Let's Imagine

Founders are often the spark that launches nonprofit organizations - bringing vision, passion, and relentless drive to meet urgent community needs. But founder-led organizations can also face governance pressures such as blurred boundaries between board and management, over-reliance on a single leader, and the risks of "Founder's Syndrome." Without thoughtful structure, succession planning, and clear roles, even strong organizations can stumble.

In this episode of Let's Imagine, host Bruce MacDonald is joined by Dr. Susanna Kislenko, a governance researcher and practitioner with the University of Oxford and Carleton University, and co-author of Imagine Canada's new guide, Good...

In this special episode of Let's Imagine, guest host Wilfreda Edward, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience (CCNDR), explores how nonprofits across Canada are working to close the digital skills gap.

Over the past 18 months, CCNDR—together with partners Imagine Canada, Blueprint ADE, The Dais, and the Digital Governance Council - led the Futureproofing the Community Service Workforce project. Through research, piloting, and collaboration with nonprofits across the country, the project developed resources and a practical toolkit to help organizations strengthen data practices, build digital capacity, and align staff skills with emerging needs.

In this episode of Let's Imagine, host Bruce MacDonald speaks with Jess Tomlin, CEO of the Equality Fund, about reimagining how philanthropy can truly meet the urgency of our times.

From rising authoritarianism and economic instability to shrinking civic spaces, climate emergencies, and entrenched social injustices, nonprofits and human rights movements are navigating unprecedented challenges. Too often, traditional funding models fall short—delivering short-term, restrictive support when what movements need most is trust, flexibility, and long-term commitment.

The Equality Fund offers a bold alternative. As one of the world's largest organizations advancing human rights and justice, it is...

In this special International Day of the Girl episode of Let's Imagine, host Bruce MacDonald sits down with two trailblazers who are reshaping what leadership looks like in Canada's nonprofit sector: Anjum Sultana, Director of Policy Advocacy, Partnerships, and Youth Leadership at Plan International Canada, and Emma Asiedu-Akrofi, CEO of FORA Network for Change.

Women represent 77% of the nonprofit workforce, and young people make up 32%. Yet many of the structures and norms that govern the sector were not designed with young leaders in mind. From rigid hierarchies to outdated governance models, barriers still stand in the way...

In this episode of Let's Imagine, host Bruce MacDonald is joined by two powerful voices challenging settler-led organizations to move beyond symbolic gestures: Justin Wiebe of Mastercard Foundation and Alejandro Mayoral Banos of Indigenous Friends Association and Access Now.

As the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation approaches on September 30, many nonprofits are preparing statements, hosting events, or pausing operations. While well-intentioned, these actions alone do not constitute reconciliation. Justin and Alejandro call on the sector to dig deeper — rethinking colonial frameworks, building genuine relationships, and taking uncomfortable but necessary steps toward meaningful change.

In this episode of Let's Imagine, host Bruce MacDonald welcomes Deepa Chaudhary — founder of GrantOrb, an AI-powered grant writing platform designed to support nonprofits in one of their most time-consuming and mission-critical activities: securing funding. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the workplace, its role in the nonprofit sector is evolving rapidly — especially in fundraising and grant development.

Deepa shares how AI technology can reduce the burden on overstretched teams and increase access to high-quality funding proposals, particularly for small and medium-sized organizations. Together, Bruce and Deepa explore the promise and pitfalls of AI in grant writing, from...

In this episode of Let's Imagine, we welcome Maria Rio — fundraising professional, sector advocate, and host of the Small Nonprofit podcast. With over a decade of experience and lived experience as a former service user, Maria brings a deep understanding of how equity and community can transform traditional fundraising models.

Maria is a strong advocate for Community-Centric Fundraising — a growing movement that reimagines fundraising by placing relationships, equity, and community at the heart of the practice. She has spent the past several years applying these principles to help nonprofits shift from transactional approaches to more authe...

In this powerful new episode of Let's Imagine, host Bruce MacDonald welcomes Eden Fineday — award-winning nêhiyaw (Cree) journalist, changemaker, and Publisher of IndigiNews. Eden leads IndigiNews through a lens of cultural safety and actively works to decolonize journalistic practices. She is also the founder and CEO of tâpwêwin media, an Indigenous-led nonprofit that acquired IndigiNews in 2025, and co-founder of the Indigenous Media Association of Canada.

