500 in Five, a new strategic plan for Youth Without Shelter
In this episode Lynn is joined by Steve Doherty, Executive Director, and Mike Burnett, Community Engagement and Education Specialist, from Youth Without Shelter in Etobicoke, ON. Steve and Mike detail the "500 in Five" Strategic Plan and all that went into its development. This includes the inclusion of lived voices from youth at the shelter, obtaining buy-in from top to bottom and across stakeholder groups, and the importance of pressure testing their Theory of Change. They also discuss the importance of data to evaluate the success of their programs. Resources: Youth Without Shelter: www.yws.on.ca 500 in Five [...]
Exploring The Mount Community Centre
In this episode we explore the origins of the success story that is The Mount Community Centre, in Peterborough, Ontario. The Mount’s Chair Steve Kylie, Vice Chair John Martyn and Director of Strategic Advancement Andi van Koeverden share how a group of dreamers and volunteers transformed $25,000 in the Poverty Reduction Network’s bank account into a vibrant, 10 acre and $135,00 square foot community treasure focused on food security and affordable housing. Our guests share how the Mount came to be, and the innovative funding models used to acquire, convert and sustain it. Resources: The Mount Community [...]
Bold thinking on systems change in Canada, with Bill Young
In this episode of Impact Conversations, Bill Young, the founder of Social Capital Partners, joins Lynn to talk about creating impact in systems. Bill’s extensive business experience and social enterprise successes have given him some important insights about learning through experimentation, pivoting as ideas and opportunities present themselves, and trusting in management teams and their Theories of Change. Bill founded Social Capital Partners in 2001 and has been one of the leading voices in promoting social finance in Canada. He also sits on a variety of boards and advisory boards for social enterprises and community organizations. Bill previously spent [...]
Finding local solutions for building significant affordable housing, with Graham Cubitt
In this episode, Lynn interviews Graham Cubitt, Director of Projects and Marketing at Indwell, about his organization's approach to housing stability. Indwell is both a property developer and a service provider, creating affordable housing communities that support people seeking health, wellness and belonging, but doing so requires trust, creativity, and money. Tune in to hear how these factors were aligned. Resources: Indwell: https://indwell.ca/ Hamilton Spectator: Housing solutions waiting to be imagined Hamilton Community Foundation: https://www.hamiltoncommunityfoundation.ca/ Graham Cubitt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-cubitt-97212a14/ Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: www.socialimpactadvisors.ca Check out this episode!
Strategic Planning for Impact
Often, organizations approach their strategic planning by asking their stakeholders for ideas about what the organization should focus on next, without thinking about the overall impact the organization hopes to have. Stakeholders often have great ideas about what is working well and what can be improved (the classic SWOT analysis) and employees and board members are ready to share their vision for expansion or diversification of funding, risk mitigation or improved systems. With this approach, any idea can seem like a good idea. We think there’s a better way, using this 3-part framework: 1. What do we want to [...]
Workshop – Thinking Ahead: Making the Most of Your Strategic Planning Process
A day long training workshop with Lynn Fergusson, hosted by the Sustainability Network. We'll provide an overview of strategic planning and our approach to tying it to impact in a concrete, actionable and inspiring way. We’ll provide examples, then share tools and give you a chance to get your feet wet. You’ll get feedback from coaches and peers to take back with you. We’ll also look at how we can use measurement and evaluation, change management and a learning agenda to build your organization’s planning capacity, so that you’ll be able to see what’s changing and adapt your strategic plan as [...]