by the donor at the time of the original donation. These trust conditions generally can’t be

Many foundations with endowments are believers in the twin creeds of “capital preservation” and “perpetuity”.

Philosophically, capital growth and foundation longevity are more valued than increasing grants to community charities. Investment losses are a major threat to the model. To be charitable, these foundations are prudent trustees being even handed, balancing the needs of today with the needs of tomorrow. To be uncharitable, they value power and institutionalization more than increased public benefit.

The range of views among Canadian foundations is now more diverse than ever. There are advocates for spenddown foundations, flexible granting, the urgency of climate change and addressing inequity. Perhaps there is a fear that an initiative like Give5 is really a trojan horse, attractive, but clearly designed for something other than its stated purpose. Foundations generally like self regulation, even if it only partly works, and the umbrella organizations don’t want to rock the boat.

A bit of debate does us all good, especially in a time of crisis. As Eric St. Pierre of Montreal’s Trottier Foundation said at the Give5 launch: “we always say we should save for a rainy day and right now it’s pouring.”

MALCOLM BURROWS is Head, Philanthropic Advisory Services for Scotia Wealth Management of Scotiatrust.

He writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.

March/April 2020

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COLUMNIST

LEADERSHIP KATHLEEN PROVOST

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BY KATHLEEN PROVOST

Kathleen Provost

A Social Protagonist - The Fundraiser?

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March/April 2020

COURTESY KATHLEEN PROVOST

s a professional fundraiser, I believe I have the responsibility to affect social change. As such, the very definition of “having a responsibility” means: to be an authority or a leader, therefore an influencer in a social setting. Today more than ever, as an unprecedent pandemic unfolds and affects an exceptionally high proportion of society’s members, fundraisers ought to affirm the role they play in society and become social protagonists.

The real definition of a fundraiser Fundraising has been associated with many verbs over the years. Some of us may recall the profession being compared to selling, negotiating, partnering, merchandising, promoting or marketing, and even begging. But fundamentally, fundraising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Fundraisers seek financial support for a specific objective or goal. Though some individuals may perceive the role of a fundraiser as one of acquiring a donation or an altruistic gift for a charitable purpose, fundraisers are responsible for much more than the execution of a specific task associated to a function of their roles.

Fundraising is really about acquiring these contributions for a purpose.

Fundraisers will facilitate the support of a specific goal, a destitute objective, or an urgent project. However, to successfully accomplish this mandate, fundraisers need to be convinced of the virtues of such need. Fundraisers will always ensure the benefits are real and tangible to all involved.

Yes, the donors will make an altruistic contribution for something they value; the receiving individuals, or institutions, can fulfilled their mandates with the foundationmag.ca

COLUMNIST

The purpose of the fundraiser in society As I write this column, we are faced with an unprecedent pandemic affecting each and every member of society. Pandemics have occurred throughout history and societies have dealt with them in different ways. In comparison, those societies were not digitally connected worldwide as we are today. Secondly, though we are still puzzled as to the how we will stop or cure the COVID-19 outbreak, we can comfort ourselves in the learnings we have from previous occurrence that can help us ‘flatten the curve”, a privilege our ancestors did not possess.

Whichever way you define a society, we come together as individuals and form different societal gatherings in a number of ways. As a result, each individual has a vested interest in the success and wellbeing of the society to which they belong.

Those gatherings can be geopolitical, or they can be communities of people with similar lifestyles or interest.

Whatever way a society is “identified” fundraisers play an essential role in these societies because they usually facilitate prioritizing the contributions of some, towards the benefit of others.

The pressing agenda items in a given society, be it: research, homelessness, diversity, health, education, climate change, or something else, become the chosen priority items for which the fundraiser will work to gather support.

Fundraisers help bring to the forefront societal issues, that may otherwise not become a priority for the members of a given society.

As fundraisers, we are used to playing a leadership role and leading by example. Fundraisers are the first to make donations in support of a specific foundationmag.ca

project or cause. Fundraisers execute early-on in their life their planned gifts because they understand the meaning of legacies. Fundraisers often commit to reoccurring gifts because they understand the sustainable needs of particular social agencies. And fundraisers always lead the path by creating opportunities for others to become champions of valued causes.

worth. All societies need protagonists to help build on their aspirations and dreams. In today’s circumstances, more so than ever.

At the beginning of the 1900’s, Reverend Dr. Moses M. Coady (1882-1959) played a key role in the development of the Antigonish Movement. A movement that used adult education to create ‘study

The need for a social protagonist Every individual has an important role to play in their society. Fundraisers chose to be a central character in a more-or-less ordered community and lead when many feel dis-empowered by a challenging or even paralysing phenomenon — as we are experiencing with today’s pandemic.

To facilitate relationships between key societal actors, such as donors, corporations, agencies and individuals in need, or organizations delivering front-line services, fundraisers exhibit devotion and commitment for a specific outcome. Fundraisers can influence social priorities, and community involvement that impact the lives of many. When we do what we have promised, or what we have committed to do, fundraisers become reliable and trustworthy individuals.

I have heard fundraisers labelled as “the good guys”. I say fundraisers are protagonists. We lead by example and appeal to all societal players to take on an active role. In doing so, fundraisers can boost a person’s self-esteem and self-

clubs’ for ordinary Maritimers providing them with an opportunity to critically analyze the dynamics keeping them poor and to develop possible solutions.

He believed; “If we are wise, we will help the people everywhere to get a good and abundant life… to become masters of their own destiny.”

Fundraisers have a role to play in Rev. Moses Coady’s vision of an abundant life for all. We can fundraise to acquire a donation for a charitable purpose and help some become masters of their own destiny. Fundraisers can also “advance” social priorities and play a leadership role in their community.

Fundraisers can be that social protagonist.

COURTESY KATHLEEN PROVOST

support of such contributions, but what benefit does the fundraiser experience?

For fundraisers, their motivations are more than facilitating the acquisition of something, their motivations are principled motivations. The field of fundraising is also known as the field of “development” or “advancement”.

So, I ask: what are fundraisers really developing or advancing?

KATHLEEN A. PROVOST, CFRE is currently the Campaign Director at St. Francis Xavier University. She brings over 25 years of fundraising experience within the charitable sector. She has been a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) since 2007, and a long-time member and volunteer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). She writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.

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GARY TANNYAN COURTESY THE LEACOCK FOUNDATION COURTESY THE LEACOCK FOUNDATION

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March/April 2020

Leadership training provides young people practical skills in teamwork, time management, goal-setting, self confidence, and communication.

LEAD Through TRAILS supports outdoor, experiential education and leadership skills for youth.

The Branksome Hall students help at the Queenstown Get Ahead Project School (QGAP), where they spend time running a number of projects with the students and staff.

GARY TANNYAN

COURTESY THE LEACOCK FOUNDATION

From top to bottom: Peter Oliver at Babel Mediterranean Restaurant in North York, Toronto.

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CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY

Serving Up

Philanthropy

Peter Oliver, co-founder of Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality, on his restaurant career, the Leacock Foundation and why we all need to put in more than we take out

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BY TRACY HOWARD

eter Oliver doesn’t often do interviews but when asked how long he has to discuss the Leacock Foundation, the charity he heads that helps economically challenged youth in Toronto and South Africa, he responds: “whatever it takes.”

While the 71-year-old co-founder of Oliver & Bonacini (O&B) Hospitality is retired from the day-to-day operations of one of Canada’s leading restaurant and event groups, he’s hardly twiddling his thumbs. Oliver helps train staff in new locations on O&B’s values and mission, and also leads awards presentations to long-serving employees.

Additionally, he recently completed a five-year tenure as national chair of a $40-million campaign for JDRF Canada (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).

“I believe if you’ve done well, you have a debt to pay and that’s what makes society stronger,” Oliver says. “I would take it even further and say for every

citizen, the drive should be you’ve got to put in more than you take out.”

But Oliver admits in his salad days, philanthropy wasn’t a focus. “I was too young, I was building a business, starting a family,” he explains. The Oliver family includes his wife, Maureen; their kids, Vanessa, Jessica, Andrew and Marc; and seven grandchildren. Andrew, 35, is O&B’s president and CEO. Entree to Canada In 1967, Oliver left his native South Africa to attend McGill University in Montreal. The attraction to Canada was more practical than poetic. After prep school in England, he decided North America was his “next place of adventure,” and discovered university was less expensive here than in the U.S. At the time, his parents had a farm in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and could only subsidize half of his first year’s tuition.

