MAC Community Report - 2018

COMMUNITY REPORT 2018

BECOMING AN ANCHOR

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MESSAGE FROM ED/CHAIR

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WE ARE COMMUNITY BUILDERS

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WE ARE BUILDING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE

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WE ARE INVESTING IN OUR YOUTH

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WE ARE GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES

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WE ARE REACHING OUT TO NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS

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WE ARE CELEBRATING OUR FAITH

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FINANCIAL REPORT

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SHAPING THE NEXT 20

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OUT OF MANY WE ARE ONE

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A lighthouse symbolizes a beacon people look towards for guidance and anchor, a trusted structure representing a symbol of permanence and stability.

Likewise, MAC was envisioned to be an anchor institution for the Muslim community as it started coming of age. That vision started by charting the way to build an Islamic presence in Canada that is balanced, comprehensive, and authentic, and that is carefully woven into the fabric of Canadian society.

Over the past couple of decades, this vision has anchored MAC as the largest Muslim organization in the country with a national platform rooted by a strong presence in local communities that is fostering an authentic Canadian Islamic identity, nurturing an engaged community with a strong faith and a constructive contribution to society.

Our journey has been a rich and life-altering experience. As we reflect on this journey, there are certain moments that stand out as critical to our development and growth. Moments like opening the doors to our first center, holding our first National Convention, living through the tumultuous period post 9/11, acquiring the largest Islamic school in Mississauga (Olive Grove School), establishing the Centre Communautaire Laurentien (CCL), and the downtown center (CIIC) in Montreal, acquiring the Lassard Mall in Edmonton and establishing the MAC Community Center in 2010. It includes taking the mantle of the CNE Eid when it was fading and reviving it as a community icon by hosting it in the SkyDome and having the Premier of Ontario as a guest-of-honor.

Along the way, we invested our passion, energy and resources into creating vibrant communities, supporting families raising their children and helping youth navigate their individual paths while staying connected to their faith in meaningful and profound ways, and helping newcomers acclimatize with their new home. Central to this journey is the support of our community for this vision as expressed in the dedication of our members, volunteers and staff, as well as patrons and donors who consistently and continuously gave our vision a resounding vote of confidence by becoming part of it.

Today, we continue on the path we walked more than 20 years ago with the same resolve and purpose: to be an anchor like a lighthouse…

Lighthouses are not just stone, brick, metal, and glass. There’s a human story at every lighthouse; that’s the story I want to tell.” —Elinor DeWire (Author of Guardians of the Lights) 3

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INTRO

LIKE A LIGHTHOUSE ... BECOMING AN ANCHOR

MESSAGE FROM ED/CHAIR

“We are also grateful to our community members for their support without which none of this could have been realized.”

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INTRO

B

y the grace of Allah, as a community we have much to be grateful for. A vibrant young community with diverse education backgrounds, strong family structure, healthy population growth, and meaningful social and economic mobility. While our pioneering generations laid a very strong foundation, we have since then built on their important contributions toward building a robust presence. Similarly, as an organization, it is gratifying that our investments of the past 20 years are bearing fruit. Today, MAC is an anchor institution in many communities across the country. Our programs are appreciated and valued by the communities we serve. Most of this is achieved and celebrated in the unique MAC-way; without much self-publicity, and achieved as a result of the cumulative selfless acts of many individuals. As Goethe proclaimed; “we never know ourselves by reflection, but by action”, and our duty is dictated “by the demands of each day”. Responding to those demands has helped us to become what we are today. At the heart of our organization is a culture esteemed in our traditions and inspired by the example of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). A culture that is built around a strong work-ethic based on dedication and devotion to service. A culture that is bound together by a brotherhood/ sisterhood-ethic grounded on trust, respect and shared values. This ethic is strengthened by acts of kindness and giving of the self for the goodwill of the community.

We are also grateful to our community members for their support without which none of this could have been realized. We are them: the people who access our services, the youth who attend our after-school programs and summer camps, the families who join us at Eid festivals, the donors who generously give for the noble causes we champion, the volunteers and the dedicated staff who deliver the programs professionally and with care.

As our community grows, and the demands on our organization intensify, our capacity to respond will be put to the test both strategically and tactically. On the strategic front, we recognize that we are functioning within two strong currents: one is pushing for recognition and presence in order to contribute a strong voice in the wider Canadian society; the other is focused on identity-preservation within a mainstream reality. Ours is a path of balance and authenticity.

We believe a multicultural Canada is an important framework for building and preserving a strong Canadian Muslim identity. In building that capacity, we are continuously investing to modernize our organizational structures and program delivery tools to ensure we can meet the demands of our community as it grows in size.

Nabil Sultan

Sharaf Sharafeldin

Chair of the Board

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BECOMING AN ANCHOR INSTITUTION

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Traveler, there is no road; You make your own path as you walk.

As you walk, you make your own road. — (Antonio Machado - (1875-1939) A Spanish Poet

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t the heart of an anchoring mission is the conscious anchoring of capital, jobs and other opportunities locally. This is advanced through a process of deliberately leveraging economic power to strengthen local communities. Across North America, there is an increasing focus on the role anchor institutions play within our communities, especially after the increased mobility of capital and labour due to globalization. Consequently, anchoring becomes a viable community building endeavor and a stabilizing factor for communities in transition in the global age.

Because anchor institutions are rooted in their local communities by mission, invested capital, and relationships to customers, employees, and vendors; they have the potential to bring crucial, and measurable, benefits to local children, families, and communities.

Today, in addition to the traditional anchor institutions like universities and hospitals, many organizations and institutions such as The United Way and YMCA are gaining the status of being Anchor institutions where they are supporting the delivery of important community services and providing opportunities.

For MAC, the anchoring premise is built around rootedness in our communities, and we actualize the anchor promise by establishing community spaces, delivering programs and services needed by community members, and creating employment and volunteering opportunities.

With an integrated range of programs addressing a variety of needs from early childhood learning to senior’s loneliness, MAC is directly investing in the well-being of our community members, and in turn has a proud and trusted anchoring presence within local communities.

THE ANCHOR MISSION: A commitment to consciously apply the long-term, place-based economic power of the institution, in combination with its human and intellectual resources, to better the long-term welfare of the communities in which the institution is anchored. — (The Democracy Collaborative at the University of Maryland, The Anchor Dashboard, 2013)

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WE MAKE THE PATH BY WALKING

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s the many pioneers before us who walked on this land learned, the path toward prosperity and resiliency is made by walking it. So when ours set foot in this country they began to build their communities by gathering community members, building institutions – both brick and mortar as well as organizations–

1950

1960

First wave of pioneers hit the shores of the continent from Egypt and other Arab countries as well as the Indian Subcontinent.

1980

Pioneers had a vision for the community – order start to emerge out of the fragments, as organizations start to take form, institutions were built, and a sense of community emerged.

The vision matures into a clear imperative to establish a unique presence in North America reflective of Muslim reality in the continent and responsive to community aspirations.

REVENUE / ASSETS

2007

2010

2014

2018

($5,055)

($11,809)

($21,442)

($32,387)

$15,648

$29,918

$56,242

$77,565

All numbers are in 000’s. The first number is the value of total assets, and the second is the total revenue.

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INTRO

delivering programs to educate the young, caring for the old, and organizing the community. Equipped with their convictions and commitment to their community and faith, they labored to root the community in the fertile Canadian soil by protecting its identity and heritage.

As new generations came of age, they carried the same purposeful mission using the wisdom of our mentors as a guide, and the imagination of our visionaries as an inspiration. Today, we continue walking this path with the pursuit to create a unique Canadian Muslim identity and nurture future

1990

generations to preserve their cultural identity while helping them to thrive as a faithful community within the Canadian context. As Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin remarked that such identity can “bind us to a horizon formed by shared memory in which we can orient ourselves and give meaning to our lives”, as it ground us through “the aggregations of norms, achievements, and institutions”.

As we look back on our journey, there is much to be proud of, and there is much more walking still to be done. But we learned one valuable lesson, when there is no road, you build one by walking.

