Calling all rural nonprofit organizations!

 The Alberta Nonprofit Network (ABNN) is hosting two virtual nonprofit Gatherings to explore and understand:

1.  Rural nonprofit workforce issues, challenges, and their causes.
2.  Promising practices and opportunities for the rural nonprofit workforce.

 Join us via Zoom for an in-depth discussion around workforce challenges, approaches, and strategies to support a healthy, reliable, and sustainable Alberta nonprofit workforce. The Gatherings will focus on creating a vibrant future for the Alberta nonprofit sector while providing opportunities for information sharing and discussion. These ABNN Sector Gatherings are in collaboration with ABNN, Volunteer Alberta, and Alberta Arts, Culture, and Status of Women.

We encourage you to attend one of these half day, online sessions.

Executive Directors and Managers
Monday, November 25, 1:00 – 4:00 pm, via Zoom
Register here

Front Line Staff
Wednesday, November 27, 1:00 – 4:00 pm, via Zoom
Register here

ABNN Monthly Gatherings

Join ABNN for online conversations through a Monthly Gathering. 

We heard from nonprofits across Alberta that you are looking for opportunities to connect with each other and the ABNN Network Stewards. So we are testing space for monthly conversations as a six month pilot and hope you will join us.

These Monthly Gatherings are intended to be a brave space where nonprofit sector leaders can gather, speak, and be supported – exploring whatever is present for you. This space is meant to be informal and a place for us to learn with, from, and alongside each other. Each month will be a different conversation based on what’s happening in the nonprofit ecosystem and who attends the Gathering. Participants determine the topics to have a conversation about.

Who is this for: leaders at any level in nonprofit organizations around Alberta. Whether you’re a networked organization, focused on a specific sub-sector or community – all are welcome. 

Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 2:00-3:15pm: Register Today

Previous ABNN Events

ABNN Gathering - Edmonton

May 15, 2024, 9:00-4:30pm | Lunch provided | Free admission
Pioneers Cabin (9430 Scona Rd NW, Edmonton)

Metro Edmonton nonprofit organizations are invited to join the Alberta Nonprofit Network (ABNN) on May 15 for the ABNN Nonprofit Gathering.

Join us for an in-depth discussion around workforce challenges, approaches, and strategies to support a healthy, reliable, and sustainable Alberta nonprofit workforce. The Gathering will focus on creating a vibrant future for the Alberta nonprofit sector while providing opportunities for information sharing and networking. The ABNN Nonprofit Gathering is in collaboration with ABNN, Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (ECVO), and Alberta Arts, Culture, and Status of Women.

Registration Closed

Full Day Schedule
8:30 - 9:00 am Registration 
9:00 am – 4:30 pm ABNN Nonprofit Gathering 
12:00 - 1:00 pm Lunch and ECVO 2024 AGM*

*ECVO members and non-members are invited to join the ECVO 2024 AGM, 12:15–12:45 pm.

Thank you to ECVO for sponsoring this event and Suncor Energy Foundation for supporting ABNN.

ABNN Gathering - Lethbridge

The Future of Fundraising - Panel Discussion

Join us for ABNN’s Quarterly panel discussion followed by a Q&A. Panelists will being insight into new trends vs traditional fundraising methods as nonprofits navigate raising money post-COVID.

Registration closed. View the recording.

Panelists: Ken Crocker: Senior Consultant, Global Philanthropic Canada

Ken Crocker is a Senior Consultant with Global Philanthropic Canada. He received a B. A. in Recreation Administration from the University of Alberta and an MBA from Memorial University of Newfoundland. 

Ken has been a fundraising professional for 36 years, and has worked with the Alberta Easter Seals Society, University of Alberta, Nipissing University and Memorial University of Newfoundland.  He received his Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2004. He is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP), and a past member of the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Ken has been involved in several capital campaigns, including leading the Learning Library Campaign at Nipissing University/Canadore College. Over the course of his career he helped to raise over $100 million. Ken has volunteered with Edmonton and Area Land Trust, CCAE, YMCA, Rotary, AFP, CASE, St Albert Minor Soccer and Sir George Simpson School Parent Council. He was a founding member to both the AFP Chapter and the CAGP Chapter in Newfoundland & Labrador.

Jelena Bojic: Director, Community Relations & Eternal Affairs, Concordia University

Jelena Bojic is a Director of Community Relations at Concordia University of Edmonton. Her role includes fundraising, community and government relations, and alumni engagement. Her career highlights include two most successful fundraising years in the history of Concordia University in 2021 and 2022, as well as running the marketing, communications and fundraising portfolios at the Edmonton Opera. 