Peter Oliver was interviewed for this story before the COVID-19 crisis forced the closure of non-essential businesses in Ontario. On March 16, Oliver & Bonacini (O&B), the hospitality group Oliver co-founded, temporarily closed operations across Canada except for three locations currently offering take-out. O&B has subsequently co-founded SaveHospitality.ca, an advocacy group of independent Canadian restaurant owners lobbying the three levels of government on rent abatement, supplemental employment insurance, forgivable loans and other measures. Peter’s son Andrew Oliver, O&B’s president and CEO, says O&B has given away food to its most at-risk staff, and, besides advocating for enhanced EI for employees, is doing what it can to be able to bring everyone back when it’s safe to do so. “O&B will survive,” says Andrew. “But it’ll be extremely painful and we’ve had to make tough decisions to ensure that.”

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CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY Graduating with a commerce degree in 1971, Oliver returned to South Africa, but, with few business prospects there, moved on to England. When the U.K.’s struggling economy proved challenging, he travelled around Spain. Eventually, practicalities set in. “I’ve got to get stuck in and I need some money,” Oliver remembers thinking.

“Maybe Canada’s not so bad.”

“In Mandela’s presence I realized I was in the same room as someone unique.”

Back in Montreal, he worked as a stockbroker and was eventually transferred to Toronto. After a few years, Oliver began selling commercial real estate, which proved to be a valuable background for future restaurant deals.

As for his entree to the food industry, Oliver paints a colourful picture. “I was lying on a beach in Rio sitting next to this bus driver from New York,” he recalls. “He sort of convinced me the thing to do was have a business where the cash register could be going ka-ching, ka-ching while you’re lying on the beach in Rio.” Oliver says he was inspired by a successful food shop he’d noticed that offered a product he thought he could improve upon. “I was going to put a manager in, hopefully make an extra 25,000 bucks a year and continue with my real estate,” he relates.

Building the business Oliver’s Old-Fashioned Bakery, located near Yonge and Eglinton, opened in 1978 and had a long run as one of midtown Toronto’s go-to casual-dining spots. Oliver quickly found himself becoming absorbed in the food business. “Money wasn’t the only factor, building a business was important,” he explains.

Next up was Bofinger, Oliver’s homage to a Parisian brasserie of the same name, 14

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which opened in 1986. The restaurateur calls it “one of the biggest mistakes of my life.” It was challenged by unkind reviews and the fact it was a huge space, with rent and taxes to match. Bofinger wasn’t Oliver’s sole financial misstep. “I nearly went under three times,” he says. The first time was in 1981 when he’d spent over a million expanding Oliver’s Bakery, and the bank called in his loan. Fortunately, North York’s Auberge du Pommier, the restaurant he opened in 1987 inspired by a restaurant he and Maureen had visited in rural France, has been an enduring success.

The partnership with Michael Bonacini began in 1993 and, as is common with Oliver’s business decisions, was born out of a real estate opportunity. A space had become available in Toronto’s downtown Commerce Court complex and Oliver negotiated a rare deal in which the landlord paid for everything. After his original partner dropped out, Oliver approached Bonacini, who was executive chef at the city’s then red-hot Centro.

Oliver offered the Welsh-born Bonacini 35 per cent of what would become Jump and, rather than having the chef put any money in, asked him to take a small pay cut for two years.

“I didn’t then have to worry about anything to do with the kitchen or the food quality,” Oliver says. Next for the duo came Canoe, now marking its 25th year on the 54th floor of the Toronto Dominion Centre. At that point, Oliver — who’d by then sold the bakery and Bofinger — offered Bonacini a part of Auberge du Pommier, and O&B was born.

The company now has more than 65 properties, which takes into account venues in which it has a substantial interest, such as individual event spaces and a Calgary restaurant group. Oliver credits his son Andrew with the expansion outside Ontario, including locations in Edmonton, Montreal and Saskatoon.

Andrew, far from being handed the keys to the kingdom, was initially tasked with invigorating O&B’s flagging event business. Within 18 months, it became the fastest growing part of the company.

Although proud of the accomplishments of his son and the rest of the leadership foundationmag.ca

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Foundation, an annual golf tournament and donor gifts.

In Toronto, the Leacock Foundation supports extracurricular and summer literacy and leadership programs in three Giving back of the city’s high-priority communities.

In 1984, at age six, Oliver’s daughter When asked about a video focused on the Vanessa was diagnosed with type-1 foundation’s summer leadership camp, diabetes, a milestone that seemingly which mentions that some Toronto youth ignited his philanthropic impulse. For a have never experienced nature, Oliver time, he handed over the daily operations gets fired up. “Poverty is pitiful! How of his company and threw himself into little exposure many of these kids have chairing the Toronto chapter of JDRF. to things children should have exposure to if they’re going to become productive.

Surely that’s what we should aim for, that all citizens have the chance to succeed.”

While the Leacock Foundation’s work in Toronto connected Oliver to the needs of his adopted hometown, in 2001 he attended an event that moved him deeply as a South African. Nelson The Branksome Hall students help at the Queenstown Get Ahead Project School (QGAP), Mandela, in this where they spend time running a number of projects with the students and staff. country to receive an With his money tied up in the business, honorary Canadian citizenship, appeared Oliver had to find creative ways to raise at a fundraiser at the Toronto home of funds. He decided to live atop a flagpole power couple Gerry Schwartz and Heather for a week “flogging” raffle tickets, which Reisman. “In Mandela’s presence, I realized earned $250,000. Over the years the I was in the same room as somebody flagpole stunt ran, it raised more than a unique,” says Oliver. Mandela spoke about million dollars for JDRF. the need in South Africa, and Oliver says he The Leacock Foundation began in wondered who in the room would actually 1992 as the Leacock Club when Oliver help out. “Then I asked myself: Well, what banded together with some friends to will you do? And that was it, I went to South raise money for each of their individual Africa. I said I’m going to get involved in causes. It’s named after Stephen Leacock, education, and it’s one of the best things the acclaimed Canadian humourist who I’ve done.” was also a McGill professor. The friends After telling the foundation board he eventually decided to focus on helping at- wanted to broaden its mission, the concept risk youth in Toronto. (Oliver’s co-founders of a “Triangle of Hope” was formed. It have since died. While the foundation’s involves linking underserved Toronto board now has 13 people, Oliver remains schools and their counterparts in South the main fundraiser.) Inspired by the Africa with Toronto private schools. For Oxford Union, the Leacock Club holds example, every year 16 girls in grade 11 an annual debate, which is now used as a from Branksome Hall visit South Africa fundraiser. Other funding is sourced from for two weeks and are paired with local grants, such as from the Ontario Trillium students their same age. “It’s one of the COURTESY THE LEACOCK FOUNDATION

team, Oliver’s clear about the path he and Bonacini forged. “We did a lot of the hard work establishing the basic culture and values of the company,” he says.

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The Leacock Foundation responds to the pandemic Led by restaurateur Peter Oliver, the Leacock Foundation addresses the inequality of opportunity for youth facing challenging economic and social conditions in Toronto and South Africa.

But Kristine Gaston, the foundation’s executive director, advises that due to the COVID-19 crisis, they’ve had to temporarily stop programming in Toronto and the Get Ahead Project (GAP) in South Africa has had to close its schools during the lockdown.

“Lack of technology at home, language barriers and cramped living conditions make it difficult for children to participate in online schooling,” advises Gaston.

In response, the foundation has partnered with First Book Canada to distribute 300 workbooks and reading materials to kids in Toronto’s Woburn community and will do the same in the two other city neighbourhoods it supports. Additionally, the Leacock Foundation’s social media channels are offering daily activities and resources to keep children engaged in learning. In South Africa, the GAP team is providing educational resources through Facebook, as well as communicating potentially life-saving information to parents and caregivers.

To find out more and to donate, visit leacockfoundation.org or call 416-489-9309.

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CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY most emotional experiences the Toronto girls have had,” Oliver shares. “Especially because they’re exposed to poverty, and they’ve never seen real poverty.”

In South Africa, the foundation started investing in the Get Ahead Project (now QGAP), an independent low-fee primary

“In general, if we all put in more than we take out, there will be more than enough for those who can’t cope.” school, which had about 350 students and was having good academic results.

The school is in rural Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, the country’s poorest province. To ease the long commutes faced by some students, the Leacock Foundation helped build a satellite primary school 40 kilometres away in Whittlesea. In 2007, the foundation helped start a Get Ahead secondary school in Queenstown.

The foundation has invested more than eight million dollars and built 46

classrooms in South Africa. Emphasis is placed on the students’ well-being and developing individual strengths, with creative and STEAM learning (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) integrated into the curriculum. Oliver reports their use of technology is the highest among schools in Queenstown.

