Category Archives: nonprofits

On Nonprofits and Tech

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Confession: I’m one of those people who checks her Twitter feed before getting out of bed. And because I’m still on holiday time, I caught up with many of the articles/links posted. One in particular caught my eye – IT worker shortage has serious implications for Canada (December 2012) – for a number of reasons. (I just finished a class on cyberspace issues, I’m working on a website upgrade, and I’m exploring my relationship to my career all come in the top three reasons.)

Although the article looks at ICT (information communication technologies) in relation to business, these are also serious issues for those in the community benefit/nonprofit sector. But there are other, more serious, implications for that sector:

  • We’re already struggling to keep good people in the sector in Alberta because the lure of better pay/benefits/etc. in some business/for-profit areas. This article implies that this will become increasingly difficult as ICT professionals will be drawing even larger salaries than the norm. (And no, recruiting ICT professionals as volunteers won’t address all these issues.)
  • As the article notes, it’s a challenge (time-wise) for people to learn new technologies. How do we make time for professional development in this area in addition to / as well as the other areas we’re working in? How do we encourage those working in the sector to do it?
  • What happens to agencies when they can’t keep up with the changing world of ICTs? Do their visions/missions get picked up by others (ie new agencies, grassroots) or do they disappear? How does a lack of independent voices around the table change the sector?
  • The sector is fairly risk-averse. How do we balance that with the inclusion of new ICTs, many of which are untried and untested? Do we risk falling further behind the corporate/for-profit sector, and how does that impact our working relationships, donor relationships and so on?
  • What opportunities are we missing when we aren’t engaged with new technologies? What if the best way to fulfill a mission is “right there” and we don’t know about it?

One of the best way to develop solutions is to communicate, especially with those who are working in the ICT field. So I’m off to converse with one of my best sources in the field (@pinkgecco) over dinner and a couple of Catan-settling games. I expect it will lead to more on this subject in the future, as it always does!

She Changes (On Collaboration)

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In his [Ulrich Beck’s] view, if sovereignty is understood as the capacity of a given country to influence the problems of the world on behalf of its citizens, then it is only by engaging in international cooperation, by networking, that states can actually become sovereigns in the global risk society. (Castells, 2010, 364)

It seems backward: in order to have autonomy, you need to find ways to collaborate with others. Our society is no longer about the individual; it’s about the group, the network that we create together. To create is to change.

She Changes Everything She Touches.

If we don’t change what we’re doing, or how we’re doing it, then we can’t create anything new. It doesn’t matter what level you’re working at. It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to do. If you’re not changing, you’re not creating.

And Everything She Touches Changes.

If you’re not ready to collaborate, then say so – and let the rest of us get on with it already. It’s a big world and we’ve got a lot of creating to do.

Caring in Community

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It’s been a busy week, work-wise, as I’ve been deeply engaged in our own Senior Centres Week activities or supporting events held at other organizations. Last night I was privileged to speak at Senior Care – Who Cares?, an event co-sponsored by the Calgary Seniors Resource Society and Public Interest Alberta. The full text of my speech is online; here’s an excerpt:

There is a tension in non-profit work between the quantitative – counting numbers, calculating statistics – and the qualitative – the anecdotal parts of our work that have so much meaning to individuals. The relationship between two people, whatever their role, is not something that can be forced, nor can it be ignored. In a senior centre, there is an increasing tension between building of relationships and completing administrative duties.

Working in the area of community development and trying to create new ways of engaging everyone regardless of age or state continues to bring up this kind of tension. I don’t subscribe to a client-worker relationship model, or believe that any one person has all the answers. I do believe that each of us should be recognized for our skills, talents, and abilities as long as we are using them for the good of all. I believe that the three-fold Goddess, where Maiden, Mother and Crone all have an distinct but equal role, is the model we should be using in engaging people in our communities. And I believe that a complete community includes all of us. Blessed Be!

