capacity · 2014-08-28 · strengthens, connects and celebrates our social leaders, ......
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CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION | 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
We are filling the gap by supporting our community
changemakers. In one of Canada's most prosperous
regions, we believe social innovation should benefit
from the same type of resources that have helped
cultivate our for-profit sector's notable innovation
culture. By building an enabling environment that
strengthens, connects and celebrates our social
leaders, we can help them realize their full potential.
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2012 ANNUAL REPORT | CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARDDown with inertia, up with innovation.
For-profit companies achieve success by taking on informed risks. They commit to training and retraining. They expect employees to tackle challenges, not shy away from them.
They see failure as an opportunity, not a catastrophe.
So why do we hold our non-profit social agencies to a different standard? Why
do we hold them to very tight budgets, ask them to plan
down to the penny, and don’t give them any slack?
That’s not our way of thinking at Capacity Waterloo Region. Instead, we find our model in Waterloo Region’s robust technology sector, where innovation thrives on mentorship and collaboration.
The region is full of incredible people working and volunteering in non-profit organizations, but they don’t always have resources or tools. We provide those — and a wide, supportive network — so they can better serve their members and clients.
We think it is important that non-profits have mentors. We think they should have governance training. We think they should take full advantage of research, branding, storytelling and social innovation. These elements build excellence, and the capacity to reach for tougher goals.
Capacity Waterloo Region has been championing change for four years. We couldn’t have come this far, or consider many new opportunities ahead, without our family of for-profit and non-profit leaders.
“Instead, we find our model in Waterloo Region’s robust technology sector, where innovation thrives on mentorship and collaboration.” – Tim Jackson
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joanna LohrenzStephen Swatridge Terry ReidelSteve Farlow
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CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION | 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
VISIONChanging lives through courageous community organizations.
MISSIONBringing together the ideas, people and resources that drive social change.
WE VALUE OptimismNurturing organizational cultures built on hope and the realizing of potential.
ChampioningBeing a leader and catalyst in advancing important social change initiatives.
Social Entrepreneurship Tackling social problems by applying business principles to achieve social good.
Social InnovationFostering the development of new ideas and approaches to move beyond what is to what could be.
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2012 ANNUAL REPORT | CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN RESIDENCESuccess begins with a ‘C’.
Non-profit organizations in this region accomplish all kinds of amazing things, but they never get enough credit for the courage they show.
Courage? Absolutely. It takes courage to say we want to make changes in our organizations. It takes courage to be open about it. The real leaders in the community — and we are lucky to have an abundance of great ones — step forward and ask for that help.
Our job at Capacity Waterloo Region is to stand behind them in making change. The stereotype is that non-profits don’t take risks and that they are afraid to make change for fear of failure.
Our mantra is you’re not growing unless you’re making mistakes. We help non-profit leaders think through the risks and try new approaches.
What goes for them, goes for us, too.
At CWR, we will continue to talk about the importance of storytelling, good governance and mentorship, and we’ll do it with the support of fine private-sector partners.
But we are also setting up a social innovation lab to discuss such things as new funding models for non-profits and different ways to run organizations; how to attract volunteers and encourage philanthropy.
We’d rather lead change than be overtaken by it.
“Our mantra is you’re not growing unless you’re making mistakes. We help non-profit leaders think through the risks and try new approaches.” – Cathy Brothers
CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION | 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
NEW LOGOFOR A WELL-ROUNDED ORGANIZATION
Meet the newest member of the Capacity Waterloo Region team. A circular logo now captures the purpose of our organization.
“It’s intertwined. It’s based on how we deal with clients,” says Matt Miller, an executive in residence at CWR. “Together, we’re a circle.”Last fall, Jo Ann Ely of IBM Canada and Graham Calderwood of Ogilvy and Mather helped CWR examine branding. The session produced four key pillars:
• Ourenduringideaistoinspireboldness;• Weservethecommunitybyfindingandhelping
champions of change;• Weprovidethoughtleadership;• Wedistinguishourselvesbythecultureofourecosystem.
Third-year students in the graphic design program at Conestoga College took up the challenge of turning those elements into a logo. A competition among 12 teams came up with two winners – Kaitlin Gallant and Taylor Kristan.
Gradients of blue-green and gold make up the colours. The foundational pillars are represented in the tonal changes of the circle. One half of the circle represents the organization; the other, the clients we serve – our champions of change.
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2012 ANNUAL REPORT | CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION
BRANDING & MARKETINGBranding helps non-profits stand out in the community.
Having built a career in advertising and graphic design, Matt Miller knows that appearances make a difference.