But he pulls no punches about the obstacles. “It’s absolutely shocking the extent to which corruption and incompetence are dragging the country down,” he says. In addition, because of recent drought and high unemployment, many parents are struggling to pay the modest tuition. As a result, Oliver says the foundation is making a fundraising push for scholarships.

Despite the challenges, there’s little doubt Oliver will continue helping kids.

He speaks proudly of the foundation’s accomplishments, the fact it will never spend more than 10 per cent of what it raises on administration, and that donors can choose whether their money goes to programs in Toronto or South Africa.

“In general, if we all put in more than we take out, there will be more than enough for people who can’t cope,” he says.

Additional Details for Toronto Hospitality Assistance Key Statistics ❯❯ In 2019, Toronto restaurants generated more than $7 billion in annual revenues. Collectively, there are more than 100,000 people employed at these restaurants. ❯❯ The hospitality industry is Canada’s 4th largest employer, employing 1.2MM people ❯❯ Estimated $20 billion in direct loan payments are due April 1, 2020 ❯❯ Of 2MM Canadians laid off, 300,000 are in Ontario’s foodservice industry alone Loan Program ❯❯ Government subsidisation through forgivable loans would help with impact currently felt and anticipated for months to come ❯❯ Amounts would be calculated based on the net revenue of the previous year of the company. Suggested rate is 10% subsidy to cover 8 weeks of closures. Beyond 8 weeks, the subsidy would continue at 1.25% of previous year net revenue.

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❯❯ The loans would be paid back through HST and Payroll Taxes generated through gradual reopening of the business ❯❯ Liquidity to cover operating costs is paramount right now.

Said loans would provide the immediate ❯❯ Similar programs with government-backed loans are being rolled out in the U.S. and Denmark providing industries such as the hospitality industry with greater flexibility Rent Assistance ❯❯ In the interim, governments can step in to endorse a rent freeze until a loan program goes into effect.

Wage Subsidy ❯❯ The federal government’s announcement of a 75% wage subsidy for businesses who have seen a 30%+ decline is unfortunately not applicable to vast majority of foodservice that cannot open or provide work for all or the majority of their staff.

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Interim

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Specialist Forums

Whatever your fundraising challenge, our team are here to help.

We’ve never been more ready.

How can we serve you at this moment?

Get in touch. And stay safe and well. info@think-canada.com 1 866 686 2612 www.think-canada.com

A Major Mover Puts Healthcare Charities in Motion How the Mackie Family Rolls.

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STEVE LLOYD

BY DAVID BOSWORTH

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ver since Merle Mackie decided to follow in his father Charlie’s footsteps and buy a truck to haul tomatoes to the Campbell Soup Company in west Toronto from the farms in and around Oshawa, Ont. in the 1930s and ‘40s, three more generations of the Mackie family have shown a willingness and determination to roll up their sleeves and do whatever is needed to solve their customers’ needs From the humble beginnings of Merle Mackie’s old truck — which doubled as a 25-cent passenger shuttle to the Oshawa Ski Club on weekends — the Mackie empire eventually grew into a group of companies that included an automotive parts manufacturing unit that started with five employees in Oshawa and expanded to 2,500 employees in 13 plants around the world serving the ‘Big Three’ automakers, a national moving, freight and logistics company, and one of the most successful Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealerships in Canada Started by Merle’s son Ross, his wife Diana and their four sons, The Mackie Group, now affiliated with Atlas Van Lines, is a tremendously successful privatelyfoundationmag.ca

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owned company with over 500 employees working in its various transportation-related business units across Canada (the automotive parts unit was sold years ago). All the while, the Mackie family has never lost touch with hometown Oshawa, a predominantly working class city 60 kilometres east of Toronto.

We all got our licenses and drove trucks Paul Mackie Sr., who runs Mackie Harley-Davidson along with son Paul Jr. and daughter Brooke, says his family has always felt a responsibility to give back to the community that instilled in them the spirit to work hard and build a lasting legacy that can be proudly passed on to future generations. They were always taught the value of hard work and the need to never shy away from a challenge, and to always exceed people’s expectations.

“As kids, after school my brothers Norm, Dean, Scott and I would wash the moving trucks and help load them up. By the time each of us turned 16, we got our licenses and drove the trucks, hauling trailer loads all across Canada.

“We came from nothing,” says Paul Sr. “My grandparents

lived in a clapboard house on King Street in Oshawa and my mom and dad lived in that house with them when my brothers and I were born. No matter what, we were always taught to give back and contribute to the community whenever we can, and that’s what we’ve always done.”

And, for reasons that touch him very personally, Paul Sr. says the Mackies have always had a particular affinity for supporting healthcare organizations in Oshawa and throughout the surrounding Region of Durham.

Foremost among these organizations is Lakeridge Health, which encompasses five hospitals and more than a dozen community health care locations throughout Durham Region.

This includes the former Oshawa General Hospital, where Paul Sr. and his brothers were born and where Paul Sr.’s life was saved after he suffered a dreadful childhood injury on his grandparents’ property that cost him one of his legs.

“I was eight and it was the first day of summer vacation,” Paul Sr., now 64, recounted to Foundation Magazine recently of the childhood trauma.

“There was an electric-powered golf cart in the backyard that my brothers and I were standing on when all of a sudden the

“We came from nothing...we were always taught to give back and contribute.”

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Four generations of Mackie’s, left to right: Paul Mackie Jr.; Brooke Vukets, holding grandson Mike Vukets; Paul Mackie Sr. holding grandson Tripp; Scott Mackie; Ross Mackie; Dean Mackie; Norm Mackie, and Spencer Mackie, Scott’s son.

“With COVID-19 creating a crisis they are there to help in any way they can.” cart shot backwards. My two brothers jumped off safely, but I was pinned in the middle and had my leg severed below the knee. I was bleeding out badly, but the miracle was that the next door neighbour happened to be the head nurse at the Oshawa Hospital. She heard the screaming and ran over and tied my leg off so I wouldn’t bleed to death. Then they raced me downtown to the Oshawa Hospital, where they put me back together and had me ready to go back to school in September with a prosthetic leg like nothing had ever happened.”

More recently, Paul Sr. was diagnosed with cancer and has received all his treatment at Lakeridge Health.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the health professionals at Oshawa Hospital and Lakeridge Health, so I’ll always be willing to support them any way and any time I can,” says Paul Sr., who has sat on the board of directors of both the Lakeridge Health Foundation and the Oshawa Hospital. “The same goes for my brothers, their kids and mine.”

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Donations of money and volunteer time In addition to their ongoing commitments to Lakeridge Health, the Mackie Group of companies and individual family members have provided both direct monetary donations and volunteer time to local groups and regional chapters of organizations that include the University of University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), YMCA, Rose of Durham, Hearth Place, the Canadian Cancer Society, Grandview Kids and SickKids (Toronto).

With the family deciding in recent years that it would concentrate its philanthropic efforts on healthcare organizations in the area, Paul Sr. says the family was planning to make a major contribution to the retooling of the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre at Lakeridge Health and that he would be co-chairing the fundraising campaign for the cancer centre.

However, with the global COVID-19 pandemic throwing healthcare providers everywhere into a full state of crisis management, Paul Sr. says his family will wait to see where the most immediate needs are within the system, and they’ll be there to help in any way they can.

“I’m still going to co-chair the fundraising campaign for the cancer centre,” he says, “but our plans have temporarily been put on hold due to all the new needs and changing direction foundationmag.ca

CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY that have come from the COVID-19 situation.”

Underscoring Paul Sr.’s perspective on the fast-moving public health crisis and its impact on Lakeridge Health, several COVID-19 outbreaks have been declared across Lakeridge’s facilities and at least 10 staff members have been reported to have tested positive for COVID-19. This is in addition to the many dozens of COVID-19 patients who have been, and continue to be, treated across the Lakeridge network in Durham Region.

DAVID BOSWORTH is a writer with more than 25 years of newspaper and magazine writing and editing, PR agency consulting and client-side corporate communications experience. He has been editor-in-chief of Strategy magazine, Canada’s top marketing trade publication, as well as Canadian Direct Marketing News and PrintAction and was a member of the corporate PR team at HP Canada. He now heads BullsEye Communications. foundationmag.ca

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As an MLSE moving partner, we are proud to support #BringTorontoBack providing a dedicated fleet of trucks to assist in the collection and recovery of food trays to ensure the continued distribution of 10,000 daily meals for frontline healthcare workers & community agencies. (FB)

Employees from Mackie’s Head Office in Oshawa proudly delivering food to the local Durham Children’s Aid Foundation.