Moderator: Roy Pogorzelski

Roy Pogorzelski is Métis/Cree from Saskatchewan with his family coming from the communities of Meadow Lake, Green Lake and Flying Dust First Nation. Roy has been involved in the field of equity, diversity and inclusion for the past seventeen years working in the non-profit, business, academic, internationally and in government sectors. Roy is a professional speaker and award winning Indigenous/Human rights activist. Roy works as an Associate Facilitator for the Canadian Center for Diversity and Inclusion, as an Allyship and Anti-Oppression Facilitator for One Voice One Team, an Indigenous Engagement Consultant with Harbour West Consulting and conducts research and facilitates training through his company RWP Consulting. Currently, he is raising money for the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre in Lethbridge. As well, through social enterprise his entertainment company has worked to raise funds for nonprofits through unique and innovative events in the past.

Building a Culture of Resilience and Positive Workplace Mental Health

Wednesday, October 12, 2022| 9:30AM MST | Recording available

Join us for a panel on The Cost of Inflation: Challenges, Sustainability and Recovery. The speakers will bring provincial and national insight as well as nonprofit and economic perspectives.

Panelists will include Andrea Hesse (Alberta Council of Disability Services, CEO), Todd Hirsch (ATB Financial, Economist), and Bruce MacDonald (Imagine Canada, CEO).

Registration is closed. View the recording

For any questions about the event or if you have a sector-wide topic suggestion for a future topical gathering, please contact ABNN.

About the panel:

Moderator: Vinod Rajasekaran, Publisher & CEO of Future of Good

An award-winning innovator, Vinod Rajasekaran is Publisher & CEO of Future of Good, a fast-growing digital publication covering the social impact world for changemakers. We are the essential source of journalism, analysis, and commentary to make sense of a sector and society in transition. Thousands of changemakers read Future of Good every day. Our groundbreaking summits on Black Leadership in Social Impact, Dismantling Digital Barriers and Transforming Funding Models have convened more than 3000 changemakers to influence and accelerate change.

Panelists:

Andrea Hesse: CEO, Alberta Council of Disability Services (ACDS)

Andrea is an experienced senior leader with experience in both the non-profit and public sectors working in a variety of roles and portfolios across the human services in Alberta for over 30 years.  She is currently the CEO of the Alberta Council of Disability Services (ACDS).  ACDS is the advocacy voice of over 145 community disability service providers across Alberta that support Albertans living with disabilities to live safely and with dignity in their communities, provides numerous capacity-building programs for organizations and serves as the primary accrediting body for over 85% of the PDD sector.  She has also held leadership roles in organizations serving children and families and was a senior leader with the Government of Alberta in the Ministries of Children and Youth Services, and Human Services for 11 years working on a variety of portfolios related to strategic and policy leadership for children and families.  

Andrea completed both her B.A. and M.Ed. in counselling psychology at the University of Alberta and has presented at numerous conferences and events.  As a community leader, Andrea served as a member on the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations as well holding volunteer roles in a variety of community organizations. 

Todd Hirsch: Todd Hirsch Consulting Inc.

For more than 15 years, Todd served as the Vice President and Chief Economist at ATB Financial. Using story, metaphor and image, he’s delivered neary 3,000 presentations, boiling down the complexities of today’s economy into simple language. He’s also worked as an economist at the Bank of Canada, the Canada West Foundation and Canadian Pacific Railway. For nearly a decade he taught economics at the University of Calgary and for the Executive Education program at the University of Alberta. He is the author of four books. His latest, Spiders in COVID Space: Adapting During and After the Pandemic, was released in March 2021. And for three seasons, Todd hosted a podcast titled The Future Of, which won a national award in 2021.

Bruce MacDonald, CEO, Imagine Canada

When carnivals and social good combined, it pointed to a path and for 30 years Bruce has been walking that route. From working for organizations that provide services to young people, older adults, persons with disabilities, community service clubs and sports and recreation groups, Bruce's experiences have led him to Imagine Canada, where he is the President & Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada where he participated in a collective effort to bring mentoring programs to kids.  

Bruce holds a Bachelor Degree in Sports Administration from Laurentian University, a Masters in Management in the Voluntary Sector from McGill University and a former record in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Since 2019, Bruce has served as Co-Chair of the Permanent Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector working with the federal government

Thursday, February 16, 2023| 9:00AM MST | Recording available

Registration is closed. View the recording

For any questions about the event or if you have a sector-wide topic suggestion for a future topical gathering, please contact ABNN.

About the Panelists:

Brandy Payne: Founder, Thriving Workplaces, Former Associate Minister of Health 

Brandy Payne helps leaders and their teams build a workplace where mental health can thrive. She’s a CMHA-Certified Psychological Health & Safety Advisor, helping leaders foster a healthy workplace culture, while addressing the underlying factors that impact workplace mental health.

Brandy has worked with organizations across all sectors, and is focused on meeting her Clients where they are at with tailor-made advice and strategies.

Jason Murray: President & Managing Partner, BIPOC Executive Search

Over the course of his career, Jason has worked on 500+ executive searches as well as a range of EDI services in partnership with client companies. Prior to founding BIPOC Executive Search Inc., Jason worked at a multinational executive search firm as well as a boutique search firm before that. For part of his career, he worked in the Consulting Division of Deloitte & Touche as the Human Capital and Strategy & Operations Supervisor. In this position he provided organizational management and HR services to the 994 individuals in the division, and was a respected voice around matters of equity, diversity, and inclusion and increasing representation throughout the organization. 