2000

The idea of MAC emerged as a dynamic national grassroots organization to enrich and deepen the unique Canadian Muslim reality and experience.

The young organization came of age and held its first national convention on early 2000, and started implementing its strategy and building its infrastructure.

2010 MAC quickly grew to expand its national reach and establish strong local presence across the country through creating vibrant community spaces, delivering educational programs, and developing unique mentorship opportunities.

ICCO Mississauga − 1997 Abraar School 2000 Masjid Toronto – Dundas 2002 Al-Huda Weekend School 2003 Kitchener Masjid 2005 Centre Communautaire Laurentien – Montreal 2006 Olive Grove School 2006 London MAC Youth Center 2008 RCIC – Windsor 2008 CIIC in Montreal 2010 Masjid Toronto – Adelaide 2010 MAC Islamic Center – Edmonton 2010

Secondary Abraar School 2011 ICW – Waterloo 2011 Masjid Aisha – Guelph 2011 Maple Grove School 2013 MAC Islamic School – Edmonton 2013 MAC Islamic Center in Vancouver 2013 MICV in Verdun 2013 Cold Lake Mosque 2013 Al-Salam Center – Calgary 2015 Al-Furqan School – Ottawa 2015 Al-Otrojah Quran School 2016 Niagara Islamic School (JK- 8) 2016 MAC Islamic School – Calgary 2017

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ANCHOR DASHBOARD

INVESTMENTS

OVERVIEW

CAPITAL ASSETS

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$65,900

Chapters

16 Centres

UPGRADES / RENOS

4 Childcare & Early Education

9 Full-Time Schools

SUPPORTING CHARITIES

$488

20 Part-Time Schools

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$3,952

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INTRO

In 2013, the Democracy Collaborative published the Anchor Dashboard in order to support achieving the anchor promise and present a framework for major outcomes. It identified 12 critical areas where anchor institutions can play an effective role .

In Mowat Center and Atkinson Foundation study, few instructive examples provided as strategies for building an anchor mission. These included directing a greater percentage of purchasing power toward local vendors, hiring a greater percentage of the workforce locally, providing workforce training for people needing assistance in the community, incubating the development of social enterprises as well as nonprofits, for leveraging capital assets to promote value for the community.

The following are some of the measures we are tracking of the MAC Anchor Dashboard:

OUTCOMES

(ALL FIGURES IN ‘000’S) DIRECT PROGRAM DELIVERY

PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES

$21,259

14,600

HELPING THE NEEDY (ZAKAT TO PEOPLE)

VOLUNTEERING HOURS

$113

56,700

406 PEOPLE

PROGRAM HOURS

GOODS AND SERVICES

27,250

$5,764 11

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ANCHORING BY

INVESTING INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITIES: •

Building responsive infrastructure to support the spiritual and social needs of the community.

•

Providing opportunities for children to learn and grow in safe and stimulating environments.

•

Creating healthy spaces for healthy engagements

•

Amplifying impact by strategic partnership within the community and the sector.

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ur centers and schools are the nexus points to the communities we serve and the main point of contact with the organization. We aim to create a positive environment in those spaces that are open, welcoming and safe spaces for families and members of the community to connect, work, and meaningfully engage with each other. We envision this to be a unique experience built around an evidencebased, “user-focused” service model. We look to achieve this vision through many different means such as, space remodeling and investment in their upkeep, renovation and remodeling of the spaces within them.

IN 2018, WE INVESTED IN CAPITAL ASSETS CLOSE TO

$4,000,000 RENOVATION & RETROFITTING CAPITAL ASSETS

$ 3,951,662 INVESTING IN APPROPRIATE FURNITURE & FIXTURES

$551,793 INVESTING IN UP-TO-DATE TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT/ SOFTWARE

$162,221 13

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ANCHORING BY INVESTING

CREATING COMMUNITY SPACES

COMPLETING PHASE 1 OF KITCHENER MASJID REVITALIZATION PLAN

RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF THE GROWING COMMUNITY AROUND OLIVE GROVE SCHOOL

Phase 1 of this project involves the revitalization of sections of the Kitchener Masjid Community Center. More importantly, the purpose is to create a state-of-the-art multi-purpose gymnasium, and youth facilities. Therefore, this project will involve equipping the new spaces with an efficient HVAC system, windows for natural lighting, restoration of the existing roof, as well as high quality flooring.

With a waiting list close to 2000 students, creating new spots for students is the most pressing need and preoccupies the school management plan. Starting with successful inclusion of the premises of 2270 Speakman in the Sheridan Park master plan, then the diligent work to complete the rezoning application, and the revitalization of the whole building into a modern school space.

Today, the school has close to 300 students and the high school started with Grade 9.

This work was supported by a Federal grant (Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program).

Phase 2 is a major investment which will be initiated once the financial resources are secured.

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ANCHORING BY INVESTING

EXPANDING CAPACITY AT MASJID TORONTO, ADELAIDE

A MAKEOVER FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD – RENOVATING CENTRE COMMUNAUTAIRE LAURENTIEN (CCL):

Our community in the downtown core has been growing continuously. This growth puts pressure of the spaces available for prayer and other uses. Emphasis is given to expand our downtown Masjid Toronto to support this important and growing community. This year, we completed the renovation of the acquired unit adjacent to the Adelaide masjid. With the completion of this project, the prayer space was almost doubled and hence doubled the capacity to accommodate new congregants from the growing downtown core community.

CCL continues to be a real community hub with structured programs for the whole family. Major renovation focused on increasing the accessibility of the facilities for community members with mobility needs.

We added an elevator and a ramp connecting the mosque space with the remainder of the community center facilities. The elevator was completed with the help of a Federal grant designed to enhance accessibility of community spaces.

We invested in the neighborhood by upgrading the building façade.

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ANCHORING BY BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

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ibrant communities discover how to engage in social life and use it to generate collective action to build community capacity. Those attitudes, social behaviors, connectivity and participation translate to “Social Capital”.

The term appeared for the first time in a book by Lyda Judson Hanifan in 1916, but it captured popular imagination relatively recently after the American educator Robert Putnam wrote the bestseller “Bowling Alone” in 2000. He argued that stronger communities nurture and produce a social capital that reinforces trust, norms, and networks that add to maintaining a healthy society.

Conceptually, there has been difficulty in determining a precise and unified measure to quantify social capital. To overcome this, a tremendous amount of research has gone into defining these metrics, which resulted in defining two broad themes: • Bonding Capital which measures how effective community members come together around a common agenda, and • Bridging Capital which describes connections that link people across a chasm that typically divides society (such as race, or class, or religion).

It is associations that act as a ‘bridge’ between communities, groups, or organizations. Putnam described bonding social capital as inward looking, reinforcing exclusive identities and promoting homogeneity; whereas bridging social capital as outward looking, promoting links between diverse individuals.

Fundamentally, both types of Social Capital are important in building a strong sense of community where individuals experience a deep feeling of belonging and connectedness which is a key element in community building.

As we reflect on our work through MAC chapters and institutions, much of our work is devoted towards building a strong sense of community and providing the space and opportunity to build a social capital that empowers and enables our communities to remain a cohesive and successful contributor in society

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ANCHORING BY BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

V

BUILDING

STRONG & COHESIVE COMMUNITIES CELEBRATING

HELPING

DAILY PRAYERS

80,000

11,000

1,040

community members offer their Jumma prayers

celebrating their faith

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community members connected through daily prayers

64%

69%

The center allows me to connect to the community & build strong social bonds.

The center is committed to building up a sense of community among its patrons

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Creating opportunities for families and friends to connect and socialize is an important way to support and help community members deal with the problems associated with loneliness, as loneliness is becoming a growing problem. Indeed, Statistics Canada released new information from the 2016 census suggesting that about â…“ of the number of Canadian households have only one person living in them. There is a sizeable body of research identifying the negative impact of loneliness on health outcomes, and warning that is becoming another silent killer. In a recent meta-analysis (statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies), researchers estimated that loneliness and lack of social connections poses similar risk factor for early death as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. More alarmingly, this constitutes a greater risk than such lifestyle risk factors such as obesity and lack of exercise. Therefore, loneliness does exact grave toll on society. This is why building social capital via bonding can play a key role in addressing the negative impacts of loneliness.