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“Our family is hugely committed to supporting Lakeridge and other healthcare organizations throughout the region, but we’re not alone. We’ve had some incredible community donors — personal and corporate — who have always stepped up and are doing it again now through the COVID-19 crisis,” Paul Sr. says.

The Mackie’s support for local charities includes a number of ongoing commitments, such as the Lakeridge Health Foundation golf tournament and its annual fundraising gala, that have been thrown into question because of COVID-19.

“At this point, we don’t have official confirmation that these things have been canceled,” says Paul Sr., “but, if they do get cancelled, we’ll redirect our focus and commitment to wherever it needs to be to support the hospital and the foundation.”

“It’s just mind-boggling with the changes and announcements that happen every day around COVID-19,” Paul Sr. says, adding that he has a call once a week with his brothers – they don’t go to see each other – to talk about what they can do to maintain the health and safety of their employees and keep their business moving wherever it makes sense.

“Right now, we’re just trying to keep our heads and do the right things for our business and for the community,” he says.

“We’re completely dialed in to our employees and our customers to ensure their health and well-being.”

“We’ve got nothing but the best healthcare workers and supports in Durham Region with the Lakeridge Health sites.

They just go above and beyond at every level of every job. I’m one of the fortunate ones who gets to be a part of it all, and we’ll keep striving to do more with our whole family. We’ll always be doing that.”

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“Right now we are just trying to keep our heads and do the right things.”

Mike Adams of Mackie Moving /Oshawa, assisting with packaging for the good people at Ontario Tech University who are manufacturing and shipping PPE to hospitals across Ontario.

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SOCIAL GOOD

Mapping The Future Canadian Students Show How Social Impact Changes Our World

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BY DAVID BOSWORTH

ndergraduate university and college students from across Canada have been consistently hitting above their weight class in the Oxford-borne global Map the System (MTS) social impact competition and are hoping — in this year of COVID-19 — to make their mark felt again, as the Canadian national event final, originally slated to be hosted in Montreal, May 7-9, instead took place online this year.

The national Map the System final was supposed to be hosted as a live competition and networking event in Montreal this year, but the event to showcase the official team entries 22

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from 16 post-secondary institutions across Canada, was moved online for the very first time because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The top two winners at the Canadian finals will go on to compete at the global final, originally scheduled to be held at the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford in June, but which will also likely be moved online because of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Since it was brought to Canada four years ago, Canadian teams have done exceptionally well in the MTS competition, which focuses on the notion that tackling global challenges starts with understanding a problem and its wider context, rather than jumping straight into a business plan or an idea for a quick fix.

Map the System asks participants to use ‘systems thinking’ as a guiding approach to understanding complex social and environmental challenges. Participants create systems maps as a means to articulate their findings in a way that people can meaningfully understand, share, and learn from — key skillsets for those interested in creating systemic and sustainable social or environmental change.

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SOCIAL GOOD

Kelly Hodgins is a program officer for McConnell.

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Canadian students compete against the world Thanks to the support of the Montreal-based McConnell Foundation, Canada is the only country in the world to

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Simon Fraser University - Team Inferno, 1st Prize Winner at the Map the System Global Final 2019.

Latasha Calf Robe, the recipient of the Calgary Aboriginal Youth Award in 2017 for her community work with her Niitsitapi tribe in southern Alberta, is the program manager for Map the System Canada. foundationmag.ca

run a separate national layer to the MTS competition, with many Canadian campuses integrating the Map the System competition into their courses. That means Canadian campuses can compete against one another and from there teams are chosen to participate in the global challenge and represent Canada.

The result of all of this is that the level of participation from Canadian students is very high, with more than 850 of the 1,500 team entries, which can come from individuals or teams of up to four members, in the global MTS competition coming from Canadian teams. Not coincidentally, two of the past four global winning teams have been from Canada.

Latasha Calf Robe, the recipient of the Calgary Aboriginal Youth Award in 2017 for her community work with her Niitsitapi tribe in southern Alberta, is the program manager for Map the System Canada and is in charge of organizing and overseeing the Canadian arm of the competition. Her role is also to coach and mentor the Canadian MTS teams to prepare March/April 2020

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them to compete at the Oxford event against teams from around the world.

Explaining the focus of the Map the System competition, Calf Robe said, “The educational piece challenges students to look at some type of environmental or social issue they are concerned about and really take a step back and look at it from a systems approach to see what the underlying issues are, how did the problem arise in the first place and what is holding it in place under the current system and structures.”

Students are free to focus their MTS project entries on specific problems occurring anywhere in the world, allowing 24

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SOCIAL GOOD

for a tremendous range of issues. The winners receive cash prizes, while the top six teams that come out of the Canadian finals will be eligible to apply for $10,000 of funding towards continuing to ‘Apprentice with their Problem’ by doing a secondment, research project or internship, perhaps with an organization they identified during their Map the System research. foundationmag.ca

SOCIAL GOOD

“We see a desire by Canadian educators to support their students to have a more cross-disciplinary or multidisciplinary education, and one that incorporates aspects of social innovation and systems change that breaks disciplinary boundaries,” Hodgins said.

“Unlike most pitch competitions,” she added, “MTS kind of flips things and says we actually don’t want you to jump to a solution yet because that can potentially lead to dangerous outcomes. Instead, MTS adheres to the idea that you’re going to have a more sustainable, long-lasting and more impactful solution if you really truly understand the context in which you’re working.”

Calf Robe said that while most of the entries in this year’s competition were started before the coronavirus pandemic spread around the world, it was clearly evident from the entries that students have adjusted their perspective to acknowledge the impact of the pandemic within their projects.

“It’s unfortunate, but we’re all living it right now and seeing how the shocks impact our system. So definitely COVID-19 has been taken into lots of the projects,” she said. “The goal of Map the System is to get students into a mindset to build their capacity to be active members of their society and build stronger systems that support not just individuals, which but take a holistic approach to supporting broader society. That’s foundationmag.ca

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why it’s not surprising that in their final reflections and learnings, we’re seeing that students are trying to figure out how to adjust and build a resilience in the systems that can help the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to build a stronger society in the midst of crisis.”

“When we were forced to cancel the in-person Paula Sahyoun, a Social Innovation Fellow competition this year, we at the McConnell Foundation and a past quickly realized we can still MTS participant. connect folks and support their learning and honor and celebrate the work they’ve been doing,” said Paula Sahyoun, a Social Innovation Fellow at the McConnell Foundation and a past MTS participant. One benefit of the event moving online, she added, is that each of the team presentations will now be able to be viewed online for the first time.

James Stauch is the Director of the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University in Calgary, whose mission is to ensure that students and citizens have access to high impact, immersive learning and undergraduate community-partnered research opportunities that build their confidence and capacity to lead transformative change in their communities.

“With COVID-19,” Stauch said, “there are so many different aspects of the epidemiology of the disease relating to its connection to biodiversity and agricultural and business practices, as well as to a wide variety of sub-systems that will have to be dealt with to make things much more resilient once we come out on the other side of this pandemic. There are so James Stauch is the Director of the Institute for Community Prosperity many rich lessons to be learned, I at Mount Royal University in Calgary. think we’re going to be inundated with pandemic-related systems maps in the MTS competition next year… that’s probably a good thing.”

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A wide range of finalists This range of this year’s Canadian MTS finalists include a paper from a student team at Bow Valley College in Calgary examining discrimination against HIV-infected individuals in the Philippines to a look at the flooding crisis in Canada from a team at Memorial University of Newfoundland to a research exploration of the current state of transit-induced gentrification in Kitchener-Waterloo by a team at the University of Waterloo.

Kelly Hodgins is a program officer for McConnell, which provides funding to MTS and helped bring it to Canada four years ago with the Trico Charitable Foundation under the auspices of Re-Code, a program initiative established by McConnell to support Canadian universities and colleges to build a more just and sustainable world.

DAVID BOSWORTH is a writer with more than 25 years of newspaper and magazine writing and editing, PR agency consulting and client-side corporate communications experience. He has been editor-in-chief of Strategy magazine, Canada’s top marketing trade publication, as well as Canadian Direct Marketing News and PrintAction and was a member of the corporate PR team at HP Canada. He now heads BullsEye Communications.

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GIVING REPORT

In Conversation with Marina Glogovac, President & CEO, CanadaHelps.org

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PUBLISHER STEVE LLOYD TALKS WITH MARINA GLOGOVAC

arina is passionate about charities and their essential role in Canada, and about building the capacity of the charitable sector through cuttingedge technology and high-quality education.

Under her leadership since 2013, CanadaHelps has rapidly accelerated its growth trajectory, almost tripling the donations it facilitates for charities and dramatically expanding its offerings for both charities and donors.

