Fundraising Day

Message From the Chair

I start this message with gratitude for the leaders and organizations in the non-profit sector who lived through the pandemic.

Whether your organization survived, adapted, built resilience or was forced to temporarily or permanently reduce programs and services, we thank you.

What we know with certainty is that anyone who dedicates their time, resources, skills and competencies to the non-profit sector does it out of a deeper vocation to make this world better.

While most charities and not-profit organizations were able to adapt and innovate, the situation for many has been incredibly challenging.

The constraints and uncertainty of the pandemic, paired with unpredictable social distancing mandates, brought significant changes to organizational priorities and has dramatically changed how organizations operate.

Today, as the world opens up, organizations are navigating the challenges of the growing gap between capacity and demand, along with revenue and resources. This challenge is influencing staffing decisions and volunteer contributions. But the gap goes even further: while most large organizations with greater visibility, connections and influence were able to thrive in recent years, smaller community organizations had to close their doors.

In 2023, we are navigating a struggling economy, a decline in charitable giving and a workforce crisis amid increased demand for services.

So how do we close these gaps in a way that will strengthen the non-profit sector as whole, in order to support all the communities this sector serves?

I’m thrilled to share that this year’s theme is ELEVATE to Empower.

A call to all Canadians and leaders to unite, engage and collaborate to ensure no charity and non-profit will be left behind.

From the largest charities to the smallest community organization, we invite you to join us for Fundraising Day to invest in your development, as we collectively share best practices and strategies to elevate the non-profit sector.

We will explore greater engagement and financial gifts and re-examine the fundraising culture to strengthen our ability to secure crucial funding for the long-term viability of organizations.

These are some of the many conversations we are looking to lean into.

To advance and truly leave no organization behind, we need to reflect on where we are as a sector today, and engage in open and honest dialogues that challenge us to explore realistic solutions that will elevate all members of our sector in order to empower the communities we have committed to serve.

Join us for unorthodox, authentic and powerful conversations and workshops that will leave you inspired, educated and challenge you to think differently as a leader and community builder.

Let’s Elevate And Empower!