Now he shares his experience with non-profit organizations as an executive in residence with Capacity Waterloo Region. Focused as they are on delivering programs, non-profits, he says, should always save some effort to spend on their own profile in the community.
“Branding is not just a new logo or website,’’ Matt says. “It is consistently sending your message to clients and their target audience. It’s backing up your image with consistent messaging.”
While it should attract attention, good branding must also be authentic, he adds.
Matt taught at Conestoga College for 25 years before retiring almost
four years ago. His career includes 10 years in graphic design for Manulife Financial in Toronto.
“I always try to have fun in my job,” Matt says. I had fun in the last one and this opportunity is no different. If you are having fun, you usually are doing more than you are asked to do.”
“Branding is not just a new logo or website. It is consistently
sending your message to clients and their target audience. It’s backing up your image with
consistent messaging.” – Matt Miller, Executive in Residence
Taylor Polecrone, WLU Co-op at CWR, Kaitlin Gallant, Conestoga Design Student, Taylor Kristan, Conestoga Design Student, Matt Miller
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CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION | 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
STORYTELLINGTales of impact and change.
Non-profits are often so focused on
better outcomes for their clients,
they rarely give much thought to
telling their own stories.
But it is time well-spent, says
Jennifer King, a founding member
of Capacity Waterloo Region, and
developer of CWR’s storytelling
program.
“As a sector, we have a long way to
go in telling our stories better —
stories that get to the impact we’re
having, rather than cataloguing our
programs and what they do,’’ says
Jennifer, executive director of Social
Venture Partners Waterloo Region.
“We know our storytelling initiative
is making a difference because
organizations are telling us about
the ways they are integrating
storytelling approaches into their
day-to-day work.”
The Kitchener and Waterloo
Community Foundation and the
Lyle S. Hallman Foundation are
partners in the program. Through
workshops and boot camps,
participants have learned to tell
stories in text and video aimed for
the web. King is also the principal
author of an accompanying guide.
Storytelling isn’t just a single event.
It needs to be regularly refreshed.
“We’ve been able to get many
organizations to recognize the
value of storytelling, and begin
making changes to identify and tell
their stories more easily,” Jennifer
says. “I’m looking forward to seeing
how the work continues over the
next several years.”
“We know our storytelling initiative is making a difference because organizations are telling us about the ways they are integrating storytelling approaches into their day-to-day work.”
– Jennifer King
You can access the storytelling guide here:
www.capacitywr.ca/storytelling
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2012 ANNUAL REPORT | CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION
BOARD MATCH PROGRAM Pairing the right volunteers with the right opportunity.
Three letters add up to one mighty concept in volunteering: Fit.
If it isn’t right, the relationship between a volunteer and the organization can pinch like a tight shoe. Nobody is happy.
Capacity Waterloo Region and Manulife Financial have been working to fix the problem.
A board-governance boot camp sponsored by Manulife helps volunteers and staff understand
roles and run better non-profit organizations.
Manulife also runs a board-match program to help its employees connect the skills they want to offer with volunteer opportunities in agencies that could use the help.
“I think the best part of the process is that I interview both the employees and organizations,” says Moira Taylor, a former St. Mary’s Hospital president who is now an executive-in-residence with CWR. “The employees,
to understand their passions, interests, and experiences. And the organizations, to understand their needs and skills they might be lacking.”
Moira works with Judy Blasutti, Manulife’s manager of employee engagement and community affairs. By the end of 2012, 42 Manulife employees were involved in the board match program. Thirty-one had found compatible matches on non-profit boards or in other volunteer roles.
“I think the best part of the process is that I interview both the employees and organizations: The employees,
to understand their passions, interests, and experiences. And the organizations,
to understand their needs and skills they might be lacking.”
– Moira Taylor, Executive in Residence
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CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION | 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
MANULIFE BOARD GOVERNANCE BOOT CAMPDecision-making: With a little advice from experts, it can become a f ine art.
Good programs come out of good governance.
To that end, Capacity Waterloo Region formed a “faculty” of leaders to help executive directors and board members run better non-profit organizations by understanding they each have important but different roles to play.
“No longer is board member as ‘involved doer’ adequate,’’ says Tupper Cawsey, one of several experts guiding the CWR’s Manulife
Board Governance Boot Camp. “We need a board member who understands governance, and executive directors who understand how boards can and must be enablers for mission.”
Recent and imminent changes to provincial and federal rules covering not-for-profit organizations raise the obligations of boards to keep watch over their organizations.
Fellow boot-camp facilitator Fred Galloway says governance programs could evolve to the point where they are differentiated in terms of intensity and skill level.
“It is evident to me from the comments provided by organizational representatives that these experiences and opportunities are unique, beneficial and are highly valued,’’ Fred says.