We talked to her about the 2020 Giving Report and the issues facing nonprofits in Canada over the next few months and the next few years.

With online giving growing and the number of donors shrinking, do you think organizations should look at increasing their budgets for fundraising in general? With an average of around one percent of charity budgets going to fundraising, and the challenge inherent in dealing with those two diverging trends, perhaps charities should be expanding that part of their spending?

I have long advocated for charities to spend more money on themselves. To be successful in this era, charities need to be hiring and retaining the right talent with digital skills and knowledge, have the right equipment and tools, and invest in their own infrastructure so they can better achieve their impact; this is common in the business world and should be so in the charitable sector where the stakes are much higher.

In some cases, charities may need to spend more money on foundationmag.ca

fundraising — either in staff, advertising, or campaigns — but it will depend on whether doing so will ultimately help them raise more and better execute on their missions.

Online giving can be a technological challenge along with providing large volumes of new data which needs managing. How do those 80% of charities who bring in less than $500,000 a year address those issues? Spending on technology to operate online giving systems and connect to their donors and past donors etc would likely require more than the roughly $5,000 to perhaps $20,000 a year they might be able to allocate. How do the new trends impact that segment?

All charities can start fundraising online today without spending a cent up front, and they absolutely should prioritize this. Half of our mission at CanadaHelps is to provide effective, online fundraising tools to organizations of all sizes that are easy to use and have no up front costs and don’t require technical knowledge. Google also provides AdWords grants for online advertising, both Google and Microsoft both offer their cloud-based office suites and storage to charities for free, reaching donors through email and social media is easier than ever, and there are many free resources available to build the skill charities may need to use these tools. Ideally, charities will start building digital fundraising and technology into their whole organizations, but they have to start somewhere (and it doesn’t need to be with an expensive consultant.)

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GIVING REPORT What does CanadaHelps (and your data partners) forecast or see from corporate donors across Canada? I’m thinking not specifically from corporate foundations, but from businesses which provide donations directly as part of their social support initiatives? Is there any data or research which outlines the way charities engage the business world and how it might be affected or changed by the trends in this year’s Giving Report?

We didn’t look at corporate donations in the Giving Report, but I have been heartened to see the many corporations and businesses who have contributed to our COVID-19 Cause Funds. When we created these two funds, which

enable Canadians to give to hundreds of Canadian charities responding to COVID-19 in a single gift, we thought they would just be used by individuals, but they have been really popular with corporations.

Though the pandemic has affected everyone and spurred a lot of giving, all businesses with a CSR strategy have giving priorities and are looking for ways to easily make an impact while meeting their corporate goals. Businesses today have realized that they purpose to reach modern consumers and staff and to be competitive — it is no longer just about selling products and services. This will be key to their success and differentiation in the new economy.

With the rise of corporate foundations, other charities are

From the 2020 Giving Report

Donations from mobile users is outpacing donations from desktop users: Mobile use is growing fast.

Donations grew 33% last year compared to 25% for desktop users. And mobile traffic grew by 55%.

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GIVING REPORT going to have to find creative ways to build relationships with partners, or like in the case of our Cause Funds, work together and share the benefit of corporate gifts.

How will more traditional channels such as direct mail, in-person events, participatory fundraising events, etc, be impacted by the growth of online giving? Is this a scenario which might be a tide which “floats all boats”? Can you see small local fundraising events tapping into online giving in ways which we haven’t foreseen before now?

With COVID-19, charity events across the country were immediately cancelled in the biggest time of the year for event fundraising. We’ve seen tons of ingenuity from charities that have quickly adapted physical events and -thons to online campaigns. For example, one charity hosted a digital golf gala where donations of different amounts equated to virtual distances travelled on a golf course. The need to adapt digital practices and broader digital transformation is more urgent than ever now as things aren’t likely to return normal any time soon — and likely won’t ever return to exactly as they were before.

From the 2020 Giving Report

Go to CanadaHelps.org to download the full 2020 Giving Report foundationmag.ca

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GIVING REPORT What advice would you give the C-Suite executives of Canada’s top 100 charities about how they staff their management teams over the next few years? Are there roles and positions which will become more populated and influential, and others which might become fewer and less needed? Would CFOs, for example, be wise to recruit new experts who can manage their payments operations with an eye to using that data to inform the fundraising and marketing teams? Does analytics become even more complicated as online donations grow?

digital talent. New roles will need to be created (10 years ago we weren’t talking about data scientists and Chief Innovation Officers), and the existing ones redefined, to bridge gaps between the digital and traditional parts of what you do.

For most existing organizations, organizational models and role designs are at odds with the scope of change we are seeing, as well as the opportunities and disruptive forces. Charities will not survive if they don’t adapt to the digital age.

The Digital Transformation — the reimagining of business in the digital age — that is needed requires changing culture and a different type of leader in the workplace. This new Digital Leader is strategic yet agile; learning oriented; is able to take risks and has tolerance for and the courage for failure; is willing to “disrupt” themselves – their role, their identity, their meaning, their frame of reference; and is technology savvy and organizationally-savvy.

Organizations should already have started investing in

The projections we are seeing so far are grim. Imagine Canada is projecting that three months of mandated social distancing and the economic downturn associated with COVID-19 will cause charities to lose $9.5 billion and layoff more than 117,000 employees. Sadly, I think we will lose some charities as a result of this crisis, just as we will lose many small businesses.

But my hope is that the ones that do survive, will have a new sense of urgency to embrace the digital world. My other hope is that the gaps that have been exposed in our systems will not be forgotten when this is all over; charities in this country are playing vital roles supporting people and communities where governments are not, and they must be properly funded and recognized for all they do.

Finally, what do you see as the long-term impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the philanthropic sector as a whole?

This is an open-ended thought and you may feel free to address any aspect of our sector’s future

From the 2020 Giving Report

Go to CanadaHelps.org to download the full 2020 Giving Report 30

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FUNDRAISING

Donor Insights

Expanding Your Reach With High-Level Prospect Research

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FUNDRAISING

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BY ESTEE PIERCE

re you a non-profit executive wondering how to get started with the lengthy and important work of properly researching your most valuable major gift prospects? They say that knowledge is power, and certainly the power you need is the information about your prospects’ lives that can make the difference between getting that six figure donation from them, or missing out.

This article is an attempt to introduce you to prospect research, and will hopefully empower you to make the right choices and get the donation money your organization needs to succeed. It is the second part, in continuation of a previous article about major gift prospect modeling, written by Matthew Dubins. (See the end of the article for a URL of the first part.)

Part 2a - Value of prospect research Nuanced prospect research can help to verify and illuminate a prospect’s capacity to donate to your organization, their propensity to make a major gift, and their affinity to your cause.

A detailed written profile on a prospect can shine light on so many things, such as their career history, ancestry, political contributions, giving to other non-profit organizations, net worth estimates, real estate tax assessments, and much more.

These briefings may include details on spouses, children, extended family, interests and hobbies, as well as religious, board, and club affiliations. Giving patterns may be evaluated, and networks of board associates may be webbed for possible connections.

However, it’s not realistic for an organization to have detailed multi-page dossiers on every active donor in its database, let alone every promising prospect. In general, this kind of long-form research is at its most valuable when, based on the information available, a prospect has passed through an initial stage of vetting and is in the cultivation stage, where the organization engages in the tricky work of asking the donor for money.

Part 2b - Simple steps to start your research journey At the prospect discovery/identification stage, I recommend a middle way, to use small amounts of prospect research to flesh out promising scored donor data.

The thumbnail bio You’ve verified the top-rated prospect is who they appear to be.

Your next task at hand: to synthesize as much prospect data as you can into roughly 150 characters, addressing the following questions: ❯❯ Who is this person?

This can be as basic as “Hedge fund big wig” or “Real estate scion.” ❯❯ Why are they important to this organization? foundationmag.ca

“Why they’re important “ can range from who knows them, to what boards they serve on, to what they’ve expressed interest in through giving to other organizations, and so on.

You have room for creativity here, but you don’t have room for a lot of language! Think of this as micro-blogging, but for your prospect pipeline. The goal here is to quickly turn data into actionable insight.

Examples below. ❯❯ Fort Worth billionaire. Art lover. Knows Tom. Has expressed interest in deepening relationship. ❯❯ Hedge fund big wig. Red River Trust board. Elusive, but capable of transformational gift. Food & art. ❯❯ Stalwart local philanthropists. Close w/Catie. Priorities: Health, Education, Arts & Culture. ❯❯ Boston billionaire financier. Shed board. Interested in transformational giving, not small checks. ❯❯ ATL media & auto conglomerate Cox Enterprises heiress.

