Looking Forward with Bruce MacDonald
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“It's time to shift the conversation to health and well being as opposed to overhead and administration. I've been using a tree analogy. We all understand that we need to deepen the roots and have a strong foundation. If several branches of the tree break off in a storm, for organizations whose roots are not strong, the storm will break the trunk of the tree. Part of building foundational strength is investing in the kinds of things like digital infrastructure and digital technology that are going to last in the long run.”
“I’m hopeful that some of the practices that we've seen emerge through a crisis can shift our DNA and become part of how we as a sector work together more effectively going forward. With 2.4 million Canadians working in this sector, 13 million volunteers and 8.5% of GDP, we are a force to be reckoned with in Canada, and should be reckoned with. And if there's one thing we can do something out of this is to leverage our ability to use that strength for good.”
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Myths that Bruce wants us to leave behind
1. Because corporations have shrinking budgets, they can’t support the charitable sector. Many corporations have digital expertise that charities might not have. Corporations can share their digital expertise and help charities to assess their digital infrastructure needs to support them to adapt to the pandemic and post-pandemic world.
2. After we survive this pandemic, it will be back to normal and business as usual for the charitable sector. It is clear that the ways we work and collaborate and the way we deliver our impact in the sector is rapidly changing. Charities must start thinking about what is their future business model and consider how to design their workspace (physical and/or digital), work culture, and service delivery model.
Bruce’s tips on how can charities be equipped to face future storms
Build digital infrastructure. Whether it is through sharing resources and expertise with partners and funders, or hiring digital specialists on the team, charities need to act now to build digital infrastructure that will ensure the sustainable health of their organizations.
Diversify or maintain a diversified pool of funding support. We need a mix ecology for what is supporting the charitable sector, including support from the government, corporations and communities. The coming together of different stakeholders will allow for the charitable sector to thrive.
Continue to invest in impact sharing and storytelling. Continued and effective communication of the impact of charities and our sector as a whole has a profound impact on building and deepening trust with the general public.
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