AC is committed to the principle that stronger communities are built when people living in those communities can interact and participate in quality programs that meet their social, spiritual, cultural and recreational needs.

MAC Institutions are built to become the centers of the community.

A community space where children feel as welcomed as adults, where people from different walks of life come together to connect with their communities – through joining a program, attending a service, or volunteering their skills and time to support any of the programs.

HOSTING

SERVING

PROVIDING

4,100

10,000

18,500

Ramadan programs

iftar meals

77%

in other social, educational & recreational programs

79%

The center is kid-friendly

The center is sisters-friendly

83% The center is family-friendly

Note: the percentage is the sum of the ratio of respondents who selected strongly agree (level 5) or agree (level 4) in the survey question.

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ANCHORING BY BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

WHY THIS MATTERS?

INVESTING IN OUR SENIORS

CREATING A UNIQUE PROGRAM HELPING SENIORS OVERCOME BARRIERS The results of the project point to a need for “safe spaces” for visible minorities to help them boost their physical activity.”

— Jordana Salma 20

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he Muslim community is among the youngest in Canada with an average age of 28 years as compared to the national average of 37 years. Another sign of its youthfulness is that the second-generation average age is only 8 years old. Because of these factors, it is very difficult for senior programs to gain traction and compete with other pressing needs of a young and growing community.

Notwithstanding this, culturally sensitive programs that meet their needs are essential for enhancing the quality of life for our seniors. In a recent study by the National Seniors Council conducted in 2014, many barriers were identified that limit accessibility for programs and hence increase social isolation among the senior population. Cultural barriers increase the risk among older immigrant seniors with language barriers having been identified as preventing participation of seniors. Further, technology was viewed as a tool that increases connectivity and participation in activities.

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One feature of this program is providing a healthy hot meal each week. Healthy food and strong relationships provide a great source of enjoyment and happiness for our seniors. Each session started with “Sit and Be Fit” exercises and stretches, followed by informative talks on the topic of nutrition and diets to

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manage chronic diseases and illnesses. Seniors are encouraged to incorporate these simple yet effective exercises into their daily activities, when sitting to watch TV, for example.

Talks were also delivered by expert speakers on health and wellbeing, lifestyle changes and pain management. Seniors were encouraged to purchase an MS Office Pro (small IBM tablet) from the United Way’s In Kind Store, and young volunteers helped the seniors participants set up email accounts, browse the web, and use Skype.

This program is supported by a grant from New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP).

ANCHORING BY BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

MAC piloted a seniors program in our Edmonton Islamic Center. Envisioned to helping seniors overcome isolation due to language and cultural or religious barriers, we collaborated with the University of Alberta to design a versatile, culturally-appropriate recreational program that encourages seniors to be active and engaged in managing their own health and wellness. The goal of this program was centered around improving the quality of life of seniors by providing socializing opportunities, an improved diet, and providing support for their medical needs by helping them manage chronic illnesses, and their state of mental health and wellness.

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BUILDING STRONG BONDS WITH OUR COMMUNITY

41% CLOSE TO MY HOME OR WORK

37% WELCOMING & OPEN

33% INCLUSIVE, FAMILY ORIENTED & FAMILY FRIENDLY

25%

30% PROGRAM QUALITY & VARIETY OF PROGRAM OPTIONS

THE SPACE LAYOUT & QUALITY OF SERVICE

SURVEY RESULTS

OVERALL SATISFACTION LEVEL WITH THE CENTERS’

These patrons Agreed

THE CENTER IS INCLUSIVE & WELCOMES PEOPLE

across gender, ethnic, racial, social, economic lines These patrons Agreed

NEVER FELT UNCOMFORTABLE OR UNWELCOME AT THE CENTER? These patrons Agreed

63% 84% 86% C

WHEN ASKED MAC PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT These patrons Agreed

77%

ommunity capacity is about welcoming hundreds of youth into safe and welcoming community spaces every week. It is providing quality options for parents to send their children to, whether it is full-time education or after-school programs. It is creating welcoming community hubs where thousands of people meet, work and engage every week. It is joining hands with friends and neighbors and looking for opportunities to make Canada a better place for all.

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ANCHORING BY BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

WHY DO THEY COME TO A MAC CENTER?

FROM AN ABANDONED MALL TO A

COMMUNITY HUB

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n one of MAC’s first major undertakings in Alberta, the local Edmonton Chapter established a centre for the growing Muslim community in the West and Southwest part of the city. During the search period for potential sites, a realtor from the local community proposed a nearly-vacant strip mall for sale; however, he was not fully convinced that the local chapter could deliver on such a huge undertaking. Commonly known in the neighborhood as the Lessard Mall, the property was located in the upscale Callingwood neighborhood in the West side of the city. It was a rundown building in dire need of revitalization, but this was not the biggest problem facing the Edmonton Chapter and the community.

Against many odds, the organization secured a signed purchase deal and started reaching out to community members to secure the down payment. As word got out, various problems emerged. A group started a petition opposing the sale under the pretext that the traffic will increase to an unmanageable level. The petition grew to become a confrontation. Paula Simons from The Edmonton Journal wrote that this opposition is not about traffic, but rather “Outspoken Neighbors Could be Harboring Lingering Islamophobia”. One resident wrote on a community bulletin board, “I hope the residents of Lessard will welcome this unique development, which has the potential to breathe new life into a tired corner of this city.”

It was a befitting opening when the MAC Islamic Centre (MIC) opened their doors and welcomed

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the community on Canada Day. Unfortunately, few came, and as one resident, David Mulder, who lived in a duplex just behind the mosque, said, “It is a shame more people in this community didn’t come out to celebrate the opening on Canada Day.” Soon, a revitalization plan was devised. A section of the building was converted to a place of worship (musalla), and as the community grew, more space was renovated and more services were introduced.

Slowly but surely, businesses came back to the old mall – today, eight thriving local businesses are leased on premises in the centre, and investing in the local economy. With youth programming, community gatherings, and even an opportunity to try out different foods, the place is buzzing with activities every day.

Today, the MIC is truly a community hub providing a space for everyone to connect, socialize, and give back to the community. With an emphasis on cooperation and community support, the centre continues to share its resources and leverage its networks to amplify its positive impact in the neighborhood.

MIC is an anchor for the Muslim community in Edmonton – a vision turned into reality, when many thought it is impossible.

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ANCHORING BY BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

I

WORKING TOGETHER TO

STRENGTHEN OUR I

n order to build collaboration, strengthen impact, share knowledge and exchange information, MAC is reaching out to many organizations to engage individuals and bridge divides. These initiatives help in building and consolidating our social capital, while building strong communities and neighborhoods in the process. Our work focuses on four main areas: • Connecting and collaborating with local organizations • Reaching out to Interfaith leaders and institutions • Supporting local vendors • Joining advocacy

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ANCHORING BY BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

COMMUNITIES From joining the inter-faith vigil for the missing child named Ariel in Montreal, to participating in the vigil in memory of the massacre of Quebec at the Metro Park, to celebrating the Gray Cup with the Champion Edmonton Eskimos; MAC is connecting to local and national stories and becoming an important voice that enriches those narratives. Through this work we ensure a more inclusive and richer Canadian society that can be vibrant, diverse, and strong. The following highlights some of the work we have done during the year:

Any decent society must generate a feeling of community. Community offsets loneliness. It gives people a vitally necessary sense of belonging.� — (The futurist Alvin Toffler) 27

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BECOMING THE COMMUNITY MEETING PLACE

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AC strives to become a meeting place for community leaders and a space where the community organizations can convene important meetings and discuss critical issues of concern for the health of the community. In Vancouver, MAC spearheaded the Prayer timetable coordination for metro Vancouver bringing together most major Islamic organizations to cooperate in a common cause. Over a dozen Muslim organizations held five sessions at the MAC Centre in their attempt to reach a unified prayer timetable agreement for the Metro Vancouver area, which had been an ongoing issue in Vancouver for years.

