Diana Chan McNally is a frontline worker and advocate for homeless people.  In this session, Elizabeth McIsaac talks to Diana about what she's learned in combining both roles.  You can find Diana's Good Resources and full bio here.  ..read more

Ombudsman Toronto is an independent and internal office that holds the City accountable to its residents. It makes recommendations to the City to improve its service and ensure they're fair.  In this session, Elizabeth McIsaac talks to Toronto Ombudsman Kwame Addo about how individuals and residents can get the most out of working with his office for positive change.  You can read the transcript and Kwame's full bio here: Five Good Ideas on working with Ombudsman Toronto for positive change - Maytree ..read more

In this session, Sree Nallamothu and Fran Odette joined Elizabeth McIsaac to discuss how to create an accessible workplace. They explain how to be proactive, to move beyond niceties, the power of language, embracing intersectionality, and putting accessibility in the budget.  You can find the transcript, and Sree and Fran's full bios here: Five Good Ideas for disrupting ableism in the workplace - Maytree ..read more

In this session, Joan Garry, founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, emphasizes the need for proactive and ongoing succession planning, reframing it as part of organizational readiness, and the critical role of the board in driving this process forward. She highlights the risks of inadequate succession planning, such as difficulties in recruiting a competent replacement, staff dissatisfaction, and donor anxiety. For Joan's full bio, resources, and the session transcript, visit the Five Good Ideas website ..read more

This session provides a guide to participating in nonprofit boards, drawing on the expert knowledge of Rick Powers, a governance and board leadership specialist at Rotman School of Management. Topics include the importance of understanding fiduciary duty and duty of care, addressing the "information chasm" between board members and management, the significance of financial literacy, CEO succession planning, board memberships and recruiting, and dealing with conflicts of interest. Rick places emphasis on the necessity for passion about the cause, as well as clarity of role expectations for effe ..read more

Your non-profit organization does good work and has an important story to tell. Media coverage can be a great way to establish credibility, build cachet, and reach a larger audience. But journalists are not necessarily short on stories or sources. So what are the Five Good Ideas for getting a journalist to call you back? Denise Balkissoon, Ontario bureau chief of The Narwhal, joins Maytree president Elizabeth McIsaac to explain how she identifies stories and sources. For Denise's ideas, resources, and full bio, visit the Five Good Ideas session page ..read more

In this session, originally recorded on November 26, 2019, we look at how your non-profit can minimize the risk of a CRA audit, and be in a good position if and when that auditor gives your organization a call. Our guest speaker for this session is Susan Manwaring.   For the full transcript and the ideas, visit https://maytree.com/five-good-ideas/five-good-ideas-about-staying-on-the-right-side-of-the-cra/   Charities know about the tax regulations that govern their work and work hard to stay compliant. That said, as organizations are all faced with competing pressures for time and re ..read more

In the session you’re about to hear, originally recorded on October 29, 2019, we look at podcasting as a tool for non-profits to reach and engage new audiences.   As we began to explore the medium of podcasting at Maytree, we reached out to Ausma Malik, Director of Social Engagement at the Atkinson Foundation and the host and producer of its popular Just Work It podcast. Ausma is a longtime podcast enthusiast, and has a background in policy, social justice, community organizing, and communications.   For the full transcript and the ideas, visit https://maytree.com/five-good-ideas/fiv ..read more

In this session, you’ll hear Paulette’s ideas on reflexive leadership as a lifelong effort to do the hard work of changemaking, starting with yourself and moving outward to your organization and broader society.   For the full transcript and the ideas, visit https://maytree.com/five-good-ideas/five-good-ideas-about-reflexive-leadership/.   Every leader wants to become the most effective they can be, and leaders of changemaking organizations carry a special responsibility to “be the change.” But there’s always a gap between how you see yourself and how others see and experience you. C ..read more

In this session, originally recorded on April 30, 2019, we tackle team-building with Naki Osutei.   For the full transcript and ideas, visit https://maytree.com/five-good-ideas/five-good-ideas-for-building-strong-teams/   Individuals may generate ideas but teams bring them to life. In some cases we are working with teams of people who report to us in a workplace setting, in other instances our teams may be composed of volunteers. We may have a team of 2 people or a team of 200. But in all cases, the strongest teams are made up of people who believe that their efforts will have positi ..read more