Eden recently contributed a series of articles to Imagine Canada's HR Intervals, helping nonprofits better navigate complex people management issues with a focus on equity, reconciliation, and anti-ra...

In this episode of Let's Imagine, host Bruce MacDonald sits down with Andrea Barrack, SVP, Sustainability & Impact at RBC, and Claudia Hepburn, CEO of Windmill Microlending—a charity that helps skilled immigrants and refugees leverage their talents and build successful careers in Canada.

Together, they unpack the evolving relationship between companies and nonprofits, exploring how authentic partnerships—rooted in trust, flexibility, and shared purpose—can drive meaningful community impact. Andrea offers an inside look at RBC's approach to community investment, including its strategic focus on seeding, scaling, and sustaining community-led solutions. Claudia shares how Windmill's work is transfo...

For this week's episode of Let's Imagine, host Bruce MacDonald is joined by Émilie Pontbriand,  Senior Manager of Strategic Communications at Imagine Canada. Together they review and highlight some revealing findings from a series of public opinion polls Imagine Canada conducted in the past year, thanks to the generous support of BMO. 

Each poll focused on a theme or topic related to the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, with the objective of collecting data that would shed light on where Canadians stand on social issues as well as their understanding of the work of charities and nonp...

Pour cet épisode spécial du balado Imagine, Mélanie Valcin, membre de notre conseil d'administration et présidente directrice-générale de l'organisme Littératie ensemble, se joint à nous pour examiner en profondeur certains résultats révélateurs d'une série de sondages d'opinion publique réalisés au cours de la dernière année grâce au généreux soutien de BMO.

Chaque sondage portait sur un sujet ou un thème concernant le secteur à but non lucratif ou de la philanthropie et visait à recueillir des données qui nous permettraient de comprend...

Dans cet épisode d'Imagine, nous recevons Céline Füri, directrice des politiques et campagnes à Oxfam-Québec. En cette période marquée par les bouleversements et les changements politiques et sociaux, nous discutons de l'importance pour les OBNL de se faire entendre en employant des stratégies de communications et de plaidoyer efficaces. Nous abordons les relations gouvernementales, les communications avec le grand public, qui sont devenues plus complexes, et le pouvoir d'unir ses forces pour provoquer le changement. 

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With rising political uncertainty, misinformation, and growing polarization, advocating for change can feel more challenging than ever. How can nonprofits engage in advocacy responsibly and ensure their voices are heard? In this episode, Kathryn LeBlanc, social impact communications expert and Principal Consultant at LeBlanc & Co Communications, joins us to discuss how nonprofits can leverage communications to accelerate social change. From relying on trusted sources when navigating election-year advocacy to crafting clear, values-based messaging, Kathryn shares tried-and-true insights on how organizations of all sizes can build compelling campaigns that resonate with both decision-makers and the public.

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In 2020, the world experienced a seismic jolt of awareness related to issues of systemic racism in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd.  From global protests to bold declarations by the leaders of governments, companies and nonprofits, there was a deep desire to do better. Four year later, how are things progressing? In this episode, Emira Woods, Executive Director of Green Leadership Trust based in Washington, DC, shares her perspectives as well as insights and learnings from her work. A great example of inclusion in action, Green Leadership Trust is working to build a thriving environmental and conservation c...

Nonprofit organizations have had to navigate a lot of change in recent years—shaping the sector toward increasingly digital experiences and processes. Based on these needs, Blackbaud compiled the results of their annual The Status of Canadian Fundraising survey into a comprehensive benchmark report on how Canadian charities and nonprofits are faring in the current fundraising climate.

Tanya Turschic, Customer Success Manager, and Phil Hunt, Senior Demand Generation Marketing Manager at Blackbaud, join us in this episode to discuss key findings from their latest in-depth survey. They share insights into fundraising trends, digital maturity, and how nonprofits ca...

Joining us in this episode of Let's Imagine is nonprofit leader and author Angie Peters. 

Together we explore Angie's experiences and learnings from working in the poverty reduction space as the CEO of the Toronto-based charity Yonge Street Mission, as a social service provider tackling poverty in the city, and the 3 key elements integral to her organization's approach to systems: lived experience leadership, cross-sector collaboration and creating shared goals. We also discuss managing time expectations and how to frame these insights in ways that can be applied across missions and causes.