NYPL trustee. In ‘17, gave NYPL $15M. ❯❯ Librarian. Park Ave coop. Source of wealth unknown. Donor to wide range of arts/culture orgs.

The process will be methodical, and can take as long as 20 minutes per individual — but is a significant savings from the time it takes to write a full profile on a prospect. Thumbnails can be done by dedicated prospect research staff, database professionals, support staff, or can be outsourced to a consultant.

Once a prospect has been scored, thumbnailed, and integrated into the donor database, the thumbnail bio can be exported into dynamic reporting for prospect management, used as cheat-sheets for event or meeting preparations, and in general equip a fundraiser with just the right amount of information before approaching a new prospect.

Conclusion Thomas Hardy once wrote “waste not, want not”. I truly believe that when it comes to major fundraising campaigns, that the less time your organizations wastes soliciting the wrong donors, the more likely you are to speak with the right donors, securing those mission critical funds needed for success. When you combine the crucial practices of major gift prospect modeling and prospect research, I truly believe that your fundraising campaign will not be left wanting!

ESTEE PIERCE is an independent researcher and consultant focused on arts, education, environment, and social change nonprofit organizations.

Reference: Dispensing with the hype and finding the real power in donor data. https://donorscience.ca/2020/02/13/dispensing-with-the-hype-and-finding-the-realpower-in-donor-data/ March/April 2020

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FUNDRAISING

In The Mail

Simplicity and Intrigue How the Canadian Cancer Society attracted new donors and boosted response rate

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BY BRENDAN READ

he key to fundraising campaigns is attracting potential donors’ attention. But how can this best be done when individuals (and corporations) are being overwhelmed with advertising and marketing pitches every waking hour on a growing array of channels?

The hallmark of the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is its long-running (see box) April Daffodil Campaign. It raises much-needed funds and awareness for groundbreaking cancer research and a national support system that helps people affected by cancer.

The Daffodil Campaign is an integrated combination of direct mail, online advertising and nationwide community-led volunteer canvassing, supplemented by local media coverage of community events and workplace giving. The direct mail and advertising generate donor awareness and interest that are then solidified when the volunteers knock on their doors, providing the faces behind the words.

“The creative in the direct mail pieces leverages the letterhead to showcase the need — nearly 1 in 2 of us is expected to develop cancer in our lifetime — and the letter copy focused on how Canadians can donate and make an impact for people living with cancer,” explained Lina Mohamed, director, Direct Response & Innovation, Canadian Cancer Society.

Acquiring new donors The high rate of cancer is prompting the need to find new ways to treat the disease. As a result, more money will have to be found and spent on cancer research.

At the same time, all not-for-profits, including the Canadian Cancer Society, are faced with having to replenish their donor bases because donors stop giving, or they’re passing away. As a result, charities need to acquire net new donors in order to finance their important, life-changing work.

For these reasons the Canadian Cancer Society decided, in late 2018, to launch a donor acquisition program as part of its 2019 Daffodil Campaign. It would be driven by direct mail.

“When compared to other channels, direct mail is still a cost-effective way to reach net new donors,” said Mohamed. “It provides value-exchange and it creates a personal, emotive and authentic connection with donors.”

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The organization contacted Stephen Thomas Ltd (ST), its fundraising agency partner, to develop a direct mail strategy.

The goal was to attain about a 1.5% response rate and an average gift of $40.

Coinciding with the existing branded donor mailing program, the Canadian Cancer Society literally returned to its daffodil roots in its branding. More emphasis was placed on the brighter, positive brand assets (its distinctive yellow, a beautiful but less dominant blue, and greater focus on the daffodil image).

“We recognize that Canadians continue to feel connected to the daffodil.”

“As we continue to evolve our brand, we recognize that Canadians continue to feel connected to the daffodil as it resonates with people as a symbol of hope and courage. We know that cancer changes everything, but it doesn’t have to define who you are,” said Mohamed. “We work to support those who will be diagnosed with cancer by helping enhance their quality of life. This is why our brand reflects our vision of a world where no one fears cancer because life is bigger than cancer.”

The new donor acquisition package included an envelope, letter, business reply envelope and a carrier with a Daffodil pin for donors to wear and show their support, during the campaign, for people facing cancer.

But this campaign fundamentally differed from the existing donor program in that it did not include any corporate branding on the outer envelope (OE). The existing donor mailers had a daffodil motif on the OE with a yellow background.

Instead, the recipients of the donor acquisition mailers would see a yellow background and just three words: “Do Not Bend” in large font on the front. Intrigue would drive them to open the envelopes. foundationmag.ca

FUNDRAISING The messaging on the OE, “Do Not Bend”, was used because the Canadian Cancer Society wanted the recipient to be mindful that there was something in the package for them that required care in opening the envelope, explained Mohamed. The organization sought to shift the focus from showcasing its work to showing how its national support system and groundbreaking research were making a significant impact for people affected by cancer.

“We wanted the ‘Do Not Bend’ campaign to be distinct, to surprise and engage potential donors when the pieces are opened,” said Mohamed. “The creative concept appealed to our overall goal to leverage and integrate existing Daffodil assets from the wider campaign. We selected the concept due to the simplicity of the creative paired against the ‘Do Not Bend’ messaging, which created a sense of curiosity for the recipient to open the envelope. It was compelling.”

Campaign execution In deciding on which potential donors to reach, the Canadian Cancer Society created a profile from its existing donor base using data analytics tools that it then shared with ST. ST’s data and media services department selected third party lists, weighted toward those with recent philanthropic responses to direct mail.

“We ensured that there would be no duplication between lists of our current donors and those names appearing on acquisition lists,” said Mohamed. “Our strategy is distinct for each audience.”

Both acquisition and existing donor packages were sent in mid-to-late March. The timing would also allow recipients to wear their daffodil pins in time for local awareness events.

The new acquisition campaign exceeded expectations.

People were opening, not bending the envelopes, and making donations, achieving a 2.2% response rate and bringing in 2,263 net new donors to the organization.

With the success of the “Do Not Bend” envelope the Canadian Cancer Society has made it the control for its 2020 Daffodil Acquisition Campaign. Because the organization is vested in continuous improvement CCS will be engaging in various testing strategies to boost performance.

“Our acquisition campaign has already generated a lot of new donor activation,” said Mohamed. “Our key takeaway from this campaign was the simple yet intriguing nature of the envelope and messaging, and how to scale the “Do Not Bend” strategy into other direct mail campaigns without overusing the creative concept. We’re really pleased with the work of Stephen Thomas Ltd on this campaign.”

Daffodil Campaign history

The roots of the Canadian Cancer Society’s Daffodil Campaign date back to the 1950s when volunteers would host afternoon tea fundraisers. At one of these events, volunteers decorated tables with yellow daffodils to promote a cheerful and hopeful mood. These events then became known as daffodil teas.

In 1954, a daffodil tea was hosted by Lady Flora Eaton at the now defunct Eaton’s department store in Toronto, Ontario, which was attended by 700 women. A few years later, the Canadian Cancer Society began to sell daffodils as a fundraiser throughout April. In 2000, it officially adopted the daffodil as its logo to symbolize hope, strength and resilience.

The daffodil, says the Canadian Cancer Society’s web site, “is resilient. It survives our harsh winters and is the first flower to bloom in the spring — a time of renewal and hope. The daffodil is a symbol of strength, courage and life.”

BRENDAN READ is the Editor of DM Magazine. foundationmag.ca

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FUNDRAISING

Analytics In Action

Looking at the Numbers in COVID-19

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BY RICHARD BOIRE

ike many of you, my focus during this crisis has been less on analytics and more about family, friends, etc. which on a more positive note seems to gain greater emphasis as we reassess our priorities. But the bombardment of news regarding this crisis certainly focuses on numbers in terms of providing a perspective of when this crisis might end. The discussion revolves around the so-called notion of “flattening the curve” and essentially looks at two key metrics: ❯❯ Number of positive COVID-19 cases ❯❯ Number of Deaths Given my other priorities, I have not really paid attention to these numbers being prominently displayed by the media. But in discussion with a very close colleague and friend, it became apparent that the discipline of analytics is not being adhered to based on the virus numbers which are being displayed to the public. Putting on my analytics hat thanks to my very close friend and colleague, I felt compelled to write this brief note.

In any analytics exercise, the first principle is how the source data is being collected. In the world of digital and direct marketing, the use of analytics has been used for decades in targeting the right consumer with the right product at the right time. One of the primary strategies by digital and direct marketers is the treatment of new customers vs. 1 yr+ tenure customers. Different targeting strategies are adopted for both these groups as the source data of behavioural and demographic characteristics are indeed very different between these two groups. Yet, does the government apply this same rationale in understanding the source data that is being reported particularly for cases reported. These numbers are highlighted as potential signs as to whether we are headed in the right direction of mitigating the effects of this pandemic.

