The SickKids Foundation Innovators program empowers donors to help kids like Hunter, diagnosed with leukemia in 2009.
Tomorrow is the day that Canadians – and people all over the world – celebrate philanthropy and the incredible contributions that giving and volunteering have made to our society and countless communities across the globe.
National Philanthropy Day (NPD) recognizes the collective impact that the thousands of charities and millions of donors and volunteers have on Canada. But it's an impact that starts with each individual person and their unique story. People like Jeff Gallant.
After working as an investment analyst for several months, Mr. Gallant started to think about ways to give back to the community in the same way he works: innovatively, entrepreneurially and strategically.
The SickKids Foundation Innovators program empowers donors to help kids like Hunter, diagnosed with leukemia in 2009. SUPPLIED
Mr. Gallant has a special affinity for The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, because he had eye surgery there as a child. When SickKids Foundation asked for his advice on the Innovators Program, "it immediately clicked with me," he says. "The program enables donors to be involved with the hospital at a very deep and meaningful level."
SickKids Innovators is an exclusive group of young professionals who each invest $5,000 as part of the program and collaborate to recommend which priority area of the hospital to direct their funds toward in a Dragons' Den-style event. In the process, they network with other business leaders and are invited to signature events, meet with world-renowned researchers and doctors and receive behind-the-scenes access to hospital facilities to see the impact of their contributions.
Over the past year, Mr. Gallant and other young professionals in the program have met with "clinicians who are transforming the future of child health," he explains. "It's an active form of philanthropy."
It's also a successful example of how charities are evolving to meet the challenges of a rapidly shifting environment, where demands upon organizations and donors are greater than ever.
"That's exactly what we're celebrating on National Philanthropy Day," says Andrew Watt, president and CEO of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, which helps lead the international celebration. "Yes, it is the day we thank everyone who is helping to change the world. But it's also a time to renew philanthropy – adapt to changes in the world, look at new ideas and innovations, and reinvigorate ourselves to take on new challenges."
This year, Canadians can also participate in Giving Tuesday (www.givingtuesday.ca) to continue the celebration of philanthropy. The December 3rd event encourages Canadians to give back in the midst of the holiday shopping season. "National Philanthropy Day and Giving Tuesday are both great ways to get involved and are perfect complements to each other," says Mr. Watt.
An increasing reliance on fundraising to meet gaps in social, health, environmental and international development sectors, at the same time that government funding shrinks, is forcing organizations to adapt quickly, says Darrell Gregersen, president and CEO of the CAMH Foundation.
The information age has also had an impact. Not long ago, fundraisers would research potential donors before presenting their appeals. Today, she explains, "when we meet, they have done their research, too." As a result, donors are more self-directed in seeking out organizations to help them achieve a particular impact.
That shift is important for organizations to recognize when planning resources and staffing, Ms. Gregersen stresses. "We must ensure communication skills in our development offices are extremely strong. Our donors need to hear us speak with respect and reverence, but they also need authentic, straight talk that will help them have the impact they want to have."
While this evolution presents challenges for mission-focused charitable organizations tasked with keeping costs low, powerful partnerships can result, says Ms. Gregersen. "These donors are poised to move the needle in much more profound ways."
"Charities are faced with the need to connect with younger generations, from the boomer down." Paula Attfield is Executive Vice-President at Stephen Thomas Limited
Shifting demographics are also a factor, says Paula Attfield, executive vice-president at Stephen Thomas Limited. "We're losing the traditional donor, people born around the time of the Depression, who tend to give out of a deep sense of commitment to their community. Charities are faced with the need to connect with younger generations, from the boomer down."
In engaging these younger donors, she explains, charities face "increased competition for share of mind and the multiplicity of messages" received. To meet those challenges, organizations are breaking down silos between marketing and fundraising, sending out a cohesive message through traditional media, direct mail and social media channels.
Many charities are embracing new technologies and engaging young people in advocacy and activism in order to build lasting relationships that may ultimately result in their financial commitment, says Ms. Attfield. "Many young Canadians have more time to give than money, so they can be engaged as advocates before they are able to become donors."
As well, she says, "there is a lot of creative thinking and energy going into making charitable events more attractive to a younger audience, such as OktoberFEAST for the Canadian Cancer Society."
Ms. Gregersen says the stakes of getting it right are immense. "Life-changing things happen when donors and organizations work together. A woman with bipolar disorder told me that she had been unsure about having children, because of the profound challenges she has experienced. But because CAMH had set out to change that, she had the confidence to have a baby. She now has a little girl," she says.
"That drives me. When that baby is 15, I want her picture to be different."