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Nov 2017Creating a Learning Culture: Lessons from the ONN Conference
Thanks to Peel Leadership Centre for permission to reprint this blog post. In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the others find themselves equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” – Eric Hoffer, social philosopher and author Last week, we attended Nonprofit Driven, an annual event for nonprofits and charities that is hosted by the Ontario Nonprofit Network. The event is attended...
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Oct 2017How the social procurement movement enhances nonprofit sector revenue and impact
Thank you to Imagine Canada for permission to repost this article. We definitely know the tide is turning when industry leaders like Mitchell Cohen, the President of the Daniels Corporation, encourages the private sector to “climb aboard the social procurement train”. (Globe & Mail, June 14, 2017) As with any business, increasing sales opportunities is a critical factor for success. But for social enterprises (1), additional sales translate into more than just increased...
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Sep 2017Four reasons the nonprofit sector needs a new name
Civil society, social economy, the voluntary sector, the third sector, the nonprofit sector, the charitable sector… These are some of the terms used to describe nonprofit organizations collectively, yet these names don’t fully capture all that the sector is and does in serving communities. The nonprofit sector in Canada is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Canadian economy. Virtually every Canadian is connected...
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Aug 2017Shop smart: The case for delivery over drop-in
As the summer winds down (sad face), this is the time for many to start gearing up for the craziness that comes with a renewed commitment to get back to the grind. September brings a sense of a fresh start as we use the energy boost we were hopefully able to take advantage of over the holidays (summer camp operators – your time is coming!)...
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Aug 2017Postcards from the collaborative economy
In the nonprofit sector, we often seem to be fighting uphill battles trying to combat poverty and exclusion, addictions and mental illness, climate change, racism, political disengagement and many other challenges in our communities without the sense that we are making real progress against “the system.” As we work to support our community members’ access to jobs, food, and housing, and their exercise of rights,...
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Jul 2017Is your organization covered?
Nonprofits and charities are focused on creating solutions to strengthen communities. However, in the course of this work, employees or volunteers may offer advice and counsel that simply falls short— or worse, causes harm. What happens when an oversight or mistake results in a lawsuit? If you’re found liable for professional negligence, a lawsuit may be too much for your organization to bear. How do...
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Jun 2017Non-profit sector leading the conversation on inclusion
The non-profit sector is often seen as leading the way when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Non-profit organizations do diverse work and often rely on the perspectives of an equally diverse workforce to make social change. But is the sector sending mixed messages when it comes to diversity and inclusion? Many nonprofit organizations list diversity and inclusion among their core values, while in practice...
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Jun 2017More useful evaluation for nonprofits? Yes, we can!
In 2015, ONN took on a project to look at the systemic issues of evaluation in Ontario’s nonprofit sector and design potential solutions to help us get to more useful evaluation. This framing led to the development of our Sector Driven Evaluation Strategy work, which to date now includes a resource treasure chest designed to help identify pain points experienced by nonprofits, and move forward...
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Jun 2017No matter how you slice it, workplace legislation matters to us all
Over the past seven years, ONN has been actively working on labour force issues affecting Ontario’s nonprofit sector. As our work has evolved, we have become more focused and intentional on our sector’s role as employers and economic actors. ONN’s vision is to mobilize a decent work movement across the Ontario nonprofit sector that will allow organizations to more effectively achieve their missions because they...
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May 2017Behind the numbers: Ontario Budget 2017
Now that the dust has settled and the Budget bill is just finishing its trek through the legislative process, it’s time to look beyond the numbers and ask, what does Ontario Budget 2017 mean for the nonprofit sector? This is the first balanced Budget since the 2008-09 downturn and a Budget with the 2018 election clearly in its sights. As ONN noted it its budget...
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