Five Good Ideas Podcast

Collaboration with other organizations can build your organizational capacity, amplify your impact, and help you serve more people – but only if you get it right. Successful collaboration starts at home – with your board and senior leaders building the right internal culture, competencies, and systems before you approach potential partners.  Liz Weaver, former Co-CEO of the Tamarack Institute, and...

Jake Hirsch-Allen, head of Partnerships at The Dais, a public policy and leadership think tank at Toronto Metropolitan University, joined Elizabeth McIsaac, president of Maytree, for the latest Five Good Ideas session to share his five ideas on how to adopt generative AI responsibly and effectively. Drawing from the Responsible AI Adoption for Social Impact (RAISE) program – a national initiative...

Dr. Megan Conway, President and CEO of Volunteer Canada, joined Elizabeth McIsaac, President of Maytree, for the latest Five Good Ideas session to share her five ideas on how to re-engage your volunteer community and attract new supporters. Megan talked about how to meet the changing needs and motivations of today’s volunteers, remove barriers that keep people from participating, and reconnect wit...

In the face of changing government policies, deepening inequality, and community crises, charities must act forcefully to respond to their clients’ needs. They need to be fearless and use all of their tools to advocate and manage risk. The Neighbourhood Group Community Services and Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre experienced a trial by fire in 2025 that tested their resolve – they face...

In this Five Good Ideas session, Annie Kidder, co-founder and recently retired executive director of People for Education, shares her personal experience of what it's like to hand off your organization to the next generation. What really happens during succession – what works, what hurts, what do you need to let go of, and how does a founder-led organization steer into a future where it can contin...

In this Five Good Ideas session, Aleem Punja, Executive Director, Future Ready Initiative, Aga Khan Council for Canada, shared lessons from leading and advising boards across sectors. How can leading with head, heart, and homework transform governance from functional to exceptional?  His five good ideas:  1. Start with purpose, not paper 2. Govern, do not manage 3. Centre equity and pluralism in e...

In this Five Good Ideas session, Sherri Torjman shares lessons from her 25 years at the Caledon Institute of Social Policy. In a field as complex and challenging as social policy, how do we stay the course and make an impact? Her five good ideas: 1. Find your North Star 2. Do your homework 3. Dream big - and small 4. Create the pathways 5. Tell your story For Sherri's full bio and resources, visit...

In this session, Zabeen Hirji, former Chief HR Officer at RBC and now in her Purposeful Third Act, explored how AI is reshaping the nature of work. As AI changes the relationship between employers and workers, why should people choose to work for your organization? How can organizations help their people thrive in this new era? Her five good ideas: 1. Help every employee understand their purpose 2...

In this session, non-profit consultant Claire Forster discussed how to make meaningful and sustainable change in your organization. How do you integrate a new function or program into your current structure? How do you communicate with your teams to ensure that the change is not disruptive or disengaging? What implications are there for the existing teams and culture and how do you manage that? Wh...

Liv Mendelsohn and Christa Haanstra joined Five Good Ideas to discuss how to build a culture that recognizes and values caregiving. Their conversation with Elizabeth McIsaac highlighted that creating a caregiver-friendly workplace is compassionate and strategic . Organizations that recognize this gain a competitive edge through improved retention, productivity, and workplace culture. Liv and Chris...

Mohammed Hashim, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, joined Five Good Ideas to share practical strategies to bridge divides and foster positive change in challenging times. His conversation with Elizabeth McIsaac highlights the power of genuine dialogue, community resilience, and grassroots action in creating a more connected future. Mohammed's...

Sharif Mahdy and Kwaku Agyemang, from the Students Commission of Canada, joined Five Good Ideas to share how organizations can engage youth to participate in systems change. “The deficit that we’re trying to address is this,” explained Sharif. “First, young people don’t get engaged and involved on these issues. Second, the process for engaging in our democracy is eroding. And the process for being...

