Home

Karma & Cents: Dexterity Consulting Newsletter

Summer 2010 - Featured Charity

Posted August 5th, 2010 by Gena Rotstein
in

Con't. from Summer 2010 Newsletter

With a partner foundation in the States, Tides Canada Foundation assists Canadian donors with making donations to American 501c(3) charities. 

Additional supports include providing innovative philanthropic, financial, and project management services for change makers - philanthropists, foundations, activists, and civil organizations. 

As experts who share your values, they work on issues like climate change, wilderness protection, marine conservation, aboriginal issues, poverty, and international development.
Tides Canada helps you make the most of your charitable dollars and improve the lives of people in Canada and around the globe. To learn more about Tides Canada, please visit www.tidescanada.org

Summer 2010 - Small Business

Posted August 5th, 2010 by Gena Rotstein
in

Con't from newsletter...

This month's companies:
Eligeo IT - Providing IT support services to small and medium sized companies.  Throughout the year Derek and his team volunteer and donate in-kind and 2% of annual profits in cash donations to  Brown Bagging It for Calgary's Kids , Scouts Canada - Chinook Council (ball hockey tournament) and several other youth and child focused agencies.

First Calgary Savings - A credit union with a heart! A member of Imagine Canada, this credit union is committed to giving back a minimum 1% of their pre-tax profit to the community, following ethical and environmental business practices, and engaging employee volunteers in the community.

Guardian Protective Clothing - is committed to Canada's youth by providing discounted customized hockey jerseys to the participating teams of the 1st Annual Eligeo Ball Hockey Tournament Fundraiser supporting Scouts Canada - Chinook Council.

Sky Fire Energy - SkyFire Energy is a firm believer in supporting the community in which it operates. For this reason, SkyFire Energy attempts to engage the public through education and demonstration at various community events in Calgary and the surrounding area.

Toms - The One for One Movement is about people making everyday choices for children.  TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what they're all about. The TOMS One for One mission transforms customers into benefactors, allowing TOMS to grow a truly sustainable business rather than depending on fundraising for support.

Spring 2010 - Board Fiduciary Responsibilities

Posted March 15th, 2010 by Gena Rotstein
in
What to look for when reviewing a charity's financial governance policies:

1.       How is the money invested?

2.       Who is managing the funds and are they arms length from the Board of Directors?

3.       What policies are in place for donor relations?

4.       What is the organization's corporate structure?

5.       What are the revenue streams for the agency and how are they managed?

6.       Who within the organization is responsible for financial management? And who on the Board is responsible?

There are some basic things that a charity can do in order to master fiduciary excellence.  As donors  you can help your recipient organizaitions achieve success along the way by guiding them through a process like the one developed by Mike Skrypnek.

The process:

1.      Conduct a Strategic Assessment of Fiduciary Excellence

SAFE is a formal process defined by the Center for Fiduciary Excellence.  Similar to a governance or fund development audit, this assessment provides thorough review of all fiduciary aspects of investment management for an organization.  The purpose of this assessment is to reveal opportunities for improvements around financial matters in governance, lower conflicts of interest and review of all roles and responsibilities in investment management for individual in the organization.

2.     Quantify your goals

This part of the process is BIG picture thinking.  Its intention is to highlight the wish list of ultimate near term and long term goals of an organization.  These goals are then quantified into a financial value thus allowing for the matching of current assets, and fund raising programs with those defined future liabilities.  Charities can then use this as one of the many pieces of sharing their needs with their donors.

 

3.     Strategic Investment Policy Development

Once the organization knows the values of their goals, they can then build an investment management plan to achieve these goals. 

 

This plan is also something that a donor would develop when looking at their social vision and determining the resources s/he want to allocate to that vision.

 

4.     The "What If" Analysis

It is the donor's responsibility to find out what their investee's contingency plans look like.  Charities are NOT obligated to share this information, so as a donor this is something that you should ask.  A strong charity will have prepared contingencies for best and worst case scenarios AND tested the plan and quantifying the risks/rewards of the hopeful OR the unknown.

