Welcome to a new month! Prepare yourself to hear (and perhaps initiate yourself) random small talk around the office of “Wow, can you believe it’s March already?”. Lots happening this month, so on to the content! Events A new month of course means another #SKNPChat – this month, hosted by yours truly on the topic […]
There’s a lot you can learn when traveling, even (especially?) when you’re going to a place that’s familiar. Earlier this month I made the trek to Winnipeg, the city where I spent the first eighteen years of my life. Although in recent years I make it back on average a couple times a year, I […]
Pop quiz: What is the basic aim of any non-profit organziation? (or for-impact, a term I’m growing attached to more and more) Use force or the capacity for force to protect one's nation-state and secure its international policy aims Generate financial profit for the organization's owners / stakeholders Create positive change in our communities The […]
As far as I know, Saskatchewan does not have a resident gopher to prognosticate on our weather chances. We’re pretty sure that, flirtations with spring-like weather a few weeks ago aside, winter won’t be leaving any time soon – it’s -23 as I write this, with the windchill making it feel like -32! Fortunately, the […]
Annual General Meetings (AGM’s) are a staple of the nonprofit world, even if they tend to be somewhat dry affairs – and I’m being charitable in that description! Once a year we come together, shuffle our way through reports, endure calls for more dollars, volunteers, and board members, pass motions, quibble over figures in the […]
The city shapes us & we shape the city. The line above adorns the new coffee mugs at The Two Twenty, reflecting both the coworking space’s openness to a range of people and organizations, and its influence on the surrounding neighbourhood of Riversdale and the city of Saskatoon as a whole. Whether those mutual influences […]
How do you kill a nonprofit? According to Mark Hager and Elizabeth Searing over at Nonprofit Quarterly, there are at least ten pitfalls to avoid, including accumulation of debt, trashing your reputation, and the perennial favourite of mission drift. Given my work in evaluation, the one that really interests me is saved for last, labelled […]
For many of us, today marks the end of the holiday season and the return to work life. As I tweeted last night, I’m glad to be back in the saddle: perhaps, as Sheila Robinson suggests, I’m a bit odd for that, but I should take it as a good sign that I like my […]
Happy holidays all! The next two weeks will see me take some time away to rest and recharge, including visits to family and friends. I will have access to email during this time but response times may be longer than usual, particularly over the next few days. All the best to you and yours, and […]
Remember that social enterprise contest I mentioned a while back? It wrapped up last week, and between the three campaigns, they managed to raise over $90,000. Given the goal was $10,000 for each project, I’d say that Bridge City Bike Co-op, Good Food Junction, and Saskatchewan Environmental Society (and contest organizer Affinity Credit Union) more than exceeded their […]