Three resource websites for busy non-profit leaders in Canada

Successful non-profit leaders understand the importance of growing their leadership skills and staying up to date with the latest charity news. But finding the time to do so can be a challenge. Here are three websites that will make it easier for you to stay informed.

CanadaHelps: Helping charities and their leaders become better online fundraisers

CanadaHelps specializes in supporting Canadian charities setting up their online fundraising programs. But it offers more than just an online fundraising platform. Through its Charity Life blog, it offers non-profit leaders a place for inspiration and information about online fundraising and running a successful charity.

• A recent post talked about peer-to-peer fundraising and how it is among the fastest growing source of charitable donations.
• Its CEO, Marina Glogovac, also blogs frequently about topics that matter to her peers, including posts on why charities receive less during the summer and tools to measure and share your charitable impact.
• Other posts look at trends such as three ways non-profit boards can mind the diversity gap and how Canadians prefer to engage with their favourite causes and charities.

On the CanadaHelps website, you can also find additional resources, such as recordings of webinars as well as educational materials on the different online fundraising tools.

Imagine Canada: Strengthening the charitable sector for a stronger Canada

Imagine Canada’s blog is the go-to place for non-profit leaders to find information on key debates and challenges in the sector, as well as tips on how to make your organization stronger.

• Its most recent post on the marketization of the non-profit sector talks about how the decrease in government funding to the sector put some organizations at risk of compromising the fundamental character of their work as they have to engage in income-generating activities.
• How to keep your funding proposal out of the trash bin provides you with some welcome and timely tips on how to ensure your grant proposal actually gets read and acted on.
• Reconciliation in the charitable sector looks at the responsibility of the sector “to acknowledge the truths of our collective histories with Indigenous peoples and work towards reconciling for our future.”

The Resources and tools section on the website offers additional resources on building your organization’s capacity. Resources available include Grant Connect, which gives you information on thousands of funders and also offers management tools to track your data, and Research and Facts, where you find different downloadable reports about Canada’s charitable and non-profit sector.

Charity Village: Bringing you more than just the latest jobs

While it’s well known for listing the latest job and volunteer opportunities, Charity Village is also a great place to explore various aspects of non-profit leadership. The knowledge centre is an excellent resource for non-profit leaders, offering free resources, reports, and articles on a broad range of non-profit related topics.

• Digital transformation: What it is, why it’s important and how to get started talks about how to get started with digital transformation in your organization.
• The over-solicitation blues: How Canadian charities can prevent donor fatigue looks at the latest research and tips on how to prevent donor fatigue.
• Time for a refresh: The practice of sabbaticals in the nonprofit sector explores how non-profit leaders can use sabbaticals to recharge their careers.

Charity Village also offers monthly free webinars on different topics relevant to professionals working in the non-profit sector. For example, its most recent webinar was on strategic planning. It also offers eLearning courses with the option of earning a completion certificate.