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Community foundations are created to support local community needs, using donated funds from a wide variety of sources. Every community foundation selects their own areas of focus, and how the funds will be invested and distributed within the community.

This episode of Let's Imagine features Danielle Gibbie, Executive Director, and Udloriak (Udlu) Hanson, co-founding member of Annauma Community Foundation, the first community foundation in Nunavut. They join us for a conversation on their foundation's origins, the reasoning behind their innovative consensus-based approach to granting and how this is shifting the power dynamics of tr...

Joining us in this episode is Dan Pallotta, American entrepreneur, author, and humanitarian activist. His experiences with dysfunction in the nonprofit sector have influenced his work, from his viral TED talk to his most recent project, the Uncharitable Movie. Together, we delve into deeply held perceptions about charities, how they are problematic, and how we can reframe the narrative and move forward. We also explore the potential of creative, breakthrough thinking, unburdened by costs & structure, as a powerful tool for real fundamental change in the nonprofit sector.

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Les méthodes et approches éducatives non-autochtones ont contribué à la colonisation des peuples et communautés des Premières Nations, Métis et Inuit. Quelles mesures les organismes à but non lucratif peuvent-ils prendre pour décoloniser les cadres et mettre la justice au centre du dialogue pour les peuples autochtones?

Dans cet épisode du balado Imagine, nous acceuillons Mélanie Valcin, présidente et directrice générale, et Krystyna Slawecki, gestionnaire des programmes de Littératie ensemble - un organisme de bienfaisance national qui consacre ses efforts à améliorer la vie des enfants, des jeunes et des adultes...

Non-Indigenous instructional methods and approaches have contributed to the colonization of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples and communities. What steps can organizations take to decolonize frameworks and center justice for Indigenous people in the nonprofit sector? In this episode of Let's Imagine, we're joined by Mélanie Valcin, President and CEO, and Kristen Miller, member of the board of directors of United for Literacy - a national charity focused on improving the lives of children, youth and adults through literacy. Together we dive into the organization's mission and its historic relationship with Indigenous communities, as well as th...

In a study from the Environics Institute, Future Skills Centre, and Diversity Institute, findings showed that nonprofit sector workers are less satisfied with their jobs than workers in either the public or private sectors. This dissatisfaction is exacerbated by lower salaries, precarious employment, and part-time contracts - just a few of the challenges facing today's sector workers.

Joining us on this episode are Laura McDonough, Associate Director, Insights & Knowledge Mobilization at the Future Skills Centre, and Steven Ayer, President and Founder of Common Good Strategies, and the author of the report. Together, we further explore the findings...

Two major interconnected challenges the nonprofit and charitable sector is facing today are changes to the way volunteerism is working - a shift from formal to informal and the lack of data to inform program design and decision-making to improve the work of organizations in serving our communities. With our guest Megan Conway, President & CEO of Volunteer Canada, we discussed two major initiatives led by Volunteer Canada that aim to help address these challenges: the National Volunteer Action Strategy for Canada and the Canadian Knowledge Hub for Giving and Volunteering. 

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On this episode of Let's Imagine, we welcome Paul Taylor, co-founder of Evenings and Weekends Consulting to discuss the importance of equity, diversity, and inclusion in board governance, and why many organizations struggle to actualize these principles. We also delve into the concept of decent work, the intersection of board governance with the promotion of decent work practices, and the role of board members in facilitating fair employment practices.

00:45 The Birth of Evenings and Weekends Consulting

02:37 Racial Justice and Board Diversity

05:36 Challenges in Achieving Diversity and Inclusion

08:55 Equity Benchmarking S...

On this episode of the Let's Imagine podcast our host, Bruce MacDonald and our guest Terry Carter of Carters Professionals looked back at some of the regulatory files the charitable sector followed closely in 2023 - such as the new guidance on qualifying disbursements and the alternative minimum tax. They also explored the key policy files that the sector should watch in 2024, and discussed the increasing complexity that charities have to deal with - for example, the new T3010 reporting requirements. 

