Five Good Ideas Podcast

In this Five Good Ideas session, Annie Kidder, co-founder and recently retired executive director of People for Education, shares her personal experience of what it's like to hand off your organization to the next generation. What really happens during succession – what works, what hurts, what do you need to let go of, and how does a founder-led organization steer into a future where it can continue to thrive? Her five good ideas: 1. Get a therapist 2. Identify foundational organizational values and beliefs and then build a new path forward 3. Determine where the founder adds value and where they have to get out of the way 4. Let go 5. Celebrate For Annie's full bio and resources, visit the session page.

In this Five Good Ideas session, Sherri Torjman shares lessons from her 25 years at the Caledon Institute of Social Policy. In a field as complex and challenging as social policy, how do we stay the course and make an impact? Her five good ideas: 1. Find your North Star 2. Do your homework 3. Dream big - and small 4. Create the pathways 5. Tell your story For Sherri's full bio and resources, visit the session page.

Liv Mendelsohn and Christa Haanstra joined Five Good Ideas to discuss how to build a culture that recognizes and values caregiving. Their conversation with Elizabeth McIsaac highlighted that creating a caregiver-friendly workplace is compassionate and strategic. Organizations that recognize this gain a competitive edge through improved retention, productivity, and workplace culture. Liv and Christa's Five Good Ideas: Understand your workforce Provide equitable support Prioritize flexible work arrangements Recognize the value of caregiving skills inthe workplace Build a caregiver-supportive culture For Liv and Christa's full bios and resources, visit the session page.

Sharif Mahdy and Kwaku Agyemang, from the Students Commission of Canada, joined Five Good Ideas to share how organizations can engage youth to participate in systems change. “The deficit that we’re trying to address is this,” explained Sharif. “First, young people don’t get engaged and involved on these issues. Second, the process for engaging in our democracy is eroding. And the process for being able to engage in healthy discourse is being challenged for all sorts of reasons. What we’re offering here through these five good ideas is an approach that we’ve tried over time that could be scaled and could help address some of the deficits we’re currently experiencing.” Sharif and Kwaku’s five good ideas: Youth engagement is both a process and an outcome Respect, listen, understand, and communicate Mutuality is a key to navigating increasing complexity of intergenerational partnerships Work with youth to bridge the democratic deficit Youth are catalysts for systems change For Sharif and Kwaku's full bios and resources, visit the session page.

Ingrid Palmer the Principal IDEAL Advocate at Realize, joined Five Good Ideas to discuss the benefits of applying IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Leading to belonging) principles in the workplace. "Belonging is a necessary component of our humanity and no one should be denied that fact," said Ingrid. Ingrid's five good ideas: 1. Level up from IDEA to IDEAL. 2. Expand your understanding of disability to include episodic disability. 3. Be aware of the nuances of intersectional barriers to employment. 4. Accommodations benefit both the employer and the employee. 5. There is no end to IDEAL work. You can download the session handout, view Ingrid's bio, and read the transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter.

Farzana Doctor is an activist, community organizer, social worker, and author. In this session, Elizabeth McIsaac talks to Farzana about about how you can practice self-care and community-care around your work. You can find Farzana's good ideas, resources, and full bio here.

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

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.

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.

Silence around questions of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the workplace has started to sound more like complicity. Now people can’t talk enough about EDI. But how do you put all you’ve read and learned into action? In this session, recorded live on March 31, 2023, Dr. Tanya (Toni) De Mello, Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion, Toronto Metropolitan University, shared the ways in which feeling like you belong, knowing you’ll be included, and seeing your work community as “your” community matters. She provided some advice on how you can achieve this sense of community and belonging at your organization and shed some light on what you may be doing to hinder it. 1. Reflect on who’s in your group [6:05] 2. Belonging is more than salary and job location [12:33] 3. Representation is a major part of systemic change [19:22] 4. You need to do the performative and substantive work [22:51] 5. If this work is done meaningfully, then it’s messy [28:14] Q & A [35:21 ] Download the session handout. Follow along with the transcript. Presenter bio: Toni is Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion, Toronto Metropolitan University. With a background comprising finance, management consulting, and law, Tanya (who we call “Toni”) De Mello has spent much of her career focusing on, and researching, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). She is a human rights lawyer and a certified coach and mediator. She has taught at University of Toronto and University, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and several Colleges. She worked at TMU as the Director of Human Rights and then Lincoln Alexander School of Law, which is Canada’s newest law school the in 2019. She is currently the Vice President, Equity and Community Inclusion. She has worked with over 100 organizations in training, consulting, and supporting them in the EDI journey. In addition to founding two NGOs, Toni has served in the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the World Food Programme in Geneva (Switzerland), Senegal (West Africa), and Columbia (South America). Toni holds a dual Bachelor of Economics and Political Science from the University of Waterloo; a double Master in Public Policy and Urban and Regional Planning from Princeton University; and a dual law degree from McGill University and a Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy from the University of Toronto. She also completed her doctors at the University of Toronto, where she was looking at bias in hiring in Canada.