The Calgary chapter hosted important community conversations – including the organization of 2 meetings with 24 organizations in attendance.

In Edmonton, the chapter hosted a round table conversation between the Muslim community and the provincial government.

In Montreal, the Centre Communautaire Laurentien (CCL) is a hub that connects and supports various 28

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organizations by means of facilitating meetings, partnering with organizations that provide targeted services to specific demographics. For example, supported CLIC (a grouping of community centers which includes NGOs in the neighborhood) that work to meet with the city to discuss priorities for our neighborhood, worked with Des Filles et Des Ailes which is an organization that provides moral support for teenagers (especially girls). Doctors without Borders is an organization that provides support and conducts studies on individuals not covered by regular medical insurance. MAC has supported the work of many NGO’s working in the greater Montreal area to support the Syrian and other refugees. There are non-Muslim organizations such as the Third Avenue that provides support to parents and youth (teenagers) in schools which MAC collaborated with last year to present 2 workshops (relation between parents and school and intimidation in schools). They recently created a short yet informative video regarding Quebec Bill-21 and its effect on the youth.

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cross the country, MAC Chapters participate in many programs and initiatives with other diverse faith communities. In Edmonton, our MAC Center is an active participant in Edmonton McClung Interfaith Council. It is convened by the local MLA (member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta) which included faith leaders from the Beth Israel Synagogue, Good Shepherd Church, Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Our Savior Lutheran Church, in addition to our center. Other interfaith meetings are the Annual City Hall Exhibition for “Celebrate our Faiths”, and the “Common Word Alberta”, as well as participating and presenting at the NAIN 2018 (North American Interfaith Network) Conference.

MAC partnered with The Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton with the aim of building bridges of shared understandings between both communities for a better city and better Canada. Archbishop Smith hosted a gathering of Muslim leaders at his home following the January 2017 shootings at a Quebec

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mosque, as a reminder of their shared values and trust.

In Toronto, Masjid Toronto has established a partnership with a neighborhood church (St. Stephen-in-the-fields Church) in which a joint lunch program is organized. Sixty people are served lunch in a community setting where people break bread together and share a conversation.

Likewise in Montreal, the Centre Communautaire Laurentien (CCL) is partnering with the Old Brewery Mission / La Corbeille on the annual campaign to feed the homeless and served more than 800 hot meals for the homeless.

Inter-faith visitations: exchange of visitations between our center and the Church of Notre Dame and Synagogues in Montreal. Student visitations to Masjid Toronto.

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ANCHORING BY BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

UNITED BY FAITH & THE COMMON GOOD

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ENGAGING OUR

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e worked on many initiatives across many of our chapters helping local organizations and communities deliver on their mandates. In Edmonton, we worked with the Callingwood Lymburn Community League (a group of volunteer community members who provide different social and cultural opportunities for residents of all ages while promoting a sense of community within the neighbourhood) and participated in the Callingwood Winter and Spring Festivals, the Kites-over-Callingwood, and the 150th Canada Day Carnival. Our local center was an active participant in the Neighborhood Engagement Program led by the City of Edmonton’s Recreational Department.

In Ottawa, our students from Al-Furqan School participated in the city’s annual Tulip Festival by decorating a giant tulip that was displayed around the city during the Festival. Students created a beautiful work of art to enhance the beauty of our city and educate the public about the beauty and history of Egypt. Students were on duty when the young Muslim Hasan Syed who ran from Vancouver to Ottawa reached his destination of Ottawa. He started this journey with the purpose of raising awareness about lack of clean water on Indigenous reserves. Our Grade 7 and 8 students went with him to Parliament Hill where he completed his journey.

He was also received by numerous Indigenous groups.

Our students also take the Prophetic teachings to heart and started to share the spirit of the

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holy month of “Ramadan” with neighbours by delivering symbolic Ramadan gift packages to almost 100 houses and two churches around Abraar School. One neighbor was moved by the gesture, she even wrote back to the school quoting the Bible: “As I reflected on their actions, my lesson of the day came to mind, and I saw that it took much more than courage––it took love! Here’s my lesson: The Holy Spirit takes each gift of love I offer and makes of it a potent force for peace, a source of healing for everyone, a light unto the world. (Based on T-22.VIII)”.

This was a powerful reminder of how close our Prophetic traditions are, and how powerful acts of human touch can be.

In Mississauga; our school staff was joined by Ms. Celia Johnston from Tree Canada and Shaw Communications volunteers to plant 125 trees. MAC also participated in the annual Mayor Crombie’s Food Drive Challenge, led an Eid Toy Drive for the SickKids Hospital, were part of the Hats & Mitts Campaign to support the homeless population, and we are continuing our efforts to support the One Million Trees – tree planting campaign in Mississauga.

In Waterloo, our zoning application for the Islamic Center of Waterloo was successful after a lengthy battle that involved much misinformation and fear with Islamophobic overtones. The bright side to this campaign was the support from the wider community and the allies we formed in the process.

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ANCHORING BY BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

NEIGHBORS

JOINING THE

WIDER CONVERSATION W

e live in vibrant communities with great civic engagement and as an organization, we feel it is important to plug into these valuable conversations.

From mental health to poverty reduction, to community engagement, our voice needs to be heard and add depth to those conversations.

In Edmonton, our chapter worked diligently with the community and liaised with the provincial government to secure the proclamation of October as the provincial “Islamic History Month�. This was announced in an official celebration at the Federal Building. We also facilitated the creation of round-table conversations with Premier Notley government and the community. This provided a forum to share the community concerns with the premier and to open opportunities for access to government services and programs.

We welcomed the Grey Cup Champions, the Edmonton Eskimos to our school in Edmonton. The

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Grey cup carries a 110 years legacy, and the trophy itself has had a storied past, enduring fire, theft and damage. Students and staff were excited to welcome the champions to their school.

In Mississauga, MAC OGS School joined over 2700 schools participating in Student Vote Ontario, an initiative by CIVIX (a non-partisan, national charity dedicated to building the skills and habits of active and engaged citizenship among young Canadians). Students experienced the election process first hand by voting for Mississauga-Lakeshore riding candidates to mimic the currently running provincial election.

Our Waterloo Chapter also joined the city-wide CANstruction Food drive initiative, and the MS Walk in Waterloo, and the annual Park Clean-up at Old Oak Park. Our chapters in Montreal and Calgary organized Blood Drives to support Blood Services.

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Mayor Iveson, the Mayor of Edmonton, visited our students at MAC Islamic School.

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Mayor Wilson, the Mayor of Ottawa, and various city councilors, representatives from the police and fire department and individuals from different professional backgrounds were welcome to Abraar School during our Community Day. They spoke to students about their respective careers.

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Mayor Vrbanovic and Mayor Jaworsky, of Kitchener and Waterloo, respectively, joined our chapter in Waterloo to participate in our open house event.

ANCHORING BY BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

Across some chapters, we were involved in various conversations with the mayors of our respective cities.

For example:

INVESTING IN OUR YOUTH TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL

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M

AC strategies for youth development were built to provide accessible personal growth opportunities through:

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

PROVIDING A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR

INITIATIVES

DEVELOPING CAPABLE & RESPONSIBLE YOUNG CITIZENS

PROMOTING

PROVIDING YOUTH WITH

ACTIVE LIVING AMONG YOUTH

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE

At the heart of MAC’s vision is a simple but profound belief which is: for change to occur in the world around us, it must first occur within each of us individually.

This principle is eloquently mentioned in these words of the Qur’an: “Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change that which is within them”.

So, the fundamental tenet of our development model is the individual who is self-aware and constantly striving for self-development. Subsequently, at the heart of our “theory of change” is character development through education so that there is enough leadership capacity within the community to sustain its growth and resiliency. This is fundamentally how we anchor the community’s future. It starts from the school grade age and continues into adulthood.

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ANCHORING THE FUTURE TODAY

PROMOTING

FOSTERING YOUTH LEADERSHIP BY

GIVING OUR

CHILDREN A HEAD START C

onfident, strong, healthy children are the cornerstone for a bright and prosperous future. Built around an integrated educational model at the school and beyond, our programs create many growth opportunities.