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Social finance is an alternative to traditional finance models. While it may not be a panacea to solve all social problems, it has tremendous potential to propel organizations by offering a funding model that can help them ensure their long-term financial sustainability. While we've been hearing more about social finance in recent years, it is not a new concept. The origins of this type of financing are found at the grassroots level - it was created a long time ago by communities to finance community-driven initiatives.

In this episode, with guests Leena Yahia of Imagine Ca...

In Imagine Canada's recent research, statistics showed that our sector bats over the average when it comes to the employment of newcomers. While about a quarter of employees in the rest of the economy immigrated to Canada at some point in their lives, nearly half of nonprofit workers did so. With guests Senator Ratna Omidvar and Dr. Kimahli Powell, Executive Director of Rainbow Railroad, we discuss the unique strengths and contributions of newcomers to the nonprofit sector. Listen in for thoughtful reflections on questions such as how the Canadian nonprofit sector can adapt to increase its support and integration o...

Description: Saviez-vous que depuis le début de la pandémie, la proportion des Québécois et Québécoises qui font des dons a bondi de 50 - 60 % à 80 %? Pour cette épisode du balado, nous avons le grand plaisir de recevoir Caroline Richard, directrice générale de l'Institut Mallet, pour discuter de divers sujets, dont l'état de la situation philanthropique au Québec, les tendances en terme de dons et le très attendu Sommet de la philanthropie qui se déroulera à Québec en novembre. 

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Bien que notre secteur dispose de plusieurs points de contact au sein du gouvernement fédéral, aucun ministère ou département n'est chargé d'améliorer le contexte stratégique ou le paysage économique du secteur à but non lucratif au Canada. Par contre, au niveau provincial, il existe des modèles. Au Québec, par exemple, les responsables ont créé depuis quelques années une place au sein de l'appareil gouvernemental provincial pour soutenir les organismes de bienfaisance et à but non lucratif québécois. Dans cet épisode, nous examinons le concept d'une « place au sein du gouvernement » avec notre invité, Fabie...

While our sector has several touchpoints with the federal government, no ministry or department is responsible for improving the nonprofit sector's policy environment or economic landscape. At the provincial level, however, such models exist. For example, in 2020, leaders in British Columbia created a place inside the machinery of government to support charities and nonprofits with the appointment of its first-ever Parliamentary Secretary - Community Development and Nonprofits. In this episode, we are exploring the concept of a 'home in government' with our guest, Zahra Esmail, CEO of Vantage Point in Vancouver.

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In this episode, we are looking at the current state of the charitable sector, including demand, staffing, revenue, donation trends and how these will affect charities in the future. Charities have been strained for several years now, due to the pandemic and the rising cost of living which created unprecedented needs in our communities. Demand for services continues to rise and many organizations are struggling to keep up - 40% of charities have experienced a lasting increase in demand since the pandemic and 57% cannot meet current levels of demand, according to a survey commissioned by CanadaHelps for their annual Giving R...

Over the last decade or so we have witnessed the rise of new ways for engaging in the betterment of communities by providing access to investment capital, creating public-private partnerships and expanding the range of possibilities for identifying solutions to complex social problems. In this episode, we are digging into a growing part of the mixed ecology that makes up social good in this country - social innovation. 

Social innovation is broadly defined by new ideas, methods, and practices for solving social or environmental problems which, once adopted, have a transformative impact across organizations, communities, re...

What are charities and nonprofits doing to advance equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within their organizations? In this episode, we dig into the findings from a new study which provides key insights into our sector's commitment to EDI. The survey explores areas such as how organizations are integrating EDI into their work, the role of equity working groups in advancing EDI, the factors that enable and hinder organizations as they seek to apply EDI principles, and the role of leadership in advancing EDI. 

This study is part of the Equity Benchmarking Project, an initiative generously supp...

Au cours des dernières années, on a vu des reportages dans les médias - justifiés ou non - qui remettaient en question la gouvernance ou la bonne gestion de notre secteur. Certains organismes ont été scrutés à la loupe en raison de leurs pratiques de gouvernance douteuses - l'organisme UNIS en est un exemple, Hockey Canada en est un autre et, plus récemment, la Fondation Trudeau. Quand on examine ces cas de plus près, on constate que leur modèle de gouvernance soulevait des questions sur leurs pratiques, par exemple en ce atrait à des structur...