 

5.     Monitoring and Reporting

Accountability between donors and charities is what makes a strong relationship.  The same thing is between a charity and its wealth manager.  There has to be ongoing due diligence of managers, custodians, advisors, of donor dollars beyond the presentation at the AGM.  Donors should make a point of asking what this relationship looks like so that you know how your funds are being in managed.

[G1]Add Link

Spring Cleaning—An Examination of Your Community Investments

Posted April 16th, 2009 by Gena Rotstein
in

You are receiving this newsletter because of your connection to Gena Rotstein and/or Dexterity Consulting.  To opt out please email info@dexterityconsulting.ca with unsubscribe in the subject heading.

You’ve just finished (or are finishing) filing your taxes, and you have the list of the organizations that you supported this year.  Did you know how much you donated before you tallied up the contributions? Do you know where your donation dollars went?

Spring Cleaning - GeorgeOver $8 Billion was donated to charities in Canada in 2007.  Numbers are still being calculated for 2008, but it is anticipated that those numbers are up, even with a negative fourth quarter. 

Since you made your donation, have you heard back from those organizations? What information have they shared with you?  In a past issue of Advancing Philanthropy, one of the most common complaints from donors about the charities that they contribute to, is the lack of effective communication.Photo courtesy of: George F. Draskóy 

 

What does that mean, effective communication?  In the world of strategic philanthropy, it means that you are actually hearing, seeing and understanding how your dollars have been invested in community. An effective investment in community takes into account the following principals of community development (Simon Fraser University):
  1. EquityPrimer
  2. Participation
  3. Community Building
  4. Cooperation & Collaboration
  5. Self-Reliance and Community Control
  6. Integration
  7. Interdependence
  8. Living within Ecological Limits
  9. Capacity Building
  10. Diversity
  11. Appropriate Indicators

                                              Photo courtesy of: Kevin Saint Grey

According to the Canadian Community Economic Development Network, CED is an evolving approach to building sustainable communities. 

Looking back on 2008, do your investments support a CED model?  Deciding what to “clean” off your list can be hard.  Here are some things to questions to help you determine your 2009 community investments:

  1. Is the program/ organization I am supporting developing its services based on the feedback of its constituents?
  2. What are some of the possible unforeseen ripple effects that will be associated with my community investment?
  3. Am I willing to make an ongoing commitment to the organization/project? 

CED is ongoing.  Therefore, change may not be seen in a year or two.  Building a community’s capacity can take several years.  As a community investor, be prepared to stay connected to the project for a minimum of 3 years to see the creation, implementation and evaluation cycle through to completion.

To be effective, solutions must be rooted in local knowledge and led by community members. CED promotes holistic approaches, addressing individual, community and regional levels, recognizing that these levels are interconnected. 

Tele-Seminar

What Most Needs Doing? Building Your Strategic Philanthropic Plan

Thurs., Apr. 30th

Noon, MST

Please see bottom of newsletter for flyer
 

Safe Haven Foundation

In the last issue of Karma & Cents, we presented the case for collaboration between charities.  The Safe Haven Foundation is one example of an organization that has the collaborative model at its core.  What follows is their story.

What do you get when you combine a vision with passion and two motivated individuals?  You get an idea that becomes a reality and it begins to change the lives of young woman across Calgary.  In 1996, that is how it began, with a couple talking over dinner about an idea.  This couple didn’t stop talking about it, they began to live it, and this idea became their mission to help young woman who were facing homelessness and did not have the protection of child welfare to help them acquire a safe place to live.   In the first year after its public launch, Safe Haven Foundation secured capital and the first year operating funds and construction of the first long-term residential program of its kind took place.  In November 2000, Safe Haven Foundation officially opened Haven’s Way (formerly Safe Haven Foundation’s Life Long Homes) to serve at-risk youth.