“Safety in Parking” – Vote Today!

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Aviva Community Fund

Hey everyone. Bow Cliff Seniors (one of the centres I work with) is proud to be participating in the Aviva Community Fund competition again this year, and they need your help. Their project – “Safety in Parking” – builds on two years of fundraising toward a new and improved parking lot, including:

  • south side sidewalks (so seniors don’t have to walk behind parked cars)
  • centre walkway (allowing safe access to all parked cars)
  • speed bumps and barriers at ends of the lot
  • signs (speed limit, handicapped parking and information)
  • landscaped planters
  • security cameras

How You Can Help

First, register for an account at https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/users/registration/register. (You can’t vote unless you register for an account.)

Then, starting Monday, October 3, 2011 (12pm ET), you can vote by clicking on the “VOTE” button at our Aviva Community Fund site (Bow Cliff Seniors “Safety in Parking” Project) or, if you’re on Facebook, you can vote at their page (https://www.facebook.com/avivacommunityfund/.

Once you start, please keep going! The first round lasts 15 days (October 3 to October 19) and each person registered can vote once a day. The top 90 ideas will make it into the semi-final round and the top 30 into the final round, and every vote counts!

And please, share this information with friends and friends! Post it on your Facebook wall, tweet about it, write a blog post or two, text your kids, share via intra-office email – whatever you can do to get the word out. The more people who hear about this project and vote, the more likely that BCS will win the competition.

Putting the "Over" in "Overachiever"

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So, I’ve been a little quiet on the blogging front lately, but there’s actually a good reason for that. As of April 1, I’ve taken on a new position in the community: Director of Senior Centres at Calgary Seniors Resource Society. I’m overseeing the “big picture” pieces of community building/collaboration, funding, marketing, research /advocacy and human resources as the Executive Director at three senior centres (Bow Cliff Seniors, Ogden House Seniors and Parkdale Nifty Fifties). The title of the post says it all, really.

When The Government Hands You (^ Not) Lemons…

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After being rebuked by the Speaker of the House last week, International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda admitted today that she had altered the document (by inserting the word “not”) which recommended KAIROS be given $7 million in funding from the federal government. And because I’m all about bigger discussions, I hope this leads to some press about how ministers should act when they disagree with the recommendations of their departments.
The bigger story – and kudos to them – is how KAIROS is handling the situation: tongue firmly in cheek. 

You can order a shirt of your very own on their website. I just love the creativity of nonprofits, don’t you?

In the News…

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(Twice in one week. I think that’s a new record!)
First, I’m quoted in the Calgary Dollars Newspaper (Winter 2010 issue, which is available in the FFWD on stands now) in the article “Connecting Bow Cliff”. For those who haven’t heard, the Calgary Dollars Markets are moving to Bow Cliff Seniors – join us on December 13, 6pm-8pm, when 32 local artists/sellers have tables and we’re celebrating the Hundred Dollar Holiday.
Second, I had a BCS member come into the centre yesterday to ask for an autograph. Yes, the Calgary Herald ran a great piece by Greg Williams (and an equally great photo by Dean Bicknell) on Calgary Carshare.

“When I was growing up, for me, a car represented freedom,” Braun says. “But now that I’m in the city, for me, having a car was a burden.”

We’ve already had new applications for membership (which you can do at the Calgary Carshare website) and that makes me happiest of all!

CBC News Investigates: Your Charity Dollars (and mine)

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I  just finished reading “Charities paid $762M to private fundraisers” (A CBC News Investigates piece) and I have to say, I’m incredibly disappointed. Why?

1. Numbers, numbers, numbers. We’re talking about a small number of charities: 651 of 85,0000. That’s 0.008% – less than 1% – of the charities in Canada. We’re talking about a small amount of money: $762 million out of $8.2 billion. That’s 9.29% – less than 10% – of the money raised by charities.That’s not what comes across; instead, the reaction in the comments is “Well, I’ll never donate to charity again.” There’s a lot of great charities who are going to have an even harder time fundraising now.
 
