The Discovery Pod

The less we understand what philanthropy is all about, the less our ability to have the impact that we want. Guest Phil Buchanan, the President of The Center for Effective Philanthropy, greatly advocates for the importance of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector and helps foundations and individual donors to maximize their impact. Today on The Discovery Pod, Phil dives deep into the link between...

Running an organization against cancer for years, Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation’s Executive Director Jaime Wilson has developed a strategy on how to efficiently build a fundraising campaign and work hand in hand with others. As Jaimie capitalizes on providing hope and faith for cancer patients, she also builds a database and aims at extending the organization’s reach. Jaime shares her e...

Working in any mental health organization in itself is technically challenging and keeps any worker emotionally invested where focusing on the mission can be more challenging. Darrell Burnham, the CEO of a community-based mental health organization called Coast Mental Health, talks about how he manages to stay connected with the mission while working with the staff and board. He shares that he’s b...

Providing welfare to those in need or what is called philanthropy is not as easy as it seems. Veronica Carroll, CEO of Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver, points out that philanthropy is not just about donations and rich people giving their money to poor communities; it is more than that. Veronica says that donors do not just donate but also work with them hand in hand after the organizatio...

There are a lot of means to develop a community, but it is incomparable to build one through the power of food. David Long, the CEO of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, walks us through how he became the leader of a donor-centric organization. As he recounts the compassionate people who helped through donations and other assistance, he shares what the perception of the food bank is and how he sees...

Deep engagement in an organization can only be made possible through radical listening. President and CEO of Central City Foundation, Jennifer Johnstone, defines what radical listening is and how it has created an authentic and healthy relationship within a community. Starting off her career in the non-profit sector as the founding program coordinator with the Whistler Centre for Business and the...

There is so much hope in young entrepreneurs and promising future to every startup that we tend to forego. Conversely, Karen Greve Young never misses out on these business ideas that may actually change the world. CEO of the Futurpreneur Canada, a non-profit organization that has been fueling the entrepreneurial passions of Canada’s young enterprise for two decades, Karen touches on how they help...

Generative leadership means getting the board at the appropriate level, and keeping them there in a very successful and strategically beneficial way. Kevin McCort, CEO of the Vancouver Foundation, dives deep into generative leadership when working with your board. Kevin shares his journey towards taking the shift from being in the international realm for 25 years working with two leading Canadian...

Not everyone can be a leader. Leadership is a privilege and it is about getting people together to achieve a specific purpose. Having the opportunity to be a leader is Pascal Spothelfer, CEO of Genome BC, who has taken on leadership roles in both the business and social sector. Shifting from profit to non-profit organizations and vice versa, Pascal describes that leading both sectors is not entire...

All of us are capable of doing extraordinary things that help and uplift other people. Bringing this to healthcare and philanthropy, Karen Jeu – President of California Pacific Medical Center Foundation – takes us into the final stages of a really important campaign which aims to open two brand new hospitals within the whole Bay Area. Karen talks about the importance of the conversation on philant...

Losing a loved one can be tragic and traumatic. It takes a lot of courage and determination to bounce back from the grief that it takes along. Patrick Sullivan, Founder and President of Team Finn Foundation, shares how losing his son to cancer changed his life. A lawyer by profession, Patrick walks us through his transition from leading a journey to conquer cancer and making scientists more aware...

Social profit organizations have their respective mission that sets their team into motion. As much as it is essential to have a clear vision of where an organization is positioned, to keep it engaged to the purpose is also crucial. Diana Gibson, a serial founder of social profit organizations, gives insights on the relevance of bottom-up leadership and flex time in an organization. Even with her...

No one is insignificant in driving forward that sense of mission and purpose when you are part of a social profit organization. Barbara Grantham, CEO of VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, dives into the power of healthcare philanthropy as she instills the vision and mission of their organization. Accentuating their purpose to allow people to show a different side of them, Barbara shares how they b...

Not all social profit organizations have massive attention. Some are focused on the youth while others are dedicated to environmental issues. United Way of the Lower Mainland is an organization who is not only focused on one but three areas – the youth, the unfortunate, and the senior citizens. Michael McKnight, CEO of United Way of the Lower Mainland, shares how he faced the biggest challenge of...

Empowering young people is the key to a promising future in the world. That is why encouraging them to take charge of their lives should be everyone’s focus. CEO of Asante Africa Foundation, Erna Grasz built a non-profit organization that is intimately-focused on the academic education of young people in East Africa with the purpose to help them develop the skills that will launch them into a care...

Entering an organization where you don’t have a solid background on one of its core businesses can be challenging. Ian Rye of Pacific Opera Victoria can attest to this. With his expertise in arts administration, he admits that he was not fully-trained in fundraising before becoming the CEO of one of Canada’s leading opera companies. Regardless of that, Ian put in the extra effort to strengthen his...

Money can be a great blessing to the one who gives and receives when it comes out of genuine support. Raising money for a cause is not everyone’s cup of tea. Mike House, however, is an exception. Mike’s fervor rooted from what he went through as a child with some pretty severe health issues. Bringing children’s healthcare forward, Mike became the CEO and President of Stollery Children’s Hospital F...

Founders are those people who saw a need and filled it. Someone who has done that in the area of brain health is the Founder of Watson Centre for Brain Health, Mark Watson. Many of us may have been planning to create and start something – be that a business, a cause, a company, or others. Giving us a look of that, Mark talks about what it means to form an organization and everything that’s involve...

It may seem like a huge move when we think of business people transitioning to the non-profit sector, but Janet Yale has taken that transition in easy strides. As someone who already has a passion for philanthropy, Janet has smoothly moved her way to becoming the CEO of the Arthritis Society (Canada). Janet shares with us the differences she encountered along the way, particularly that of dealing...