Over the last nine years, Safe Haven Foundation has continued to evolve and expand its impact on the community.  In 2003 they partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary who took over the management of Haven’s Way.  This enabled Safe Haven Foundation to focus its efforts on providing long-term funding to programs like Haven’s Way that aligned with their core values of:  prevention, accountability, respect, long term, education and individualized approaches.

In 2009, Safe Haven Foundation committed over $225,000 in financial support to Haven’s Way of Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary; Teen Mentoring Program of Big Brothers and Big Sisters; KICKSTART of McMan Child, Youth and Family Services; Evenstart and Dad’s Programming of Families Matters.

To date, the Safe Haven Foundation has changed the lives of over 500 vulnerable children and youth across Calgary.  Deserving young people like Jenn:

Haven's Way has helped me to become more independent in a sense of being able to live on my own. [The program] is set up it has shown me how to cook, shop, and clean for myself. Also, by showing me that living in a house takes a lot of work, time, effort, and teamwork in order to make the house look good and smell decent. In doing all this and paying a monthly rent and working a decent amount of hours I feel the need to move on knowing all these skills will help me on my journey. Now I have to succeed in my education to get fully where I want to go, and I feel I can make this long trip ahead. I'm going to miss the people I lived with, but it doesn't mean I can't visit!

...Brought to you by the Letter “C” and the Number “2009”...

Posted December 27th, 2008 by Gena Rotstein
in

For a PDF version of this newsletter click the link below.

Cookie Monster photo credit: http://s228.photobucket.com/albums/ee212/not_dead_yet_2007/?action=view&current=cookie-monster.jpg 

In today’s shrinking economy the charitable sector is going to have to start looking at new ways of generating revenue and securing sustainable funding.  Cookie Monster

Collaboration – or what the business sector might call Mergers and Acquisitions is going to be a common term for 2009 in the charitable sector.   Non-profit organizations do not like the words mergers and acquisitions.  These words are too emotional.  The word collaborate implies that there is the opportunity for two, individual organizations, with similar mandates to work within the same sphere. The definition of collaborate from the Oxford English Dictionary: 
  1. Work jointly on an activity or project
  2. Cooperate traitorously with an enemy 
I smiled when I read the second definition because we so often hear about how charities are “stepping on each other’s toes” in service delivery.  As donors and community investors become more attuned to how their dollars are being spent and as the economy starts look inwards, charities are going to be forced to collaborate.  This will be done in order to maximize the dollars invested in their social, cultural, educational, scientific, etc. cause.  The action of collaboration leads us to the next “C” word for 2009.
Consortium – An interesting example of collaboration is happening around Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.  A group of organizations ranging from medical teams to social service organizations to the city police have formed a taskforce in Lethbridge, Alberta to address some of the issues associated with this disorder.  McMan Youth and Family Services is at the heart of this consortium effort.  I had the opportunity to sit down with Liz Doleman, the Executive Director of McMan, to learn more about this partnership.McMan is acting as the fiscal agent for the FASD Consortium chaired by a representative from an organization called First Steps.The idea behind this group is that if they each take a piece of the FASD puzzle (diagnosis, educational services, job training, family education, community awareness and safety) then they can better serve the needs of this clientele.  Each of these groups has identified a specific area that they are experts in and are managing that one area in consort with the others.  Communication is directed through the group as outlined by the guidelines that they have established.  There is a clear understanding of which organization is responsible for providing the specific services.  This division of labour is to prevent the possibilities of duplications of services as well as to prevent clients from getting lost in the shuffle.
Clustering – Clustering is when a group of organizations come together to share resources.  One of the best examples of this is the Centre for Social Innovation in downtown Toronto.  A building on Spadina Avenue is the home to several charitable & non-profit organizations who are sharing common resources while working on their individual missions.  The driving force behind this type of clustering is the need for affordable workspace.It is generally understood that innovation is sparked when people meet and share ideas.  In the case of the Centre for Social Innovation, these organizations are not working towards a similar goal on a micro-level, but on a macro-level they see the benefits of sharing resources. What does this mean for you as a community investor?