Boot-camp leaders come from academic and business backgrounds. Ruth Cruikshank, Steve Farlow, Mark Weber and Don McCreesh complete the team.
Don McCreesh, Board Governance Expert
Fred Galloway, Board Governance Expert
Tupper Cawsey, Professor Emeritus (OB/HRM), Wilfrid Laurier University
Judy Blasutti, Manulife Financial
2012 ANNUAL REPORT | CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION
11“It is evident to me from the comments provided by organizational representatives, that
these experiences and opportunities are unique, beneficial and are highly valued.”– Fred Galloway
Graduates of the 2012 Manulife Board Governance Boot Camp
Doug Jennings, IBM Canada, Tech Workshop
Manulife Board Governance Boot Camp – HomeworkAndy GoodmanAccelerator Centre Tupper Cawsey
CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION | 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
2012 ANNUAL REPORT | CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION
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CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION | 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
SOCIAL INNOVATIONA laboratory for ideas that shape communities.
Waterloo Region has a reputation for creative thinking that leads to marvellous devices and powerful software.
But is innovation limited to computer chips and strands of code? Jim Miller would certainly argue no.
Jim is developing Capacity Waterloo Region’s Social Innovation Laboratory, where ideas
rather than electronics drive social change.
“With the connections to technology, insurance, academics and not-for-profit sector, Capacity Waterloo Region has been able to assist charitable organizations become more professional and innovative,” Jim says. “The shared experiences of all of these groups certainly have led to some terrific results.”
Jim has another role at CWR — advising on advocacy. He spent more than 20 years as a ministerial aide in federal and provincial governments. He knows how government works, which helps to advance policy proposals that non-profit agencies base on their front-line experiences.
“I have gained a significant amount of insight on how the not-for-profit
sector faces so many challenges,” Jim says. “Getting to see how they operate from the ‘other side of the government fence’ has really motivated me to push to help not-for-profit organizations collaborate and partner to achieve their goals.”
“With the connections to technology, insurance, academics and not-for-profit sector, Capacity Waterloo Region has been able to assist charitable organizations become more professional and innovative.”
– Jim Miller, Executive in Residence
CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION | 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
14RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENTSocial progress through evidence-based change.
Studies, statistics, government reports — there is a jungle of information out there for non-profit organizations.
It helps to take a guide along to make sense of it all.
“I love exploring ideas, and trying to see things from different angles,’’ says Tanya Darisi, a Capacity Waterloo Region Executive in Residence who leads organizations through the thickets to find useful data.
“I also love taking a jumble of ideas and intuitions, and organizing those into something that is coherent and useful. I’m proud to be part of an
organization that is doing amazing work to inspire change in the non-profit sector.”
Since 1998, Tanya has been helping organizations across different sectors — non-profit, for-profit and government — make the best use of research and evaluation. Evaluation isn’t an occasional process; in dynamic organizations, it’s continuous.
“As soon as you answer one set of questions, another set of questions emerges,’’ she says. “As various programs move forward, and we reflect on where we’ve been and the impact we’ve made, there are new directions to explore and assess.”
“I also love taking a jumble of ideas and intuitions, and organizing those into
something that is coherent and useful. I’m proud to be part of an organization
that is doing amazing work to inspire change in the non-profit sector.”
– Tanya Darisi, Executive in Residence
2012 ANNUAL REPORT | CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION
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Non-profit leaders have their share of sleepless nights worrying about too little money, too few volunteers and no let up in demand for the services their organizations provide.
So it helps to confide in people who’ve been there, wide-eyed with frustration at 3 a.m. Peer-to-peer mentoring was one of the first things Capacity Waterloo Region set out to do three years ago.
“The feedback we get is 100 per cent that participants value the
opportunity to talk in confidence with people who understand their issues, and can challenge them and give them some fresh perspective,” says Cathy Brothers, CWR’s executive director in residence. She looks after the program.
Matches currently number about 40. Participants — all drawn from the non-profit sector — meet every six weeks for a year.
Those receiving the mentoring ask themselves where they would like
to see their organizations grow. Funding might be the topic of one meeting; volunteers, the next.
Some mentorships are still going strong after three years.
“It’s a long-term relationship among equals,” Cathy says.
MENTORING ACTIVITIESLeaders helping leaders.
“The feedback we get is 100 per cent that participants
value the opportunity to talk in confidence with people who
understand their issues, and can challenge them and give them
some fresh perspective.”– Cathy Brothers, Executive Director in Residence
Joe-Ann McComb & Dale Howatt Rob Donelson & Wanda Wagler-Martin Deborah DeJong & Jen Vasic John Neufeld & Mike Morrice
CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION | 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
16EDUCATIONAL EVENTS & OPERATIONSWe’ve settled in quite nicely, thank-you.