Providing parents with excellent educational alternatives is paramount. It is fundamentally important that parents have as much ability to choose the path in the education of their children.

We take this very seriously and over the years we structured many options for parents to choose from. Through enhanced curriculum and out-of-school opportunities, students are offered: • Enhance academic achievement.

• An environment where they can develop attitudes and behaviors for healthy and active living through exploring various recreational and athletic opportunities.

• Opportunities to develop artistic and creative talents through experimenting with many arts media, and comprehensive exposure to science, technology, and the world at work.

In 2018, we expanded our offerings • Added grade 11 to Abraar Secondary school in Ottawa.

• Started high school program in OGS in Mississauga by offering credit courses for Grade 9.

• The MAC Islamic school in Calgary expanded its program until Grade 3 (adding in the process grades (1, 2, 3).

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DASHBOARD

FULL–TIME SCHOOLS

EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING

QURANIC PROGRAMS

WEEKEND SCHOOLS

2,083

206

2,108

4,005

Students

Children

MY CHILD’S SCHOOL IS INCLUSIVE & WELCOMING

MY CHILD IS SAFE AT SCHOOL

towards people across gender, ethnic, racial, social, economic & political lines strongly agreed/ agreed

strongly agreed/ agreed

THE PROGRAM IS POSITIVELY IMPACTING MY FAMILY DAILY LIFE

ISLAMIC PROGRAM BENEFITED MY CHILD

strongly agreed/ agreed

strongly agreed/ agreed

We can foster children’s resilience by focusing on positive relationships, experiences and inner strengths such as values, skills and commitments. We can create a strong sense of belonging at home, in school and in communities; build on children’s strengths and competency; and encourage their autonomy and ability to make decisions that will enhance their health and well-being” — (No time to wait - Healthy kids Strategy, 2013 – Ontario Ministry of Health.)

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ANCHORING THE FUTURE TODAY

For parents of younger children who are enrolled in the Pre-school programs, it was the impact of the program on their family’s daily lives. They reported that;

ENRICHED CURRICULUM

iRISE TO PLEASE ALLAH I

ntegrating foundational Islamic values and principles is an important stream for enriching our school curricula, and it is one of the critical drivers for attaining our community development outcomes. This is being developed under the iRise Initiative.

In 2018, we completed important building blocks in this initiative. We completed year 1 and 2 of resource development and teacher’s guides for grades 4-6, and Completed year 1 of resource development and teacher’s guides for grades 1-3 and 7-9, and the educational aids that supplement them.

Along with the resource development stream, the team completed phase one of the implementation in the MAC OGS school for grades 4-6 (about 180 students). We conducted the iRise Fairs which showcased some of the project’s students worked on to live Islam in their environments. We’ve started phase 2 which involves grades 7-9. Starting this school year, MAC Olive Grove School – MAC Maple Grove School – MAC Al-Furqan Scarborough – Two schools will start this school-year: MAC Abraar School and Edmonton MIS.

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TRAINED WORKSHOP FACILITATORS TO DELIVER WORKSHOP

TRAINED SCHOOL COORDINATORS

COMPLETED DETAILED TEACHER TRAINING

DEVELOPED TEACHER TRAINING VIDEOS

CLASSES ADOPTING THE PROGRAM

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30 3 60 20 23

My child’s school experience has positively impacted their understanding and relationship with Allah SWT

CHARACTER BUILDING AT A YOUNGER AGE

My child’s school experience has helped my child develop a strong character

School is helping him/her develop a strong Islamic identity

The primary outcome of education is the cultivation of character and intellect. Parents indicated that the full-time program has an impact on the character development of their children.

Specifically; when asked; (see charts on right)

The relationship with Allah is stronger for him/her

WHEN STUDENTS WERE ASKED

47% 46% 46% 44% 38%

MY SCHOOL IS PREPARING ME TO BE

A GOOD MUSLIM

76% strongly agree or agree

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STRESSED COMFORTABLE HAPPY SAFE SMART

ANCHORING THE FUTURE TODAY

School is helping him/her to live Islam

FROM FIGHTING STIGMA

TO CREATING SAFE SPACES O

ne of the major challenges facing our society is mental health. According to CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association), in any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness, and 49% of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem, and the stigma attached to mental illnesses presents a serious barrier.

What started as a simple project to reduce this stigma about mental illness has become a multi layered initiative to develop culturally-sensitive safe spaces for students, staff and extend it to the family and community. Because of the large number of programs the organization runs across its chapters, this initiative was piloted at the largest school we operate. The school provides a good cross section of the communities we serve.

WHAT WAS DELIVERED? Number of Student Workshops = 15 Number of Staff Workshops = 9 Number of Parent Workshops = 5 This included: • Mental health literacy training; incorporation of Mindfulness activities; Mental Health First Aid workshop (delivered by Mental Health Commission of Canada), and Cyber safety and bullying prevention education (Peel police outreach program).

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• Building understanding through family engagement through conducting mental health seminars: Organized Annual Mental Health and Wellness Expo to increase awareness, reduce stigma and connect families with service providers (about 200 – 300 families visit the Expo annually).

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED • Mental Health is a continuum whose effects are felt before diagnosed. It knows no age and is not always preceded with prior notice.

The best defense is to know how to identify it and provide support to those who need it. Students reported the following mental health challenges: anxiety, stress, depression, social isolation, self-identity, low self-esteem, and even suicidal ideation. Starting to build confidence early is key.

WHAT WAS ACHIEVED TO DATE • One of the key achievements is the creation of a safe space where people can open up about their daily challenges and be able to seek help and support. Secondly, building confidence around mental health so people can seek help and identify people who need help.

• In a staff survey, the following questions provided some insight on the progress to date: • 75% of our staff think that mental health initiatives run in the workplace have helped reduce stigma among students, • 85% of our staff said they feel their mental health needs are supported by the management.

• 92% feel they are provided with a safe, positive and embracing school culture.

• As we gather more data, we will adjust our educational program and we will work on expanding it to other schools and centers.

• Early identification and intervention are being used to effectively promote student mental health. Within the past year, 1400 student and 37 staff counselling sessions were reported. The leading causes to seek help were symptoms of anxiety, depression, which can lead in rare cases to self-harm.

• Mental wellness is better treated holistically.

Rootedness in faith and community is a key protective factor of mental health. Grounding in spirituality provides hope and increases resiliency. The school uses a student-focused integrated curriculum with a strong grounding on spirituality, love and mindfulness of Allah, and gratitude.

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O Allah, I take refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardice, the burden of debts and from being overpowered by men.”

— (Al-Bukhari)

ANCHORING THE FUTURE TODAY

• Education and development in the area of suicide prevention and support by delivering safeTALK training to all staff and management, as well as ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) delivered to Vice Principals and guidance counsellors which is aimed at providing initial, first stage guidance and suicide first aid to persons at risk. (Delivered by Canadian Mental Health Association Peel Dufferin).

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

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AC offers a number of unique camp experiences catering to a large segment of the youth right across the country. To date, many of these programs are run locally, and vary in their quality, appeal, and purpose.

Pedagogically, these programs are designed to promote higher-order learning through inquiry, discovery, and critical thinking through experiential approaches.

Among the camps we organized in 2018 according to their function and programs are:

ENRICH-IT CAMPS From summer day camps, to STEM-focused camps (science and technology) to overnight leadership camps, MAC offered a variety of learning experiences for the students that are enticing, engaging, and exciting throughout the year.

MAC offered day summer camps across the country at 10 locations (Olive Grove School; Maple Grove School, Windsor-RCIC, Mississauga-Al-Otrojah; 43

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Ottawa-Abraar School; Calgary - 3 locations; Edmonton--MIC; Montreal – 2 locations; Toronto Al-Furqan). Our STEM-focused camp combines fun and learning in one unforgettable experience.

Campers get to work on cool projects, engage in fun, hands-on activities, and develop real-world products and digital creations. Every Wednesday there was a field trip. Every Friday, parents were invited to our open house so that the students could show off the projects they had been working on all week. Extended care was available at additional cost.

