As many of you are aware, Imagine Canada has been working with organizations across the country to create a new narrative for the charitable and nonprofit sector in Canada as part of their National Engagement Strategy. Imagine Canada intends this narrative to be foundational, highlighting the role and contributions of the sector, allowing consistent messaging that is relevant and adaptable to all subsectors.
MESH is delighted to announce an exclusive conversation with Stephen Faul, who is leading the development of the initiative. Stephen will share the progress to date and is looking for thoughtful feedback to inform the messaging. Come out for a lively discussion!
If you are interested in contributing to the narrative of the sector, please join us for a late afternoon discussion:
Dan Pallotta across Ontario! Ottawa – Toronto – Sault Ste Marie
Ottawa event details: When: May 23, 12:30 to 2 pm
Where: Public Policy Forum Board Room (130 Albert Street, Suite 1405)
What to bring: An open mind and your lunch. Register for free on EventBrite
Do you see some trends developing in the nonprofit sector, and ever wonder if you’re the only one seeing them? Are you curious to hear what your peers in this sector are thinking? Do you have some frustrations or ideas for solutions on how we can improve the nonprofit system on a grand scale?
Well, we’re hosting some little gatherings of anyone who’d like to chat about these topics. This idea was sparked from a talk by Dan Pallotta who recently released his third book entitled Charity Case. We think Pallotta’s work can ignite an interesting conversation in some of Ontario’s communities about the nonprofit and charitable sector. Let’s break it down a bit and see what might be applicable to our own lives.
Want to know more? Check out his recent TED Talk below or a very brief summary of his recent book.
If you have any interest in coming to share your thoughts, hear your peers’ ideas and hopefully make new connections on the topic, we invite you to come to Charity Case – What’s The Big Idea? Dan Pallotta Talk & Discussion.
Whether you are engaged in environmental issues, faith, arts, youth, education, homelessness, food security, or another social organization, you’re welcome. We’d love to get your take. What we all have in common is working in the non-profit sector, and we are looking to have a great conversation with many perspectives on how to improve.
Sign up for the free Ottawa brown bag lunch eventhere, and watch for Dan Pallotta events from social change co-conspirators in Sault Ste Marie and Toronto.
The patios are popping up in the Byward Market and the tulips are sprouting from their beds. It looks like Old Man Winter has finally released our fair city from his icy grip.
What a great time for to emerge from our collective hibernation and catch up with other nonprofit professionals at the Spring 2013 meshmixer, hitting Hub Ottawa on Wednesday, May 8.
The details When: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8 Where: The Hub (71 Bank Street, 6th Floor) Cost: $8 in advance or $10 at the door*
Prepay and save with a 2013 meshmixer pass! You can purchase your tickets for all three remaining 2013 meshmixers in advance. If you choose to do so, you’ll save 50% on the last mixer of the year.
Wednesday, May 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Wednesday, September 25 from from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Wednesday, November 27, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm
* One ticket gets you and a friend or colleague who hasn’t yet attended a meshmixer in, along with a free glass of wine or beer for each of you. It’s our way to encourage new people to come out and meet up with other nonprofit professionals – it’s absolutely risk-free.
Featured conversations zones If you’re interested in one of the topics, wander on over to that conversation zone and join in. If you’d rather hang out and connect with colleagues by the bar or on the sofa, that’s cool too.
Conversation Zone: JustChange How can you help our city with $1,000? JustChange is a group of individuals who pool funds to support great ideas. Every two months the JustChange board seeks out ideas from the local community by releasing a Request For Proposals (RFP). One month later, they award a $1,000 grant to the individual or organization deemed to have the best project. Be sure to stop by and connect with the JustChange board members to learn more about this innovative approach to funding great ideas.
Conversation Zone: Professional Development for Nonprofit Professionals We’re conspiring with the fine folks at Hub Ottawa to explore delivering professional development workshops for nonprofit pros. We’ve got some great feedback from our survey earlier this year and want to share our findings and hear from you as we start to develop a calendar of PD opportunities.
While we may be in for one last wallop of winter, we’re looking forward to longer days, more sunshine and warmer weather. We’re also looking forward to the Spring 2013 meshmixer, hitting Hub Ottawa on Wednesday, May 8.
The details When: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8
Where: The Hub (71 Bank Street, 6th Floor)
Cost: $8 in advance or $10 at the door*
Prepay and save with a 2013 meshmixer pass! You can purchase your tickets for all three remaining 2013 meshmixers in advance. If you choose to do so, you’ll save 50% on the last mixer of the year.
Wednesday, May 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Wednesday, September 25 from from 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Wednesday, November 27, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm
* One ticket gets you and a friend or colleague who hasn’t yet attended a meshmixer in, along with a free glass of wine or beer for each of you. It’s our way to encourage new people to come out and meet up with other nonprofit professionals – it’s absolutely risk-free.
Featured conversations zones If you’re interested in one of the topics, wander on over to that conversation zone and join in. If you’d rather hang out and connect with colleagues by the bar or on the sofa, that’s cool too. More details about our featured conversation zones will be available on http://www.meshnetwork.ca soon!
After searching the city far and wide, HUB Ottawa is very pleased to introduce their newest addition. Beginning in late March, Komal Minhas will be their Community Catalyst, working to make sure that Hubbers are making connections, accessing resources they need, learning and advancing their ideas, projects, and organizations. Learn more over on Hub Ottawa’s website.
Have you or someone you know recently started a new job or taken on an exciting volunteer role? Let us know and we’ll include an update here on meshnetwork.ca and in our newsletter.
We’re exploring the possibility of launching a professional development workshop series for nonprofit professionals and want to hear your thoughts, ideas and perspectives.
What topics are you interested in? What’s the best time of day for you? Would your organization pay for you to attend? Are you willing or able to facilitate a workshop yourself?
Please take a few minutes to complete our online survey and let us know.
As an extra-added incentive, we’re giving away a free e-copy of The Abundant Not-for-Profit from the fine folks at VantagePoint to one lucky survey respondent!
“A decade in the making, The Abundant Not-for-Profit infuses theory with tips, case studies and practical tools to show how organizations can attract, meaningfully engage and integrate all the available talent. From organizational culture to planning, from great governance to excellent people processes, this book offers not-for-profit leaders a new road map to transform their organizations with talent, not money.”
Some people have the nerve to call today’s up-and-coming generations apathetic or disengaged.
We don’t agree.
Some leaders have the nerve to say their organizations can’t succeed because they don’t have enough money.
We think it’s time for a new story.
And, as someone connected to the Mesh Network, chances are so do you.
Yes, traditional volunteerism is dying. And, at the same time, there is an abundance of educated, experienced, talented people yearning to contribute their talent to a cause.
So what’s missing?
At Vantage Point, we have been asking ourselves this question and experimenting with possible solutions for the last decade. Last week, we released a new book to share what we’ve learned. The Abundant Not-for-Profit infuses theory with tips, case studies and practical tools to offer not-for-profit leaders a new road map to transform their organizations with talent, rather than money.
We believe the next generation of leaders is well positioned to blaze this new trail. We can challenge the conventional thinking that tells us, “we have this much money, so we can do this much mission.” Instead, we can say, “we have big goals, and we know we can engage many talented people to deliver our mission.” We can stop bemoaning our lack of resources and start thinking about how to ignite the passion and talent in our communities – and harness it towards our causes.
It’s time to think differently about leadership.
It’s time to replace not-for-profit scarcity with possibility.
We think this conversation will transform the not-for-profit sector.