Simply put, it means that as more organizations start working closer together you will be able to see greater impact for your dollars.  It also means that there will be an even greater need for you to hold those with whom you invest your community dollars accountable. 

Because there are several organizations involved in managing your donation, there is opportunity for greater impact, but also the opportunity for things to go awry.  You should know who the players are in the partnership, how they have each defined their roles and what you can expect to see at the end of the day after your investment is put to use.

Recession CartoonCharity in a Down Economy

There is much talk about how now it is even more important to be giving to charitable organizations.  I question this logic, simply because an organization that is well run and managed will have sustainable funding in place to see them through this economic downturn.  Instead, I think now more than ever, it is time for donors to think about how your charitable dollars are being invested in community.  There are several organizations that are in repeated funding crises.  Yes, organizations go through tough times.   No, I do not think we should abandon them.  However, unless you are looking at investing in long-term capacity building then supporting an organization in crisis is not the best donation.  Typically, an organization that is in constant funding crisis is one that does not have the foresight or management to take them to the next level. This means that they cannot protect your community investment and show you the return that you need.  The solution—ask questions.  As a donor, it’s your right! 
For a list of questions to ask an organization before you donate please visit: www.dexterityconsulting.ca/Questions_To_Ask_Before_Donating
Graphic Source: http://www.collegerecruiter.com/weblog/2008/01/are_we_in_a_rec.php
New Staff: Bridget Warner
Bridget joined Dexterity consulting in the fall of 2008. She has worked with the non-profit sector for over six years in the areas of Direct Marketing and Database Management. Previously, she worked at an Investment Bank as a Senior Database Manager. Bridget brings strong Project and Client Management skills to Dexterity Consulting, and enjoys working with clients to build social capital. 

Dexterity Consulting Goes South... Way South... Vol. 1, Iss. 3

Posted July 23rd, 2008 by Gena Rotstein
in

StampedeSummer in Calgary, means dusting off the cowboy boots and heading to Greatest Show on Earth - the Calgary Stampede.

This year was no exception. 

Talk about a philanthropic business.  The Calgary Stampede is a non-profit organization that attracts some of the largest corporate donors and other charities as strategic partners.  Everyone from major oil companies to hotel chains to food industry services meet at the Stampede Grounds for 10 days of fun, sun, booze, and cowboys.  How is this possible?  Why do so many businesses contribute so much volunteer and financial time to this one charity? Because they see the impact of their investment.  The Calgary Stampede Foundation provides over $600,000 to developing youth programs and activities in Alberta. 

Here is how the Stampede is structured:

The Calgary Stampede is governed by a board of directors that includes 20 members elected from the shareholders, eight members appointed and the immediate past president. Directors are volunteers and are not paid for their services to the organization.

Reporting to the board is an executive management team lead by Vern Kimball, chief executive officer. More than 300 year-round full-time and 1,300 part-time employees work with the team to conduct the day-to-day operations of the Calgary Stampede.

The Calgary Stampede has 46 volunteer committees working year-round to organize the various events and activities that occur during the 10-day Calgary Stampede and throughout the year. More than 2,000 community volunteers contribute their leadership skills, time and energy to making the Stampede one of the most respected volunteer organizations in the world.

Calgary Stampede shareholders are also volunteers. Unlike corporate shareholders, they do not receive any dividends, their shares do not appreciate, nor can they be sold. Shareholders elect the board of directors at the annual general meeting in March each year.

This year, the Stampede did something new - they jumped on the environmental band...er... chuckwagon.  On the grounds they promoted recycling.  Online they promoted the efforts they are making to minimize their environmental footprint. Small ideas, right?  Well in a city where curbside recycling is not the norm, having recycling on the grounds and promoting it is definitely a step forward. 

The Stampede also decided to offer people the opportunity to "recycle" their stuffed toys that they won at the ball toss games.  What I think was missing was the fact that these "recycled toys" were being donated to a hospital.  Though I am not sure if that has happened as I haven't heard anything about how effective the toy donation program was and I have not come across anything on their website.