Those who missed the summer camps got a chance to enjoy March Break camps where they could tinker with robots, 3D Printers, microcontrollers, electromotances, green screens and stop-motion animation software to build their own fantastic creations.

Older students got to enjoy leadership camp in Kettleby Valley Camp where the goal was to take on unique leadership challenges in a safe, fun, and stimulating environment.

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ANCHORING THE FUTURE TODAY

M

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ENRICH-IT AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM students in nutrition and cooking basics, and inspire them to make healthy choices.

Other programs include STEM (Science and Technology) education including Coding, and Sheltoons Cartooning. It is a coding program offered by Hatch Canada attended by students from Grades 6-8. In addition, we established a partnership with Carleton University Technology and Media Lab. As part of being a member school, we have been successful in receiving workshops for our students. The first one was a community workshop called “Pathways to Digital Literacy”.

Students in the Centre Communautaire Laurentien (CCL) were offered Chess classes by Association Echecs et Math. In total see right.

SPORTS

We provided opportunities for students to expand their exposure to the arts and provided spaces and platforms for them to express their artistic talents such as anime art, tile art, and drama. The annual Play @ the Living Arts Center in Mississauga and Oakville is a platform that takes 200 hours of practice over 20 sessions and attended by over 1800 people.

This involves script writing, artifacts and special and role-specific custom-making The after-school programs include educating students about food and nutrition to promote healthy living. COOKSMART Club is a hands-on cooking program designed to engage young

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ARTS

STEM (Science & Tech)

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15,000 7,700 participation opportunities

program hours

1,460

500

participation opportunities

program hours

1,500

200

participation opportunities

program hours

ANCHORING THE FUTURE TODAY

MAC also offers after-school programs to provide a wide range of age-appropriate opportunities from sports to cooking, live theater to coding and STEM programs. Students from different backgrounds enjoy great learning opportunities in safe and welcoming environments. For example, the sports programs are structured to teach students fundamental skills such as balance, strength, speed and agility. This includes Taekwondo and Judo programs that are offered in a number of locations including Centre Communautaire Laurentien (CCL), and Olive Grove School. An education in self-defense and life strategies: Program is taught by a certified CMAC black belt instructor. All ranks are awarded through CMAC Mississauga in affiliation with Classical Martial Arts Canada, one of Canada’s largest and longest operating organizations. Other training opportunities were provided by Monkeynastics and Junglesport which aimed at solidifying the basic movement skills at a younger age. About 15,000 participation opportunities were created and some 7700 program hours.

I N S P I R I N G YO U T H TO

GROW SPIRITUALLY &

W

e honor the legacy of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who recognized youth as significant contributors to society, by creating spaces for them and providing them with opportunities to learn and lead. Following in his footsteps, MAC supports youth throughout their journey towards adulthood by nurturing their potential through a model of development that 46

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places equal emphasis on joining community work, and fostering spiritual growth. It utilizes mentors who are engaged and capable of encouraging the development of agency, connectedness, and competence in youth.

In an effort to prepare mature and capable mentors, we ran 4 camps across the country to

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prepare mentors. We then organized a national forum for the local youth leaders from across the country with the task to develop the next generation of Muslim leaders who are strong and capable and will continue to be strong anchor for the organization further in the communities across the country for years to come. During the summer months, MAC organized four camps 47

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across the country attended by more than 200 youth.

MAC partnered with well-established organizations to build strong leadership within our youth. MAC began collaborating with Scouts Canada by establishing MAC Scouts Group-1 in Mississauga.

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ANCHORING THE FUTURE TODAY

PROFESSIONALLY

BECOMING

A SECTOR CHAMPION B

ANCHORING THE FUTURE TODAY

y 2026, Imagine Canada, a national organization working on behalf of charities, projects the sector will need an additional $25 billion to meet spiking demand for services. Demand side drivers include: our rapidly aging population; rising transitional needs among a more diverse population of immigrants and refugees; the impacts of climate change on the environment and communities and increasing demand for poverty-related services as the benefits of economic growth is concentrated in fewer hands.

In a recent study commissioned by Imagine Canada, it was argued that charities need to think beyond the bottom line synergistic relationship to deal with root causes arising from narrowly focused economic policies. Charities need to advocate growth and employment policies for which a social lens is integrated, not added on.

Good economic policy with a social lens requires a more prominent value-added role for charities — a seat at the economic policy table. Charities have a large and profound contribution to make

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sound economic policy. But history suggests that “moving the needle� on economic growth may well be extremely difficult. Accelerating economic growth will present a significant challenge to even the best designed and most aggressive economic policies.

As the sector is navigating its path in this new reality, it is critically important for MAC to contextualize our organizational capacity within this new reality of the wider non-profit sector. We need to build an organization that is able to meet the increasing demands as a result of a projected huge social deficit in Canada.

Furthermore, we want to support the sector by demonstrating our commitment to build a strong and vibrant charitable and nonprofit sector. Imagine Canada has been a strong advocate for this vision through its standards program, its groundbreaking research, and advocacy work with the various levels of government in Canada. MAC is proud to be a sector champion.

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THE FINANCIAL REPORT

BECOMING AN

ANCHOR INSTITUTION T

he summary financial information presented here is derived from our audited financial statement for the fiscal year Jan.1, 2018 – Dec. 31. 2018, which was audited

by Deloitte LLP. The financial statement was prepared in accordance with the Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations. This is a consolidated statement based on all the accounts and not reflective of any particular project. The Association has received a fully acceptable audit opinion on its financial statements consistent with that of a non-profit charitable organization.

What is important to acknowledge, though, is that the charity sector will never be like other sectors.

Fundamentally, it is driven by a sense of mission of community service and passion. Therefore, its success is never measured by improved “share prices� or by maximizing profits, not even by accumulated surpluses or increased revenue. Rather, success is expressed more in increasing capacity to develop and deliver programs, expanding reach, addressing unmet needs in the community, and leveraging resources to effectively and efficiently achieve the mandate of the organization.

However, financial sustainability is critical to secure the achievement of those outcomes mentioned above.

The suggested four pillars of financial sustainability for non-profit organizations are: (see graphic top left) For the fiscal year of 2018, our financial balance sheet remains strong. Overall, total revenue shows stable growth trends, consistent in comparison to prior years, 50

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STRATEGIC & FINANCIAL PLANNING

INCOME DIVERSIFICATION

SOUND ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE

with an increase by 6% over the 2017 fiscal year-end.

The balance of the revenue streams are dominated by program fees rather than donations making up 54% of total revenue, while donations are leveling at 31%. The balance is made up of government grants at just under 10% and other income at 5%.

The donation revenue is normally allocated to two broad streams, capital acquisition or operations.

The capital acquisition fluctuates from year to year based on demand. It comprised 35% of the total donation revenue in 2018 compared to 46% in 2016.

Likewise, the total expenditure grew by 8% from 2017 levels. However, direct program spending has increased by 5% from 2017 levels at $23.56 million dollars. Program spending is factored into three main categories: operational costs envelope which accounts for the infrastructure-related costs is 19% 51

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of the program spending, salaries and wages share is 56%, and goods and services envelope is at 23%.

The balance, which is 2%, is the amount allocated to supporting other charities. MAC spent $5.4 million dollars in 2018 on capital projects, mainly revitalization/renovation of existing spaces, and invested close to $158,000 in computer hardware & software for the advancement in technology and STEAM programs. As per the recommendations of Canadian accounting standards for not-for-profit organizations (ASNPO), an allowance for doubtful accounts was recorded for outstanding Accounts Receivable beyond 2 years, hence there was an increase from the 2017 levels. Even with these changes, the organization is maintaining a healthy current ratio at 2.42, and an operating cash flow ratio of 1.2.

