The Discovery Pod

The importance of continued social profit cannot be underestimated for organizations in any kind of field. Especially in times of crisis, it’s important that voices of organizations be heard to continue accruing this so-called social profit such that in the long run, the organization has something to work with on that end. Douglas Nelson runs down how organizations can continue building social pro...

The COVID-19 presents a seemingly insurmountable challenge for players in the social profit sector to continue providing their services and managing to stay afloat. Funding has always been an issue for these organizations, but it has become more so in a time when their services are needed the most. Today’s guest, Sandra Richardson , the CEO of the Victoria Foundation , joins Douglas Nelson to tell...

Although no one could have predicted the immensity of the crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the social profit sector is in many ways inherently geared towards responding to situations like this. This is especially true for United Way of the Lower Mainland , which has made moves to decentralize its operations and involve the community more. Michael McKnight , the organization’s CEO, ta...

Leading a hospital foundation such as VGH and UBC in Vancouver entails dedication, pride, and honor to serve a community seeking for quality health care. In this episode, host Douglas Nelson talks to Angela Chapman , the CEO of Vancouver General Hospital (VGC) and UBC Hospital Foundation , who shares her experience as an SVP who transitioned to become the SEO of the organization. Having experience...

The COVID-19 Pandemic has undeniably disrupted almost all of our lives. Along with the rest of the world’s business sectors, many social service organizations have found themselves operating with far from normal business models. This episode is very timely with the current situation. Host, Douglas Nelson, talks with the Executive Director of the  BC Center for Disease Control Foundation for P...

Most concepts of leadership are taken to be monolithic, without much variation in between fields. But the field of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership is one that’s unique in many ways, especially if considered side-by-side with leadership in a business or corporate setting. Susan Phillips is a Professor at Carleton University who serves as the Director of the school’s Master of Philanthropy and...

STARS Air Ambulance  has been saving and changing many lives. Not only by way of responding to medical emergencies but also through Philanthropy, inspiring others to help as well. The CEO behind this great organization,  Andrea Robertson,  is here in this episode to talk with Douglas Nelson about the origin story of STARS and how it maintains its enviable model and loyalty from corp...

Running a foundation, in principle, shouldn’t be that much different from being at the top of, say, a large corporation, but the truth is, there’s a delicate line that you constantly have to be toeing. Because foundations are philanthropic institutions, there are certain expectations about your goals, your operations, and who benefits from the resources you’re expending. Dick Vollet is the Preside...

There are many ways through which an individual or organization can measure the impact of philanthropy on the lives of the people it purports to affect. But at the end of the day, sometimes, what really matters most is that the change exists and is happening at the moment, and continues to happen. Andrew Chunilall is the Chief Executive Officer of Community Foundations of Canada, which focuses on...

Charity work is already a noble move. Rescuing charities takes nobility up a notch. Today, Douglas Nelson talks to Paul Latour , a motivational speaker and the creator of HeroWork Society , a program that inspires people, communities, and companies to come together to help renovate charities. Paul talks about how he formed HeroWork, its benefits, actions, and values. Paul’s four Cs to a successful...

When stepping into a bigger role, you have to be prepared to fill in the shoes—or even better, improve what has been worn out and make it new. When  Danielle Dunbar  took on the role of Chief Development Officer at the  University of Saskatchewan , she needed to pull together the team from a decentralized structure. Just as we hear a lot about in developing programs at universities...

Leadership moves. With this, many leaders often find themselves going from one organization or sector to another. For some, going through the motions of change can be quite difficult, especially on the aspects of adapting. Guest for this episode, Terry Kellam , is very familiar with this. From being at the University of British Columbia for seventeen years, Terry decided to move and become the exe...

Many typical or traditional hospital foundations are confined to the four walls of the hospital. The BC Women’s Health Foundation , however, has taken a different path. BC Women’s Health Foundation is British Columbia’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the full spectrum of women’s health. On today’s show, Douglas Nelson interviews its CEO, Genesa Greening, about the elements...

The Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion is a national charitable organization that helps the individuals and organizations they work with be inclusive and free of prejudice and discrimination. They also generate awareness, dialogue, and action for people to recognize diversity as an asset and not an obstacle. Michael Bach , the Founder of CCDI, represents a very important issue in the soci...

A lot of people who grow up professionally within an organization wonder at some time or another whether they need to leave the organization in order to advance their career. Saifa Koonar, however, chose to stay. Saifa is the CEO of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation in Calgary, Alberta. She’s been at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation for many years. Today, she joins Douglas Nelso...

Human trafficking is a crime that is quite overlooked sometimes as people do not think it is still happening in this day and age, but it does happen and is growing fast, especially when people do not pay much attention to this issue. In this episode, Douglas Nelson interviews musician and philanthropist  Paul Brandt  who spearheaded the #NotInMyCity movement under his Buckspring Foundati...

How do you tackle challenges head on when you have very big shoes to fill? In this episode, host Douglas Nelson talks with Jim Hickman , the Chief Executive Officer of Center for Youth Wellness , about his profound responsibility of stepping in for California’s first Surgeon General and continuing to build on the great work she started at the Center for Youth Wellness. Jim gets down on how their o...

A successful company is more than simply having a great CEO. A CEO needs to be backed up by an effective board as well. After leaving the commercial sector, Caroline Riseboro went to work for NGOs such as World Vision and The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health . Her experience in both foundations led her to become the CEO of Plan International Canada . In this episode, Caroline discusses the s...

Kevin Keohane, the CEO of  Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation , talks about CHEO Foundation’s mandate and how they strive to serve the community and help CHEO deliver the care that children need. Kevin shares the fundraising strategies and activities that keep the Foundation moving forward, and discusses the importance of building a diverse foundation around the community it se...

Being the new guy has always been difficult, whether in your social circle, at school, or at work. Having one of the highest positions in an organization doesn’t make you immune from this. Instead, it mandates you to build healthy relationships early on. Mike Meldrum, the CEO of Calgary Health Trust , shares the story of how he got over this obstacle in his early days as CEO. He talks about the ve...

Bringing cultures together is one of the challenges a newly appointed leader experiences. Andrea Seale , the new CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society , is the right person to walk us through such encounters after being appointed as an Executive Director and then permanent CEO of CCS. As a top leader, being able to approach anyone and any issues is quintessential. Sharing how she handles the manageme...

All youth deserve an opportunity to improve their lives and explore their potential. In this episode, Douglas Nelson interviews the CEO of Take a Hike Foundation , Gordon Matchett , who provides some information about his wonderful and helpful program for the youth to help them work through whatever issues are holding them back. Reflecting on his own experiences, Gordon shares some wonderful advic...

Leading a large organization is a huge task and can be very daunting for most CEOs, particularly one that is a national health charity such as the MS Society of Canada. Pamela Valentine is a clinical researcher and a leader of innovation who is also currently the CEO of the MS Society. Pamela relates how she came through the door of the organization in the most opportune time just as they were wor...

Campaigning for capital to support a wonderful cause is a noble job, but regardless of what it brings, there will always be ups and downs. Today on the show we have Teri Nicholas , who is known as a transformative leader in children’s health circles, and has been the CEO of BC Children’s Hospital Foundation  since 2011. Seeing the success of the facility, you could say tha...

Most charity foundation CEOs are in the position where people put them in the ownership, but the good ones are those who try to avoid having their names be synonymous to the cause. In this episode, Eva Friesen , the CEO of the Calgary Foundation , talks about collaborative philanthropy and shares the highlights of her 14-year career as the CEO of three social profit organizations including YWCA. D...