Jason has a community-facing orientation, and currently serves as Chair of the Board for the Toronto Fringe Festival. He has done work with a number of organizations that have a deep and abiding commitment to representation in the workforce, including the Canadian Board Diversity Council, Fora (formerly G(irls)20), and Pride at Work Canada. He has facilitated EDI workshops and talks for a number of organizations and initiatives, including the African Canadian Women in the Public Service Network (ACWPS), Business for the Arts, Innovators Alliance, National Dialogues and Action for Inclusive Higher Education and Communities, Supply Chain Canada, Social Value Matters, and The Walrus. He has been a roundtable panelist with the likes of the Hon. Kathleen Wynne, CNN’s Van Jones, and so forth. 

Jason holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, and a Master's degree in Management from Boston University (also the alma mater of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez). He is certified in unconscious-bias decision making and iOS app development, and has completed courses on predictive data analytics and the use of artificial intelligence in recruitment and retention. 

Miki Stricker-Talbot, Executive Director, Volunteer Alberta; Alberta Nonprofit Network Steward

Miki Stricker-Talbot is working to make the public good better, seeking futures that are equitable and just; nourishing and whole. As a settler based on Treaty 6 Lands in Edmonton, Miki serves as the Executive Director of Volunteer Alberta, and as a Network Steward with the Alberta Nonprofit Network. She believes in leading from a place of love, compassion, and curiosity, and strives to embody that practice through her work. Miki is the co-founder of the United Network of Innovative Change-agents Organizing to Realize New Strategies (U.N.I.C.O.R.N.S.) — an international movement for public sector innovators, and is a Global Fellow with the League of Intrapreneurs. Miki has been recognized as an Avenue Magazine Top 40 Under 40 alumna, a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader, and is a recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal. Most importantly, Miki is a mom to two amazing humans who help her (un)learn more about the world every day. 

About the Moderator:

Roy Pogorzelski is Métis/Cree from Saskatchewan with his family coming from the communities of Meadow Lake, Green Lake and Flying Dust First Nation. Roy has been involved in the field of equity, diversity and inclusion for the past seventeen years working in the non-profit, business, academic, internationally and in government sectors. 

Roy is a professional speaker and award winning Indigenous/Human rights activist. Roy works as an Associate Facilitator for the Canadian Center for Diversity and Inclusion, as an Allyship and Anti-Oppression Facilitator for One Voice One Team, an Indigenous Engagement Consultant with Harbour West Consulting and conducts research and facilitates training through his company RWP Consulting.

Roy is an avid community volunteer and has sat on many boards and committees and has volunteered his time at community events. Currently, Roy sits on the Chinook Sexual Assault Center Board of Directors and is on his second term as a Board Member with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF).

The Cost of Inflation: Challenges, Sustainability and Recovery

ABNN GST Info Sessions

Here are the topics and registration links for each session:

November 2, 2022: GST Audits/Examinations & Taxpayer Rights
9:00 – 10:00 AM MT (Volunteer Lethbridge hosting)
Registration closed.

October 19, 2022: CRA's Info Session on GST for Capital Property
9:00 – 10:00 AM MT (CCVO hosting). Registration closed
Slide deck: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UJP4nCcd_1LtlSIcB7pUEu4rqdFty0dG/view?usp=sharing

October 12, 2022: CRA Info Session on GST for Charities and Nonprofit Organizations
1:00 – 2:30 PM MT (CCVO hosting). Registration closed.
Slide deck: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DhJm8T2Q1xZKC4GfhmZPY9TQUU9MNEVp/view?usp=sharing

ABNN Webinar: Attracting & Retaining Nonprofit Talent with a Group Retirement Plan

Wednesday, September 14, 2022 | 10:00 – 11:00 AM | Recording Available

The uncertainty and hardship of the past two years have taken a toll on employees of nonprofit organizations. On top of the mental health challenges faced by many Canadian workers, the cost of living is going up – putting more pressure on employees’ well-being. And like many leaders in the sector, you may be struggling to attract and retain talent and keep them engaged. In the past, employers have seen group retirement plans as a nice-to-have benefit. But the pandemic has changed that.

Join ABNN and Common Good in this webinar to find out why a group retirement plan can help your nonprofit address recruiting and retention challenges and provide employees with greater long-term financial security. In this webinar, you’ll learn why retirement benefits have become a priority for employees and job-seekers, and how much value a good workplace retirement plan creates for employees.

You’ll also learn about the Common Good Plan, a modern TFSA and RRSP plan designed for the nonprofit sector. Common Good can help your employees’ retirement savings go 2-3x further. Now is the time to support your employees by investing in their future.

Presenter: Paul Duthie, Account Executive, Common Good plan

View the recording

ABNN Civil Society Fund Information Sessions