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FINANCIAL REPORT

OWN INCOME GENERATION

The balance sheet is strong as it displays total assets of $77.3 million dollars with an increase of 7% from 2017 levels. The total liability is 31% and net assets valuation is at 69%. The working capital stands at $6.3 million dollars, indicating strong operational efficiency. Liabilities were managed through payment of debts, and refinancing of existing long-term facilities. Quard-Hasan (interest-free loans) payments amounted to $795,000, reducing

the Qard-Hasan payable balance from $1.1 million dollars in 2017 to $775,000 dollars. Repayment on Long-Term debt was $788,000 dollars in 2018, and while a new financing facility for $2.5 million dollars was finalized to refinance an acquisition.

Major revenue sources and expenses are highlighted in the charts on right.

REVENUE

2018

2017

(000)

(000)

Donations

$9,943

$10,111

Programs Revenue

$ 17,213

$15, 383

Other Income

$1,511

$1,448

Government Grants

$2,999

$2,973

$31,666

$29,912

LIABILITIES

2018

2017

ASSETS

2018

2017

Current Liabilities

$4,479

$6,578

Current Assets

$11,098

$9,108

Long Term Liabilities

$18, 395

$15,413

Capital Assets

$65,900

$62,523

Other

$1,087

$1,138

Other

$357

$628

$23,961

$23,129

$77, 355

$72,259

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EXPENSES

2018

2017

(000)

(000)

Management & Admin.

$1,544

$1,221

Fundraising Costs

$2,014

$1,164

Programs & Services

$23,844

$22,953

$27,402

$25, 338

100,000

50,000

80,000

40,000

60,000

30,000

40,000

20,000

20,000

10,000 0 2016

2017

Assets

68,262

72,259

77,354

Liabilities

23,707

23,129

23,962

2018 Revenues

TOTAL ASSETS VS. TOTAL LIABILITIES 2016 – 2018 53

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2016

2017

2018

28,063

29,912

31,666

GROWTH IN REVENUE 2016 – 2018

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0

STRATEGIC & FINANCIAL PLANNING

S

trategic planning can be defined as a mechanism to help clarify the organization’s mission and objectives as well as prioritize the actions needed to accomplish them. Consequently, managing our financial resources effectively and efficiently to enable the execution of the strategic plan is one of the most important duties our board and executive team undertake. It is a balancing act between investing in our communities through program delivery and expansion of services, and ensuring long-term viability of the organization while prudently and effectively managing risks. Moreover, in order to ensure a vibrant and growing organization, we invested in building human and organizational capacity that can sustain this growth. We also invested in cultivating and nurturing an enduring culture that is steeply entrenched in our organization’s DNA. A culture that provides our organization with an enduring character that transcends services, programs and events, but profoundly steeped in community-ethic grounded

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in fidelity to our faith and service to our community.

We continuously assess the following key outcomes.

• MISSION CLARITY & PROGRAM RELEVANCE – CONNECTING PROGRAMS TO THE MISSION • BUILDING CAPACITY THROUGH INVESTING IN STRATEGIC INITIATIVES TO BUILDING HUMAN & ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY. • AMPLIFY OUR SOCIAL IMPACT WHICH IS CONTEXTUALIZED AROUND THE PREMISE THAT THE PROMISE OF OUR BRAND— NOT PROGRAMS OR EVENTS— MUST DETERMINE THE SCOPE & SCALE OF OUR ENGAGEMENTS WITH THE COMMUNITY.

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Financially, diversification of revenue sources is the most critical step to ensure program viability, and financial security. Currently, MAC revenue sources are very stable with healthy growth margins in the past four years. Expenditures were increased by 8% due to increase in program delivery capacity. Generally, the organization is managing its financial portfolio within stringent guidelines to avoid any undue financial risks. Specifically, it mitigates against over leveraging its assets by keeping the liability to assets ratio at around a third of the asset valuation, and by controlling its current ratio between 1 – 2, as well as ensuring its operating cash flow current ratio is above 1. The organization developed key relationships and invested in key products to ensure access to financing facilities to finance capital acquisitions.

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FINANCIAL REPORT

Because our centers and schools are the nexus points to the communities we serve and the main point of contact with the organization, we invested in their utilization, renovation, and upkeep. In 2018, we invested close to $5.4 million dollars in capital assets. We also invested to modernize our programs.

Specifically; we continued the development and deployment of the iRise curriculum for the school program, as well as enhanced the science and technology (STEM) curriculum. We also focused on optimizing service delivery through investments in infrastructure. The focus was on automation as an enabler of process optimization tool. This was used across many operation streams from donation collection to file sharing, utilizing either purpose-built tools or online platforms. We conducted program assessment and evaluation with the aim to create a more robust planning cycle that is informed by data-based and research-validated decision making processes.

THE WHOLE IS LARGER THAN

THE SUM OF THE PARTS T

here are different approaches to assess the proper management of resources by a non-profit organization. It is customary to use the 90:10 rule as a measure for financial resource utilization: i.e. 90% of the resources are allocated towards direct program delivery and the remaining 10% cover management and fundraising costs. This year, MAC spends 6% of expenditures on management, and 8% on fundraising activities reaching a total of 14%. This is an increase from the past year by 4%. This increase is due to the recent growth of the organization, and some key investments in our operational systems. However, our direct program spending has increased by 5% from 2017 levels reaching $23.6 million dollars. Program spending is factored into three main categories: operational costs to support the infrastructure-related costs which is 19% of the total program spending, salaries and wages at 56%, and goods and services at 23%. The balance, which is 2%, is supporting other charities.

Our program delivery model is built around three key principles: sustainability, accessibility, and portability; by which we mean that all our programs are designed to be replicated in different locations,

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This year, there were no major acquisitions; however, sizeable investments were directed towards revitalization, retrofit, and renovation of existing spaces to improve utilization, higher building efficiency, accessibility and security. There were also key investments directed towards building organizational and operational infrastructure. This included expanding the digital storage system through an upgrade to 30 terabyte and also upgrading the network speed to 10 Gigabit (10GbE), and enhancing internal and external applications.

We expanded the financial ERB system to further automate more financial processes, and further enhanced efficiency and security of financial transactions by deploying Remote Desktop Capture (RDC) units at the projects with high transaction volumes to enable cheques depositing electronically, and increasing the electronic payment apps to reduce the need for cash management. Furthermore, the Human Resources

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(HR) process was fully automated through a deployment of HR portal with key modules to manage the hiring, onboarding, evaluation and payroll processes. Recently, we are investing to build School Information Management System for all MAC Full-Time schools, which is in the final stages of development.

Because of the growth of the organization’s footprint and service delivery, it is becoming an important institution in the community, with considerable contribution to the local economy. In addition to the employment opportunities and the payroll taxes it generates, we invest in local businesses through the purchase of goods and services. Furthermore, there is considerable social value associated with the services we provide as those services and programs are designed and delivered with a social prism grounded in community capacity and resiliency. Quantifying this social value has been a subject of few studies. The organization is exploring how best this quantifying process can be pursued and utilized to inform our work, and help inform the program design improvements.

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and should be affordable and open to community members while ensuring a high level of sustainability by implementing the balanced-budget clause or requirement.

NAVIGATING SUSTAINABILITY IN A CHANGING TIME

W

hile, conceptually risk could refer to future uncertainties, operationally it is defined as anything that threatens the organization to meet its objectives and deliver on its mission.

Therefore, every organization is exposed to and takes risks daily, but what’s important is to manage the balance of risk and reward and to identify and minimize the consequences of a negative occurrence. What makes such a task enormously challenging is the fact that we are living in a world in a transition in many ways – from political realignment to climate change to community growth and maturation. All of these changes follow unknown and hard-to-determine trajectories, and hence present different sets of risks. In order to address this challenge, we used the PESTLE analysis framework (i.e. Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental). It is a framework used to analyze and monitor the macro-environmental factors that may have a profound impact on an organization’s performance, and it was proven useful framework to contextualize the potential risks.

In today’s environment, there is a rise in populism across many Western countries, as signified by the shift of the political middle and the rise of the Alt-right as a viable political discourse; a discourse that scapegoats immigration policies and blames the vulnerable immigrant community of all society’s ills. As a result, we are living in the rise of Islamophobia and its legitimization by various government policies such as the former Conservative government policies and the recent Quebec government’s bill C-21 which many consider discriminatory bill that targets Muslim women who wear the hijab.