2. “The beatings will continue until morale improves.” Those of us working in charities – both paid and unpaid (and yes, I do both) – put our hearts into this work. We get there early or stay late (or both). We work evenings, weekends and holidays. We spend our time advocating and educating about social change. Sensational reporting doesn’t help get the job done, it makes the job harder.

3. They completely missed the big question: Why are charities having to focus so much on donations? Could it be because governments are downloading service expectations onto charities and then cutting the funding? What about the role that private foundations play in helping wealthy donors avoid paying taxes, which leads to those funding cuts? What about grants that don’t allow for admin costs, which means the staff have to be paid from other sources, or grants that are only open to “new” projects? How did the change from program to project based funding impact these factors? All of these impact far more than the 0.008% of charities using professional fundraisers.

I’m not going to stop donating to charities (obviously). I do my research and know which ones do good work (and which don’t).. I wish the CBC had thought about the long-term impacts before doing such a hatchet job on the charitable sector in Canada, because the work is only going to get harder from here.

31 Days to a Brand New Blog Day 4

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(or “what we really should be talking about”)

The challenge for Day 4 is to write a list post that relates to my purpose statement. As my purpose statement identifies politics as an area of focus, and as we’re now 64 days away from the Calgary General Election, here’s my list of the top five posts I’d like* to write before election day:

1. The Peace Bridge
The Peace Bridge is the most controversial and misunderstood projects undertaken by the city, and it’s also the lightening rod that many candidates are using to rally support.

2. Plan It
Like many CivicCampers, I spent time last fall in council chambers as the council listened to presentations on Plan It, the document that would guide our city’s growth for decades to come. And, like many CivicCampers, I felt betrayed by a last-minute backroom deal that made developers’ interests more weight then that of citizens.

3. FCSS
FCSS Calgary (Family and Community Support Services) is a municipal/provincial program that funds nonprofits that do a variety of things (including Bow Cliff Seniors). If the FCSS stat re: social return on investment (that for every dollar spent on prevention the city saves six to thirteen dollars in other costs) is true, why aren’t we putting more into prevention? The city has two roles here: increase the dollar amount it funds (currently required to fund 20%, they actually fund 25% of annual budget) and they can lobby the province for additional funding for the entire program.

4. Transportation for All
Better transit – not just trains. “Next Bus” real time technology. (Come on, even Winnipeg has this one!) Smaller buses and routes that come more than once an hour during “non-peak” hours – and redefining “non-peak” hours to be more then “when people aren’t traveling downtown to work”. Resources for Access Calgary so it can provide more services (especially as the population needing their services grows). And, of course, an obligatory “carsharing rocks” moment.

5. Housing options
Obviously the city needs to get its act together on secondary suites. But I’m sure they can also find ways to support non-marketing housing options (like co-ops and cohousing) and develop more TOD (transit-orientation development) projects that include mixed-use and mixed-income housing. Again, the aging population will be a critical factor to consider: changing needs, increased population and a need for greater community involvement should all play a part.

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* That’s not saying I will, but I’ll likely be tweeting about them!

OK, so it’s been a while…

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… but at least I still remembered my password!

Yes, life got busy for a while. Anyone who knows me knows what’s been happening. The rest of you can make something up – use your imaginations!

My jonesing for website development is currently being satisfied at www.bowcliffseniors.org, where I’ve been the Executive Director since last October. I’ve also become addicted to Facebook along with half of my former high school. (Mostly they find me through my sister, who was way more social than I was during that period in our lives.)

I’m starting my next-to-last class at MRC tonight, which should take up even more of my time, which has become even more constrained since the single-mom thing started in March.

Oh, and I’m in the news today:

Anders’ absence angers seniors

This ‘Bart’ never punished

And to think moving from the violence against women sector to the seniors sector would be less political!