What is Innoweave? Application deadline!
May 9, 2019
If you’re thinking about submitting an application to Innoweave’s Impact & Strategic Clarity program, a reminder that the next deadline is Monday June 3rd. We’ve been coaching in this program for 5 years and have seen great results in organizations’ ability to articulate their impact and create a clear pathway to delivering it. We’re...
Youth CI Learning Circle 3.0
April 17, 2019
We recently had the pleasure of facilitating the Laidlaw Foundation's third annual Youth CI Learning Circle. Representatives from collectives, grant recipients and partners from all stages of the Youth Collective Impact process gathered to share their experiences working on Collective Impact initiatives for youth in Ontario. New insights about youth engagement, focusing on...
McConnell Foundation: 12 Lessons Unlearned
September 6, 2017
This is a beautiful and helpful resource, from the McConnell Foundation, reflecting on lessons (un)learned in the past year of philanthropy. With some great examples, the piece shares the foundation's experiences with 'small and large efforts to challenge the deeply held beliefs that stand in the way of a better...
Building Trust for Collective Impact
July 20, 2017
Successful collective action requires clarity and trust. Organizations that are clear about the impact they are trying to have themselves are much better at collaborating with others. An ability to demonstrate competence, reliability and honesty are foundational to earning trust from others. Trust Defined Trust is a big concept. Even...
Thinking Ahead: Making the Most of Your Strategic Planning Process
May 23, 2017
A day long training workshop with Sally Fazal and Lynn Fergusson of Social Impact Advisors (www.socialimpactadvisors.ca), an organization which works with not-for-profit organizations, foundations and companies to define and focus on the social impact they aim to achieve, and develop the strategies and actions to make it happen. The goal...
How are you? Busy!
May 12, 2017
I look forward to the day when more of us will answer the question "How are you?" with something besides "Busy." So many not-for-profits are operating on a shoestring and their leaders are so busy keeping the lights on and putting out fires there is no time left over to...
Social Impact Advisors Launch
April 7, 2017
We are delighted to announce our new partnership – Social Impact Advisors. We have been collaborating for years on our client work, from sharing our client journeys, outcomes, and lessons learned, to jointly developing and delivering workshops. We will continue to coach/facilitate with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation’s program, Innoweave,...
Hosting Innoweave’s Learning Circle and Upcoming Application Dates
April 1, 2017
Hard at work at the Learning Circle, at Foundation House. Sally & Lynn recently led a Learning Circle for Innoweave’s Youth CI Mar 29th, 2017, engaging Collective Impact groups at various stages to share their insights, challenges and successes. These collectives are groups of cross-sector organizations...
Strategic Measurement and Evaluation
March 31, 2017
Good strategy, by definition, includes the outcomes an organization will hold itself accountable for achieving. The better we can measure performance, the better we can evaluate our strategy and adjust or adapt it to achieve the outcomes we want for the people or causes we serve. Many factors go into...
Getting Started in Collective Impact
March 31, 2017
I have spent most of my career working in corporate settings, and have spent the past 7 years consulting in the non-profit sector. Since leaving corporate Canada, I have learned a lot about how successful strategy differs in this sector and a lot more about how it’s the same. Setting...