This toxic environment can further impose other challenges such as reputational risks arising as a consequence of negative media stories; and unsubstantiated attacks. At worst, this can provide the pretext for using government agencies to carry the wishes of the political agenda of the government of the day as was the case with the environmental charities.

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Another significant change is major technological shifts and how those shifts are redefining engagement models as networks are becoming more mobile and virtual, and processes are increasingly becoming automated and accessed via online platforms. This has great impact on the services we provide and how we provide them.

Other risks include an economic downturn that can create macroeconomic volatility risks. If this occurred, it brings a low to moderate risk to the organization as such exposure to economic shocks will be felt due to the cost of financing facilities for the long-term loans. Operational risks due to deficiencies in direction and control can be serious as well.

In addressing those risks, we developed a number of risk mitigation strategies from avoidance, to reducing and transferring risks, to accepting them.

In effectively deploying these strategies, MAC developed a robust policy framework to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, and the statutes governing the Non-Profit sector, and which is thoroughly evaluated and updated to secure a robust operational standards for direction and control. In addition, risks are addressed within

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an integrated strategic plan. MAC deploys a Balanced Scorecard methodology across all the units so that strategies can be informed by input data as well as results and outcomes.

Risks are articulated within the threat-opportunity paradigm and proactive process to monitor them is put in place while allowing for meaningful contingency planning to enable strong and meaningful reaction when a proactive approach was not possible or remained unforeseen. In addition, we also validate our governing framework through certification from recognized third-party institutions.

Subsequently, specific mitigation strategies were used to address each identified risk, For example, the financial risks are mitigated through the organization’s financial management model which is structured to handle such exposure. The revenue diversification structure provides another layer of protection. In mitigating reputational risks, MAC is proactive in protecting its brand and image against any nefarious attacks.

MAC is also building human and organizational capacity to meet the expected growing demands by investing in key technology modules to streamline and automate key processes. We are investing in our human resources by allocating up to 1% of operating budget to training and skill development of staff, as well as strengthening the vibrant culture that energized the organization since its inception.

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Our community is undergoing substantial demographic change, from the rising importance and influence of second and third generations, to the social and economic mobility of those generations, to the high rate of population growth within the community and the pressure that imposes on organizations and infrastructures.

ANCHORING THROUGH

COMMUNITY IMPACT I

t was noted that organizations gain the trust of their clients and supporters through reputation, while they gain societal trust through their contributions. At MAC, we view our contributions through two lenses. The first is the year-to-year contributions which are realized by expanding our footprint and increasing our reach through growing the channels for program delivery and community engagement, in addition to opening new ones. The second is the long-term contributions which are visualized as an aspiration. MAC aspires to nurture a Muslim community that enjoys strong faith, and a sound understanding of Islam, and to have an engaged presence and constructive contribution with a recognized positive influence on society. One of the biggest achievements in the past 20 years is the robust national platform of our institutions.

This provides us with a national platform and strong local presence in many communities which are unmatched by any other Muslim organization in the country. The other key differentiator is our core mission in providing a credible, authentic Canadian Islamic identity that is unapologetically grounded in our faith and traditions and unreservedly Canadian in essence.

Success is measured by our ability to connect with community members. This connection is one of commitment and engagement. We judge our success on our ability to strengthen our engagement with the communities we serve and nurture their affinity to become part of this movement.

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One of the frameworks to quantify contributions is the Democracy Collaborative Anchor Dashboard which as published in 2013 in which they identified twelve critical areas where anchor institutions can play an effective role in the task of revitalizing local communities. Mowat Center issued a study in 2015

PROGRAM PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES CREATED

75,900

highlighting the potential of anchor institutions in the province of Ontario . Both of these studies provide a good framework for organizations to leverage their work to optimize their contributions to community development.

PROGRAM HOURS DELIVERED

27,250

hrs

VOLUNTEERING HOURS TO SUPPORT PROGRAMS

hrs

56,700

hrs

INVESTING IN HUMAN RESOURCES

107 Investment in Community Assets

$5,4 million

INVESTING IN COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE

800

406

Supporting 87 Local Charities

$487,500

Hospitality & Food Industry

81%

Mothers using the childcare/early educations programs agreed that the program is positively impacting my family daily life.

(agreed or strongly agreed)

Sports & Recreational

77%

(were extremely or very satisfied)

77%

$605,579

(agreed or strongly agreed)

Learning & Education

$284,675

84%

INVESTING IN ECONOMY THROUGH PURCHASE OF GOODS & SERVICES Muslim Association of Canada

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$36,974

Our students when asked, if their school experience is preparing me to be a confident & an observant Muslim.

$702,869

Events

Training & skill development

76%

(agreed or strongly agreed)

$219,170

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Supporting vulnerable community members

Volunteers

(agreed or strongly agreed)

Volunteers when asked about their satisfaction with their volunteering experience at MAC? Community members when asked if MAC plays a vital role in our community.

When asked if they see value in supporting MAC.

MEASURING OUTCOMES |

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Providing youth (students) with summer jobs opportunities

MAC ENDOWMENT

SHAPING THE NEXT 20..

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I

nterested in leaving your mark in the sand of time for your community? We invite you to shape the future of MAC. Anyone can leave a positive legacy for others to build upon. Here are some ideas to help you do just that:

THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO LEAVE A LEGACY™ • Prepare a will; • Leave a gift in your will for MAC that makes a difference in your life; • Leave a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your assets to MAC; • Consider using assets for your legacy gift; • Name MAC as a beneficiary of your RRSP, RRIF or pension plan; • Remember loved ones with memorial gifts.

THERE ARE MANY WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THIS ENDOWMENT.

GIVING NOW

GIVING LATER

CASH GIFTS

BEQUESTS

Your gift –by cheque, credit card, direct deposit, or establishing a monthly pledge.

You will receive a donation receipt for the full value of your gift.

A bequest is a future gift outlined in your Will. You can either designate a specific dollar amount, a particular asset, or a percentage of your estate; or leave all or a portion of your remaining estate to MAC after you have provided for your other beneficiaries.

A gift of publicly traded securities is both simple and tax-effective. You receive a greater tax benefit through a gift of securities than you would if you sold the securities and donated the cash proceeds to charity. Gifts eligible for this preferred tax treatment can include any of the following securities: prescribed bonds, units of mutual funds, and shares, warrants, bills and futures that are listed on the stock exchanges prescribed by CRA.

RRSP AND RRIF You can name MAC as the beneficiary of your RRSP or RRIF and enjoy your savings in life while supporting MAC to deliver services to your community. Your gift is easy to make – simply obtain a beneficiary designation form from your plan’s provider and complete it with Muslim Association of Canada – (Charity Number #880495163-RR0001) GIVE A GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING For gifts exceeding $100,000, you can establish an endowed fund and name it in honour of someone close to you or secure your personal legacy. We can work with you to create an endowment today with your gift of cash, securities, or property, or by means of a pledge to be paid over several years.

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GIFTS OF STOCKS AND SECURITIES

WHY SUPPORT

MAC?

Because MAC has a dream – to help Muslims build more caring and inclusive communities, where Muslims are well represented in all areas of Canadian society Because MAC has a vision – To see a time when the understanding of Islam and Islamic values are commonplace in Canadian society

Because MAC has the national reach to deliver on its mission.

Where 14 chapters and more than 37 projects, including schools and community centers, that MAC operates, are safe and welcoming spaces for families.

Because MAC has shown it has the capacity for growth and excellence. Espousing a strong framework for social change and community development, enabled by a strong and committed membership and volunteer base.

Because MAC is investing in key priorities for our communities.

Not only developing new programs, but replicating successful projects across Canada. As a result, more youth are welcomed to quality programs that nurture their potential to become tomorrow’s leaders.

Because MAC invests in our communities.

Because MAC is making a difference every single day.

WE ENVISION MAC TO BE AN ORGANIZATION THAT REFLECTS THE CONSCIENCE OF OUR COMMUNITY, PLAYING A VITAL ROLE IN ITS DEVELOPMENT AND RESILIENCY.” mac@macnet.ca

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