Transitions. Reflections from (what I hope is) a Social Impact Thoughtful Mentor. Part V

My purpose is to support people and organizations through transitions, especially as they seek to do good, better.

Photo explanation. Thank you to all the fellow journers who have reached out to connect. One of the ways I most enjoy connecting with people is through a walk in High Park. I have always known that fresh air relieves the tensions of the city but apparently researchers at Stanford University now support that claim with evidence. "Walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and it is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing creativity and increasing physical activity." Thanks to Liam Black for sharing this research in his Peace, Love and Profit musing, which you can find on Substack. I encourage you to click here to subscribe.

My LinkedIn articles may be of interest to those who follow: #socialimpact #purpose #nonprofits #socialinnovation #lifetransitions #ESG #socialjustice #digitaleconomy #socialimpactjobs

1.?????? Social Impact Job. Have you noticed how job titles in this space are changing? Chief Happiness Officer. Executive in Residence. VP, Impact and Innovation. Chief Catalyst. I have had a few great ones myself: President and CEO; Executive Director; VP, Impact; Social Entrepreneur in Residence and my personal favourite – Senior Thinker in Residence for the Don Dunstan Foundation in Australia. Do titles make a difference? I think so, let me know what you think and share an inspiring title or two.

Today's featured #SocialImpactJob is with Pancreatic Cancer Canada . They are seeking a Vice President, Mission and Innovation, a new role designed to "drive a comprehensive and integrated strategy to advance research, improve care, increase understanding and awareness, advocate for patients and families, and ensure we achieve relevant, measurable, and lasting impact". Details on the position can be found here along with indications of how to apply. But don't delay. Applications are due April 19, 2024.

Call to Action: This is a devastating disease, and they need great people to help them make the impact they desire, and we need. Please check it out.

2.?????? National Volunteer Week - April 14 - 20, 2024. To commemorate this week, The Philanthropist featured four articles on the state of volunteerism in Canada and what we can do differently. Here are a few highlights from Joanne McKiernan’s article entitled Unpaid labour: Why volunteers can’t sustain essential services. Joanne is with Volunteer Toronto.

The article explores the challenges of securing volunteers to deliver Meals on Wheels, Joanne proposes that we should be paying for these essential services and notes that if a volunteer is not available, it is often the Volunteer Manager who resorts to delivering the meals, knowing that it may be the only food or social contact (safety check) the person waiting for the meal may get that day. Many Meals of Wheels programs already pay their drivers, including their Volunteer Managers.

In 2020 a Statistics Canada report indicated the supply of volunteers outstripped demand, with?52% of Canadians looking to volunteer waiting for non-profits to get back to them and while nonprofits need to revisit and streamline our processes, this supply did not translate into long term labour – especially on a consistent basis.

The trend to less volunteers is due to many factors, including the need for prospective volunteers to prioritize meeting their own basic needs. Many volunteers are newer Canadians, encouraged by government to volunteer to get Canadian experience but Joanne asks us to question if we are exploiting these volunteers. At the root, we need to explore who we rely on to provide unpaid labour; the design of these roles and how many people are being excluded through inappropriate screening practices.

What are the options going forward? Serve less people in need or prioritize the sustainability of these programs by paying drivers – and I would argue – while also advocating for long term change that tackles poverty and loneliness at its core.

Call to Action: Volunteer. Advocate. The need is great, and you have so much to offer. Your Volunteer Centre can find you the right match.

3.?????? Highlights of the federal budget 2024. There will be numerous pundits offering their opinions on what was in the just announced federal budget but here are a few things that stood out for me.

The focus of this Budget was on Millennials and Gen Z – particularly affordability of housing. As a mother of a 26-year-old seeking to get into the housing market in this extremely expensive city, I see this firsthand, it can be debilitating. The Liberals hear it too and considering how important this demographic is to the government’s election strategy, these efforts were clearly aimed to not only do the right thing but to get these young people back onside.

The Housing Strategy has many components including $17 bn in new loans and the sale of surplus federal buildings, post offices and military facilities to build more housing. The key question in affordable housing is always – affordable for whom?

Positioned as a Stronger Social Safety Net , the Liberals budget features the following (some previously announced). $200 bn over 10 years to strengthen universal public health care; National Pharmacare Plan with $1.5 bn over 5 years, covering diabetes medication and free contraception; Canadian Dental Care Plan, to be fully rolled out by 2025; Canada Disability Benefit with $6.1 bn over 6 years – this is $200 per person per month, much less than what advocates were hoping for; National School Food Program to be delivered through partners to over 400,000 kids; Child Care Expansion Loan Program, $1 bn to build new spaces and support renovation; increased student grants and interest-free loans; and enhancing the Canada Pension Plan.

New spending announcements were in the $50 bn range over the next 5 years and several of these announcements were already released throughout the past week. But the big announcement today was how they will pay for these promises – through an increase to the capital gains on sold assets over $250,000 – please note: this does not include the sale of your primary residence. This will only impact the wealthiest .13% of the population – meaning everyone I know is off the hook.

There was $2.5 bn allotment in carbon tax relief for small and medium enterprises.

The previously announced $2 bn investment in AI is needed to not only regulate and govern according to our values but also to open possibilities for economic and social impact. Canada has immense talent in this area, and we need to keep them in Canada; ensure access to needed data and information; and support the use of supercomputers which has been deeply impacted by Chat GPT and generative AI>

The Conservatives stuck very much to their key messages – it is fascinating to me how consistent this is done – indicating they will not support the budget as it did not meet their demands to (1) axe the tax – especially to help farmers and thus the cost of food; (2) build more homes and attack bureaucracy – like incentivizing permit closures by municipalities; and (3) capping the spending by cutting $1 for every new dollar they spend.

The NDP took credit for several of these announcements but said the Liberal government failed to act on corporate greed, particularly related to the cost of food, cell phone and internet service, and the role of speculators in driving up the cost of housing.

The Bloc focused on respect for provincial and municipal jurisdictions.

Call to Action: To see what the nonprofit sector was expecting, note this article by Imagine Canada .

Call to Action: Future of Good members are invited to a webinar on Budget 2024 and the Social Impact World. April 18th at 1 pm EST. To register, sign up here .