It goes without saying that COVID-19 brought with it significant challenges for boards of charitable and nonprofit organizations. While adjusting to the pandemic has been the main priority in 2020, there was also a wide range of additional or related topics vying for boards’ attention this year, from risk management to diversity and inclusion, and agile teams, to name a few.

On November 10, 2020, Imagine Canada hosted a convening with 30+ charitable and nonprofit organizations to discuss how federal COVID-19 supports could be improved, and what resources and initiatives would help more organizations access much-needed relief. Here is what attendees told us.

The holiday season has arrived and with it, the usual lists of charity rankings.  It has been a couple of years since Imagine Canada has written about these inevitable lists that attempt to rate the performance of one charity over another.  We felt it was time to revisit the annual rankings this year as the global COVID-19 pandemic has ‘raised the stakes’ related to holiday giving.

There are countless stories about thriving nonprofits who rely solely on a large government grant each year. They do amazing work and help hundreds in their communities, but a shift in political leadership, for example, could lead to a cancellation of their grant. Programs can then shut down and the organization struggles to stay afloat.

As fundraisers, we are on the frontlines of securing resources to keep our causes alive.