Let's Imagine

Vous avez visité un musée récemment? Vos enfants fréquentent la garderie? Vous avez adopté un chien auprès d'un refuge pour animaux? Tous ces services sont offerts par des OBNL, mais on n'y pense pas toujours. Et c'est ce que des données révèlent sur la perception de notre secteur.  Seulement 41 % des gens disent connaître une personne qui a déjà bénéficié des services d'un OBNL. Or, si l'on pense...

A donor becomes a row in a database. A gift becomes a number on a dashboard. A person in need becomes a story deployed to move that number. Somewhere along the way, fundraising can start to feel less like an invitation and more like an extraction - even though the whole thing only works because of something deeply human: the personal decision to give. And that decision is getting rarer. Over the p...

The hospital where you were born. The summer camp that shaped a childhood. The food bank that carried a neighbour through a hard stretch. The museum you wandered through last weekend. Chances are a nonprofit was behind every one of them - and chances are you never thought of it that way. That disconnect is the heart of this episode. Only 41% of Canadians say they know someone who has used the serv...

Every September, millions of students head back to school. For many, it's a familiar rhythm - new school supplies, new teachers, a fresh start. But for young people growing up in low-income communities, the season carries a heavier question: not just whether they'll show up, but whether they'll be able to stay, belong, and imagine a future that includes post-secondary education at all.   The nonpr...

Attirer l'attention des élus et des médias est déjà difficile. Le faire en mobilisant des organismes déjà débordés relève d'un défi encore plus grand. Pourtant, une initiative du secteur communautaire rassemble des organismes de partout au Québec pour revendiquer la reconnaissance du rôle essentiel du communautaire et la fin du financement précaire.   Dans cet épisode du balado Imagine, nous recev...

Across the nonprofit and charitable sector, organizations regularly talk about equity, community impact, and meeting people where they are. But there's a harder question that often goes unasked: who is actually doing the fundraising - and who isn't? Fundraising teams frequently don't reflect the diversity of the communities they raise funds for. That gap isn't just a moral concern - it has real co...

Across northern Canada, geography, distance, and limited infrastructure have long made equitable access to education harder to achieve. Connected North was designed to change that - using interactive video technology to connect northern classrooms with scientists, artists, Elders, and other experts. Launched with support from Cisco Systems and now operated by TakingITGlobal, it is built on a found...

Canada's economic landscape has shifted significantly in recent years. Businesses are navigating inflation, labour shortages, digital transformation, and growing geopolitical and trade uncertainty - including questions about the future of Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreements. As businesses adapt to these pressures, the effects ripple across the nonprofit sector.   Corporate donations, sponsors...

As International Women's Day approaches, we're invited not only to celebrate progress, but to confront the systems that still shape inequality in the world of work. One of the clearest examples is the experience of mothers in the workplace - a reality nearly every organization assumes it understands, yet few have truly designed for. For decades, workplace structures were built around outdated assu...

As we mark Black History Month, we honour the vision, courage, and generosity of Black leaders whose work has long shaped Canada's nonprofit and charitable sector. From grassroots mutual aid to community organizing and philanthropy, Black leadership has powered social change - often without the recognition it deserves. At the same time, Black leaders and professionals continue to navigate workplac...

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 cl...

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 Comm...

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...

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 nonprofi...

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, h...

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 fundraisin...

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 grow...

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,...

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 partn...

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 nonpro...

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 suje...

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 communic...

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 com...

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 Trus...

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 Tursch...