But is this somewhat flawed?

As a long-time analytics practitioner, let’s explore the metric of cases reported. The first and foremost question is whether this number is random. In other words, did I randomly test a representative sample of the population every day. We know that this is not the case. Testing is done in most cases on a as you need basis. If there appears to be a hotspot in terms of cases, more people are tested in that hotspot. i.e. nursing homes, 36

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cruise ships, hospitals, etc. Another flaw in this approach is that the people who are often tested are often those who most severely exhibit the symptoms of the virus. There are many individuals who may catch the virus without exhibiting severe symptoms and who are never tested. What this implies is there will be different biases in the underlying source data depending on what, when, and where these cases were reported.

As one can surmise, attempting to draw insights and conclusions from cases reported can be very misleading.

No digital or direct marketers steeped in the discipline of analytics and measurement would ever draw conclusions given the bias of this source data. Instead, the metric of deaths is a more meaningful metric as that number is not influenced by any external behaviour such as the above-mentioned bias of reported cases. Trend analysis of deaths rather than cases reported is a more meaningful number in measuring the impact of our efforts in the fight against COVID-19.

Certainly, I understand the desire to report on cases reported as it is a harbinger for resource requirements within our existing health infrastructure. But a flawed number is a flawed number.

A better way albeit very directional is to extrapolate heath resources consumed versus deaths. Can we arrive at a loosely linear type relationship between deaths and health resources consumed? However, rather than look at the static number of deaths vs. health resources consumed, a better measure might be to look at the rate of increase/decrease of deaths on a daily level and use that change as a predictor in estimating health resources consumed.

These are just some thoughts from one practitioner recognizing that there is no tried and true answer since there is no real precedent here except perhaps to a very mild extent, the SARS virus of 2002-2004. But looking at cases reported is deeply flawed when used in any decision making. Much sounder decision making is enacted using reported deaths and more importantly, the change in deaths from day to day.

RICHARD BOIRE is president of Boire Analytics in Toronto. foundationmag.ca

FUNDRAISING

Unlock the Potential of Your Existing Donor Base During an Unprecedented Time

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BY ALLEN DAVIDOV

uring an economic downturn or in an unprecedented time such as COVID-19, the desire for immediate action and results is putting a lot of pressure on the not-for-profit sector. No different than it is on many small businesses across the country. Especially when many are struggling to keep their doors open or put contingency plans in place for these unchartered waters.

As our reality continues to change by what seems minute-byminute, the increasing pressure to rethink previously laid out plans and attract donations in new and innovated ways is also getting louder.

Whether you are a major gift officer or an annual giving lead, you are being asked to rethink where your priorities should be in a matter of days, with the aim that your goal would be unchanged, or as close to what it was originally set as.

Being in the charitable sector for nearly 15 years, I have experienced the pressure to deliver up to the moment gifts. Now, having worked alongside hundreds of not-for-profit clients in my role here at Environics Analytics, I can see just how difficult the situation for many truly is.

The push for immediate results puts pressure on everyone and comes at the expense of retaining and stewarding the organization’s existing donor base properly in many cases. While the acquisition mindset will only become fiercely competitive and taxing on charities.

Focus on your best prospects Regardless of the economic environment, large charities will still have dedicated teams to help them make smart decisions to keep their donors engaged and navigate these difficult waters. Whereas smaller organizations with fewer resources will only increasingly be dependant on their wits and tenacity to connect with supporters. But to reach the next level, wits and determination alone will only get these smaller organizations so far. Imagine what can be accomplished if they were able to channel all of their energy on the right existing foundationmag.ca

donors, considering their capacity to give, cause engagement and donation history.

During economic downturns, organizations, specifically smaller and mid-sized charities, need data-driven solutions that will fit their decreased budgets and provide actionable insights to address the needs of fundraisers. DonorRank fills that need.

A new and innovative proprietary scoring system, DonorRank puts the advanced data and analytical tools used by many larger organizations into the hands of small- to mid-sized organizations. The customizable scoring system, which utilizes third-party privacy-friendly data, offers charities a cost-effective way to mine their existing supporters and can help organizations with as little as a few hundred donors.

Powerful and easy to use While data and analytics can often be complicated and intimidating, what you need to look for are tools which are simple to understand and easy to use.

What you’ll get are insightful views of your new supporters and that leads to more comprehensive look at their wealth and psychographic data to allow you to guide the creation of the best plan for everyone.

By getting a deeper understanding of your new supporters, you can refocus efforts on building those critical relationships and maximize opportunities before starting additional expensive acquisition programs. We all know that the best prospects for mid-size and large gifts are found from within the existing donors.

With the outlook for the Canadian economy now much blurrier than it was merely weeks ago, and it being projected on a daily or weekly bases, this is a great time to pause and evolve the decision-making process to ensure your organizations shorter-term goals are possible, while longer-term priorities do not get lost.

ALLEN DAVIDOV leads Environics Analytics’ Not-For-Profit Practice. He has more than 15 years of experience helping charities of all sizes use #DataForGood to achieve their fundraising goals.

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Reach marketers & financial executives Our magazines are must-reads for key executives in core corporate competencies.

Can you help our readers: • Create a strong financial structure and healthy economic ecosystem to ensure capital and cash flow keep their engines running?

• Determine who their customers should be, how they can reach them most effectively, and how they can turn data-driven marketing into profitable sales?

• Build efficient and effective financial systems to enhance payments and billings between their companies and their customers and vendors?

• Convert all the data and information they collect from every contact point into tangible benefits that increase revenue and reduce costs?

• Equip their companies with the tools, technology, systems and hardware needed to manage their operations, to create new services or products, and deliver them to their market?

• Manage their customers with smoothly functioning support departments that are properly staffed and equipped to solve problems, foster loyalty and retain customers?

• Make any or every step in that chain better, faster, cheaper, and more profitable?

We can help you tap into the ecosystem at the points that will drive your campaigns.

To advertise or get more information and media kits:

Steve Lloyd 905-201-6600 ext 225 | 1-800-668-1838 | steve@dmn.ca Visit our websites:

DM Magazine, www.dmn.ca

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Total Finance magazine, www.totalfinance.ca

HISTORICAL PLAQUES

STEVE LLOYD

Historic Plaques Which Honour Philanthropy

Robert Alexander Laidlaw 1886-1976

STEVE LLOYD

STEVE LLOYD

The Town of Georgina, Ontario. At Roches Point.

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A prominent Ontario businessman and philanthropist, Robert Laidlaw is best remembered for his philanthropic work. He made major contributions to leading health care, educational and cultural institutions, including the Hospital for Sick Children, Upper Canada College, the University of Toronto, the National Ballet School and the National Ballet of Canada, and was revered for his generosity. In 1949, Laidlaw, a quiet, modest man despite his many accomplishments, helped establish the Laidlaw Foundation, thus ensuring the continuation of his philanthropic efforts. He was born in Barrie and raised and educated in Toronto. He joined his father’s firm, the R. Laidlaw Lumber Company Limited following his graduation in 1908, and during a long and successful business career, served it and other important Canadian corporations.

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CHAPTERS REPORT AFP New Brunswick Chapter

A Maritime AFP Chapter Seeks to Eradicate the Fundraising Ick-Factor

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BY CHRISTINE GILLILAND

aise your hand if you think fundraising is icky.”

Every one of the nonprofit board members lowered their eyes and

raised their hands.

“It’s okay. You’re not alone,” I assured. “I’m here to show you how to put the fun in fundraising.” Thankfully, someone chuckled at my groan-inducing pun.

I led the group through a Fundraising 101 presentation. We reviewed the operational tools needed for fundraising success and I stressed the importance of a compelling case for support.

Heads nodded. A few people scribbled notes.

But when I brought up a culture of philanthropy, heads raised and cocked to the side a bit. A culture of what?

“How many of you donate to charities?” All hands went up.

“Wow! Thank you. We are so lucky to have generous folks like you in our community. And you’re giving of your time and talents by serving on this board, too. Thank you for the work you’re doing at this very moment to ensure the success of this organization!”

Everyone smiled. Shoulders relaxed.

“It feels good to be appreciated for your generosity, doesn’t it?”

“That’s how a culture of philanthropy feels. Supporters feel appreciated. They hear stories about the meaningful results made possible because of their gifts. As a donor, you feel good when you give your gift. You feel great when you hear your gifts are making a difference. It made me feel happy to show you appreciation. When your nonprofit adopts a culture of philanthropy, everyone in the organization embraces their role in the fundraising process. Everyone understands it’s their job to help donors feel the full joy that comes with giving.”