The last few years have seen some media reports that have called our sector's governance into question - whether justified or not. A few organizations have been under scrutiny for their governance practices - WE Charity is an example, Hockey Canada another, and more recently, The Trudeau Foundation. A pattern that has emerged when looking at these situations has been questions about their governance practices. These range from overly complex structures to issues about what the board knew and when to the influence of founders.  

The situations are different, but they have one thing in com...

The lack of core funding has a dramatic impact on nonprofit organizations and the communities they serve. Not being able to count on reliable funding impacts organizational health, capacity and resilience, which in turn negatively impacts the quality of services organizations can offer their community, but also the employment conditions of nonprofit workers, and the long-term sustainability of their organizations. This week on the podcast we're joined by Tyler Boyce, Executive Director of The Enchanté Network, to discuss this crucial issue, from a 2SLGBTQI+ community perspective.

In this episode, we hear perspectives from a counterpart organization, the National Council for Voluntary Organizations (NCVO), which supports the nonprofit sector in England. Over the past few years, an informal network of leaders from national umbrella organizations like Imagine Canada, NCVO, the National Council of Nonprofits in the US, and the Community Council of Australia, have been meeting to discuss a variety of issues - some that are unique to our respective countries and others that we share. With our guest Sarah Vibert, CEO of NCVO, we explore the differences and similarities facing charities and nonprofits in England...

This week's episode is a special discussion about the federal budget that was tabled on March 28. With guests David Coletto, Chair & CEO of Abacus Data, and Jordan Gray, Public Policy Specialist, we analyze budget 2023 from a nonprofit sector perspective, and more broadly from a social & economic perspective. Both David and Jordan are members of Imagine Canada's Public Policy Committee. What are the measures announced that will help support nonprofit organizations and the communities they serve? Are investments sufficient to help address the increased demand for social services and programs resulting from the long-lasting impact of the pandemic, and the...

This week on the podcast we're grateful to chat with Debbie Douglas, Executive Director of OCASI - the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, about the nonprofit workforce through the lens of the immigrant experience. 

National data from Statistics Canada, analyzed by Imagine Canada to identify employment trends in the nonprofit sector, uncovered that nationally, employees in our sector are more than twice as likely to be immigrants. In addition, half of all jobs held by immigrant women are in our sector. Charities and nonprofit organizations, which employ 2.4 million people, are, by far, the country's bi...

This week on the podcast, with our guest Annika Voltan of Impact Organizations of Nova Scotia, we're discussing work-life balance and the rise of the 4-day work week.

There's no denying that the pandemic has been difficult on all of us. Staff worked extra hard, and the lines between personal and professional lives got blurred with everyone working from home. A growing number of organizations, mostly companies, but also nonprofits, have started to explore new ways of working and providing more flexibility to employees.

If the pandemic was the catalyst for th...

This week on the podcast we're discussing a new study that looks at the influence of Justice, Access, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity - commonly referred to as JAIDE -  within the Corporate Community Investment Profession. 

The Covid-19 pandemic, the ensuing racial reckoning and rallying cry for justice resulting from the murder of George Floyd and Black people killed through acts of anti-Black racism, has taken corporate citizenship and philanthropy to an inflection point — an opportune time for reflection and assessment. To authentically advance change, how are the voices of Black, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI and other equity-seeking individuals being...

What recommendations for improving the legislative and regulatory environment for the nonprofit sector could be 'game changers' in 2023?

To kick off the first season of our podcast, we discuss policy files from a legal perspective that will likely affect the sector in 2023 and beyond.

Public policy often moves at a very slow pace, but over the past few years we have seen progress on a number of key files - political activities, the disbursement quota and direction & control.  What is that status of these files?

What could possibly come next? To help us m...

Thanks for tuning in to 'Let's Imagine' a brand new podcast by Imagine Canada.

You might be wondering 'why a podcast?' Well, there are a few reasons for that. 

One: our guiding ethos: together, we want to imagine a strong nonprofit sector. We believe that by leveraging our national vantage point, building cross-sector relationships, and sharing and developing our knowledge base we can advance social, economic and environmental justice through our collective action

Two: this format allows us to invite you into the conversation by hosting long...