Sarada Peri, founder of Peri Communications and former Senior Speechwriter to President Barack Obama, joined Five Good Ideas to share how to create messages that are sharp, compelling, and persuasive.    “What are some questions that I can ask myself to get to the one thing, the one thing I want to say?  ‘What is my purpose?’” asked Sarada. “In everything you do, you should start with ‘What is my...

Ingrid Palmer the Principal IDEAL Advocate at Realize, joined Five Good Ideas to discuss the benefits of applying IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Leading to belonging) principles in the workplace. "Belonging is a necessary component of our humanity and no one should be denied that fact," said Ingrid.  Ingrid's five good ideas: 1. Level up from IDEA to IDEAL.  2. Expand your und...

Bob Goulais, founder of Nbissing Consulting Inc., joined Five Good Ideas to discuss some wise practices to be more inclusive of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. “Most of all,” said Bob, “consider integrating Indigenous values and ways of being.” Bob’s five good ideas: Be values-based in everything you do Involve First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in co-development, collaboration, and partnerships Con...

Farzana Doctor is an activist, community organizer, social worker, and author.  In this session, Elizabeth McIsaac talks to Farzana about about how you can practice self-care and community-care around your work.  You can find Farzana's good ideas, resources, and full bio here . 

Diana Chan McNally is a frontline worker and advocate for homeless people.  In this session, Elizabeth McIsaac talks to Diana about what she's learned in combining both roles.  You can find Diana's good ideas, resources, and full bio here . 

Ombudsman Toronto is an independent and internal office that holds the City accountable to its residents. It makes recommendations to the City to improve its service and ensure they're fair.  In this session, Elizabeth McIsaac talks to Toronto Ombudsman Kwame Addo about how individuals and residents can get the most out of working with his office for positive change.  You can read the transcript a...

In this session, Sree Nallamothu and Fran Odette joined Elizabeth McIsaac to discuss how to create an accessible workplace. They explain how to be proactive, to move beyond niceties, the power of language, embracing intersectionality, and putting accessibility in the budget.  You can find the transcript, and Sree and Fran's full bios here:  Five Good Ideas for disrupting ableism in the workplace -...

In this session, Joan Garry, founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, emphasizes the need for proactive and ongoing succession planning, reframing it as part of organizational readiness, and the critical role of the board in driving this process forward. She highlights the risks of inadequate succession planning, such as difficulties in recruiting a competent replacement, staff dissatisfaction, an...

This session provides a guide to participating in nonprofit boards, drawing on the expert knowledge of Rick Powers, a governance and board leadership specialist at Rotman School of Management. Topics include the importance of understanding fiduciary duty and duty of care, addressing the "information chasm" between board members and management, the significance of financial literacy, CEO succession...

Your non-profit organization does good work and has an important story to tell. Media coverage can be a great way to establish credibility, build cachet, and reach a larger audience. But journalists are not necessarily short on stories or sources. So what are the Five Good Ideas for getting a journalist to call you back? Denise Balkissoon, Ontario bureau chief of The Narwhal, joins Maytree preside...

It can be hard sustaining a collaboration because tackling community issues together creates challenges to partnership and momentum. But you can set up a collaboration for success. Focus on four areas—people, resources, process, and impact—and the factors that determine their quality, like leadership, funding, community engagement, and the ability to influence policy and systems that lead to colle...

Silence around questions of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the workplace has started to sound more like complicity. Now people can’t talk enough about EDI. But how do you put all you’ve read and learned into action? In this session, recorded live on March 31, 2023, Dr. Tanya (Toni) De Mello, Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion, Toronto Metropolitan University, shared the ways...

“We couldn’t do it without you!” “Without strong partners, this couldn’t be done.” We use these phrases because they are at the heart of how we work for social change. Social change does not happen in a vacuum.  In this session, recorded live on February 23, Agapi Gessesse, Executive Director, CEE Centre for Black Young Professionals, shared her five good ideas on how community organizations, gove...