The Calgary Stampede, has taken a business model approach to managing a charity.  They have set up a business development system that attracts companies (large and small), that links charities to consummers (Rotary, Kinsmen, Lions Club), that brings awareness of key issues (last year it was breast cancer with the pink cowboy hats; this year it was the environment) to the general public and that generates revenue for various charitable activities supported by the Calgary Stampede (4H clubs and rural development, to the Young Canadians Performance School).

The Board of Directors (George Brookman recently stepped down) runs a tight ship of 100's of volunteers and manages a budget of millons of dollars.  A well oiled machine, this organization not only sets the stage for the longest annual party held in Calgary, but also sets the stage for what other non-profits can accomplish through diligent and strategic development. 

What's New With Dexterity Consulting

Upcoming Events:

Canadian Association of Family Enterprises Lunchtime Presentation

On Wednesday, September 10th from 11:30am - 1pm at the Ranchman's Club on 13th Ave. and 6th St. I will be leading CAFE members through a high-level process of setting up community investment strategies for their businesses.

About CAFE: A member driven organization, CAFE is committed to assisting families in business and building their pivotal contributions to Canada's economy.

For more information, or to become a member please visit their website at: http://www.cafecanada.ca/.

The 4 R's Conference

From September 30th - October 3rd I will be participating in the 4 R's Conference in Sydney, Australia.  This conference explores the many ways in which human rights are intertwined with social and political well being.  I will facilitating a workshop on how Generating Social Capital builds bridges between communities and individuals.  This conference is being held as Australia undergoes a Truth and Reconciliation process.

For more information please visit http://www.the4rsconference.org/.  Please pass this information on to your contacts in Australia.

Recent Publications - Part II of Cross Border Philanthropy is now available to viewed at www.OnPhilanthropy.com.  In addition, the second posting of a series of articles aimed at the retiring generation has been posted on Retirement Homes.  Keep your eyes peeled for more articles featuring Canadian individuals, families and businesses who are doing effective and strategic philanthropy.

Update on the Book - Thank you to the following people who have participated (or will be participating) in interviews: Colin Glascow, Mary Tidlund, Clarence Guenter, Ken King, Harley Hotchkiss, and Jay Baydala.  Also, many thanks goes out to the various focus group participants in Calgary and Toronto.  Annoucements for future focus groups will be made on the Dexterity Consulting website.

 

Dexterity Consulting Welcomes its New Partners

Cougar Global Investments

Foyston, Gordon & Payne

PowerHouse Inc. - Inspiring business evolution

Sukha Yoga - Just as you take care of your community, so should you take care of yourself

Vancouver Focus

 

Upcoming Events, Articles of Interest, and The Book

Posted May 6th, 2008 by Gena Rotstein
in

Spring 2008 Newsletter

Spring is in the air.  Thank goodness, because this snow was starting to get to me!

 There are several interesting things on the horizon for Dexterity Consulting.  Please visit the blog for some recent postings and commentary on New York Times and Globe and Mail articles regarding philanthropy and the wealth transfer.

 Included in this newsletter is a flier for the Canadian Corporate Philanthropy Conference happening in Toronto on June 17th.  Gena Rotstein will be speaking at the conference on Small Business and Philanthropy.  A discount is provided for those who register through Dexterity Consulting (a registration form has also been included).

 Later this month, OnPhilanthropy.com will publish an article on the difference between Canadian and American donors.  This is a three part report looking at Organizational Structure, Attitudes and Taxes.  With limited resources for Canadian Donors developing philanthropic plans, knowing what information out of the States is relevant is imperative - this comparison highlights how our charitable sectors are similar and different and how our donors view the sector.  Copies of this article will be linked to the Dexterity Consulting Blog as well.

 Research is underway for a book on Strategic Philanthropy.  If you are interested in participating in a 1 hour focus group around this topic please email me at gena@dexterityconsulting.ca.  Dates and times for the sessions to be set for June in Calgary and Toronto.

 

Syndicate content

Back to top