We talked more about our experiences as donors — the good, the bad, and the ugly. We reflected on the difference between organizational-centred fundraising that focuses on brand and image building versus donor-centred fundraising that makes your donor the hero of the story. By the end of the presentation, the board members were shouting out ideas and eager to support the organization’s fundraising efforts.

Fundraising wasn’t icky anymore. The board stopped seeing fundraising as transactional and started thinking of it as 40

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transformational.

This is what we envision for every nonprofit and charity in New Brunswick!

As directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals New Brunswick Chapter, we strive to help our nonprofit leaders develop their knowledge and skillsets. Our goal is to help nonprofits efficiently and ethically raise the money they need to deliver on their mission and provide the best possible service to our community. It’s our hope that our efforts as a professional association will lead to stronger outcomes and healthier communities.

We’re a small chapter, and still relatively young (we formed in 2015). As an all-volunteer leadership team, it can be a challenge to keep up with the many great ideas we want to implement. Still, we’re dedicated to providing our members and our nonprofit community with valuable professional development and networking opportunities to help meet the needs of fundraisers at all levels.

We work to open the door for new ways of thinking about fundraising. We encourage our nonprofits and charities to show donors the love they deserve. We celebrate fundraising as a profession. And we’re determined to eradicate the ick-factor from fundraising forever!

To find out more about our chapter and all the resources available to AFP members, visit our website at www.afpnb.org.

CHRISTINE GILLILAND is a freelance writer and communications consultant with a keen interest in community and nonprofit development. She serves on the Board of the AFP New Brunswick Chapter, where she’s eager to share her knowledge and help organizations cultivate their roots and grow their wings. foundationmag.ca

CHAPTERS REPORT AFP Newfoundland & Labrador Chapter

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BY CHRISTINE MORGAN

ike all chapters, the Newfoundland & Labrador group is used to running various monthly professional development sessions and more in depth courses but the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has brought us to a situation that no one could have ever imagined. Health and safety of our members and the members of our community are paramount. For this reason, AFP NL Chapter canceled all upcoming in-person Professional Development sessions until further notice. The group managed to stage their January and February learning sessions before the lock downs came into effect and in January 2020 hosted the AFP Fundamentals of Fundraising 2-day course. This was an amazing success with 47 graduates representing 23 local organizations. This was the first time our chapter was in a position to offer this course locally.

The chapter have been providing resources to help members during these unprecedented times as well as looking into options for online learning opportunities in the upcoming weeks. In the meantime, AFP NL Members can still access the AFP Global Community (afpglobal.org), with articles, resources and webinars and many opportunities for online learning.

One of the chapter’s major events has been the annual awards program held in conjunction with National Philanthropy Day in November. Last year’s event took place on November 15 as AFP NL honored outstanding philanthropic achievement in Newfoundland and Labrador during a breakfast at Manuels River Hibernia Interpretation Centre and was sponsored by Bell Aliant.

The 2019 Spirit of Philanthropy Award Recipients were: Outstanding Philanthropist Award - Karl Smith; Spirit of Philanthropy Award (Group) - Gander Goodwill; Outstanding Fundraising Volunteer Award (Individual) - Mark MacLeod; Outstanding Special Event - The Tickle Swim for Mental Health; Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist Award - The Public Service Credit Union; Outstanding Fundraising Executive Christine Morgan, Ronald McDonald House; and Rising Star Award - Laura Ivany, Stella’s Circle.

These are challenging times for us all, but the strength and resilience of our NL spirit is stronger than ever.

CHRISTINE MORGAN, bCRE, is Director, Development & Communications, Ronald McDonald House Charities ® Newfoundland and Labrador

AFP Nova Scotia Chapter

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BY ALISON CLEMENTS

ike many around the world, Atlantic Canadians are sitting at home with the same thought on their mind — we didn’t see this coming! If you asked any of us what we would be doing this spring many of us would have been thinking about our spring fundraisers not a world of self-isolation and quarantine.

The Association for Fundraising Professionals Nova Scotia Chapter has been making every effort to be responsive and helpful to our fellow fundraisers since COVID-19 crisis began.

For many in our Chapter their world changed completely, this was their first foray into working from home, job priorities had to shift, events were cancelled and some were unfortunately laid off.

Our chapter itself was not immune to the changes, we cancelled all of our in-person events for the year and had to face the difficult decision of postponing our Maritime Fundraising Conference.

But as the Maritimers we are, we faced the storm of uncertainty head on. AFP Nova Scotia rallied our team and arranged town halls and virtual “brown bag” lunches to supply our members with tools to help them work through the current fundraising atmosphere.

We also take a half hour on Friday afternoons to check in on foundationmag.ca

AFP Nova Scotia Chapter

our members because (spoiler alert!) we do need to take a break from talking fundraising! It’s a chance for our colleagues to pull up a chair to a virtual kitchen table and join other development professionals to talk about their week.

Another exciting new venture will be our inaugural “AFPNS Professional Awards — the stay the blazes home edition”.

This will take place immediately after our first virtual AGM, June 9th at 11:30am. Please take a few moments to consider nominating a colleague or not-for-profit partner. Although virtual this year, we hope to incorporate them in-person at our 2021 Maritime Fundraising Conference.

A global pandemic may have tossed our regular day to days upside down but the goal of AFP Nova Scotia is to help our members, educate them, and help us all return to our donors and colleagues, better than ever.

ALISON CLEMENTS is Co-Chair, Maritime Fundraising Conference and Co-Chair, Communications and Marketing. She works as Development Officer for Health Services Foundation of the South Shore.

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COMMENT

Good Donor Relation Management in a Crisis is Paramount

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BY COLIN TAYLOR

pproaching day 80 of the COVID-19 shutdown, there has been a lot of discussion around what COVID-19 has done to our society, our economy, our elderly and; if you live in my little corner of the world; our customer experiences and contact centers.

Contact centers for many organizations could not stop operating, so they pivoted to a Work-From-Home (WFH) model, deployed additional communication channels (think chat, text and messaging) and looked for highvolume, low-complexity tasks that they could automate.

As we are starting to see the economy open up again and people returning to their offices, one of the biggest question for contact center operators is “What will my contact center look like in 6-12 months?”. Without a crystal ball the answer cannot be known with absolute certainty, but we can make an educated guess. The question actually infers two other related questions: first, “What is the future for my ‘bricks and mortar’ center?”, and second, “How will we operate WFH gong forward?”.

So, lets answer these two questions first as they will inform the “What will my center look like” question.

The medical experts have told us that without a vaccine or effective treatment, 42

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we need to get used to social or physical distancing as these practices will help us to keep the virus at bay. So, if we look at our contact centers, we will typically see rows of workstations set up back-to-back with narrow aisles in between.

Managing effective physical distancing in this environment is challenging.

Most contact center workstations are 4’ wide, though some are 5’ and even 6’ across. This means that you can’t have a person in any adjacent workstation with violating the 6-foot rule of social distancing. In typical row layout with 4- or 5-foot workstations, each agent is surrounded by five empty workstations in their row and will likely have three empty workstations on the row their back faces to ensure a minimum of six feet of distance.

When we do the math this equates to a third or less of the center seats being usable. Depending upon your layout your actual mileage may vary. But without any other calculation, we can quickly see why WFH is going to be a part of many centers’ future for some time to come.

Of course, operating your physical center with social distancing will present other challenges, including training rooms and conference rooms, as many offices will become unusable for meetings, lunch and break rooms, washrooms, locker rooms, smoking areas and even the parking lot. At the

end of the day, if you can run your bricks and mortar center at 30% of capacity you are doing well.

As we can see from the above calculations if center operators need a similar number of agents in a postCOVID-19 world as they did beforehand, then two-thirds to 70% of their agents may be work-from-home. This quick mathematical exercise aligns well with the research that Taylor Reach has completed on contact centers and their plans for Work-from-Home. In our research survey of 136 contact center operators, we found that overall just 23% of agents were work-from-home prior to the present crisis. This increased to 87% of agents being work-from home today.

When asked to estimate the percentage of their current work-from-home agents that would be work-from-home in 12 months, 9% of respondents stated that they would have more agents working from home than today, and 37% will have more than 60% of their current WFH agent count still working from home.

The research mentioned above will be published in an upcoming white paper “The Bumpy Road to Work-From-Home”.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of this white paper please send us a note.

COLIN TAYLOR is CEO & CCO (Chief Chaos Officer) of The Taylor Reach Group, Inc. foundationmag.ca