When Capacity Waterloo Region was still little more than fresh ink on paper, we thought it would take about five years before we knew whether the organization would become a permanent part of the community
We were wrong, and as we say here in the entrepreneurial setting of the Accelerator Centre in Waterloo, there is nothing wrong with being wrong.
Last year we formally became a non-profit corporation and registered charity, a mere four years into our journey.
From governance to storytelling, our programs, workshops and feature events attracted about 750 participants in 2012. The list of inspiring — even provocative — special guests included National Geographic photographer Karen Kasmauski and her colleague
editor Bill Douthitt; CFRB radio host and community leader John Tory, and Dan Pallotta, author of Uncharitable. Andy Goodman encouraged us to tell our stories, proudly.
In 2013, we want to continue growing our brand as the go-to place for non-profits to embrace risk and learn news ways to operate. We’re considering expanding our executive-in-
residence services to include finance and human resources. We’re looking at whether we can provide back-office help on a fee-for-service basis to charities that can’t afford that expertise on staff.
It looks like we’re going to be here for awhile, and we have lots to do.
“In 2013, we want to continue growing our brand as the go-to place for non-profits to embrace risk and learn new ways to operate.”
– Andrew Wilding, Director of Operations
Chris Howlett, Donor, Volunteer & Tech Mentor
Manulife Board Governance Boot Camp
Manulife Board Governance Boot CampTech Workshop
Manulife Board Governance Boot Camp
2012 ANNUAL REPORT | CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION
CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION | 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
18FINANCIALS Tides Canada Initiatives Capacity Waterloo Region Total
5 Months Audited - 7 Months 12 Months
REVENUEDonations $ 35,600 $ 53,310 $ 88,910
Fee for Service 62,919 68,219 131,138
Grants 104,003 134,759 238,762
Total Revenue $ 202,522 $ 256,288 $ 458,810
EXPENSESSalaries & Benefits $ 134,660 $ 107,780 $ 242,440
Contracted Services 61,319 63,162 124,481
Administration 26,221 15,340 41,561
Meetings & Conferences 15,080 25,950 41,030
Educational Events 23,503 11,726 35,229
Technology 18,580 7,789 26,369
Marketing & Promotion 1,613 3,696 5,309
Professional Fees 3,840 5,810 9,650
Amortization of Property & Equipment 2,680 169 2,849
Other (Transfer to Capacity Waterloo Region) 69,200 - 69,200
Total Expenses $ 356,696 $ 241,422 $ 598,118
Excess of Income over Expenses $ (154,174) $ 14,866
Net Assets – Beginning of the Year 163,161 -
Transfer from Tides Canada - 69,200
Net Assets – End of the Year $ 8,987 $ 84,066
Left to right:
Joanna Lohrenz, Board Member
Martha Hancock, Manulife Financial
Tim Jackson, Board Chair
Dave Jaworsky, Fundraising Chair
David Perrin, Boot Camp Alumni
Steve Farlow, Board Member
2012 ANNUAL REPORT | CAPACITY WATERLOO REGION
19SUPPORTERSWithout these folks there would be no Capacity Waterloo Region. Thank You!
Accelerator Centre
Astley Family Foundation
Blackberry
Don Bourgeois
Tupper Cawsey
Communitech
Conestoga College
Cowan Foundation
Ruth Cruikshank
Deborah Currie
Mandy Dennison
Steve Farlow
Fred Galloway
David Graham
Mark Hallman
Nathan & Rebecca Hallman
Chris Howlett
IBM Canada
iNotForProfit
Tim Jackson
David Jaworsky
The Kitchener & Waterloo Community Foundation
Beth Lautenslager
Louise Leonard
Joanna Lohrenz
Libro Financial
Lyle S. Hallman Foundation
Manulife Financial
Matt Miller
Ontario Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration
Ontario Trillium Foundation
Regional Municipality of Waterloo
Terry Reidel
Christine Rier
Stephen Swatridge
Tivoli Films
United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo & Area
University of Waterloo
Wallenstein Feed Charitable Foundation
Wilfrid Laurier University
Vivian Zochowski
@capacitywr www.capacitywr.ca
Cathy BrothersExecutive Director in Residence
Andrew WildingDirector of [email protected]
519.513.2606 x2
Tanya DarisiExecutive in Residence
Moira TaylorExecutive in Residence
Matt Miller
Executive in [email protected]
519.513.2606 x6
Jim MillerExecutive in Residence
Accelerator Centre295 Hagey Boulevard
Waterloo, ON N2L 6R5519.513.2606
Charity # 81658 9287 RR0001