How can you advance your non-profit’s values through the use of technology? In this session, recorded live on January 23, Amy Sample Ward, CEO of NTEN and author of The Tech That Comes Next¸ and Katie Gibson, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience, presented their answers to this question. [5:38] 1. Never put technology ahead of people. [10:23] 2. Create diverse tech committees to support decisions, testing, and feedback. [15:01] 3. Only collect data you can protect. And give it back to its owner. [19:52] 4. Make your values the foundation for technology adoption and investment. [27:41] 5. Make your voice heard in the technology policy-making process. [34:13 ] Q & A Download the session handout. Follow along with the transcript. Presenter bios: Amy Sample Ward believes that technology should be accessible and accountable to everyone, especially communities historically and systemically excluded from the digital world. They are the CEO of NTEN, a non-profit creating a world where missions and movements are more successful through the skillful and equitable use of technology. Amy’s second book, Social Change Anytime Everywhere, was a Terry McAdam Book Award finalist. Their most recent book is The Tech That Comes Next, with Afua Bruce. Katie Gibson is a lawyer by training and an activist at heart. She is passionate about using entrepreneurial tools for social impact. Katie led strategy and partnerships at the CIO (Chief Information Officer) Strategy Council, a nonprofit focused on Canada’s digital transformation. In this role, she cofounded the Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience, where she is now Executive Director. She also leads work on sustainable IT and responsible AI (Artificial Intelligence). You may also have crossed paths with Katie in her previous roles as general counsel in a national youth charity, as director of Social Enterprise for the Ontario government, or in her work at the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing.

If the well-being of a non-profit organization depends on its financial health, then the quality of the relationship between senior, or finance, staff and the board of directors is key. In this session, recorded live on October 24, Michael Herrera, Chief Financial Officer at George Brown College, shares lessons from his wealth of experience as a staff member and a director. These are his five good ideas on bringing your financial story to the board. [3:12] 1. Set up your new board members for success [4:52] 2. Write brief and useful meeting packets [6:18] 3. Design a clear, concise, and purposeful meeting agenda [9:13] 4. Present accessible, meaningful, and relevant financial information [12:05] 5. Develop a strong relationship with your Treasurer and Board Chair [17:01 ] Q & A Download the session handout. Follow along with the transcript. Michael’s recommended resources: Six steps to being an awesome treasurer | CharityVillage 27 Tips for Improving Your Nonprofit Board’s Operations (bloomerang.co) Presenting financials to boards | Airbase Seven tips on how to present your finance case to the board | Acuity (acuitymag.com) Onboarding New Nonprofit Board Members: 4 Key Steps to Ensure a Successful Transition (nonprofitready.org) Presenter bio: Michael Herrera joined George Brown College in 2019 as Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he provides comprehensive financial leadership and technical expertise relating to the operations of the college. Michael has spent a career in service to the non-profit sector, having worked with social services, religious and arts organizations. Prior to joining George Brown College, he spent nearly a decade with United Way Greater Toronto. He also held similar leadership positions at the Anglican Church of Canada, YMCA of Greater Toronto and the National Ballet of Canada. Michael currently serves on the board of directors for Crow’s Theatre, Theatre Museum Canada, Toronto Arts Council, Toronto Arts Foundation, and Making The Shift – a Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab with a mandate to transforming how we respond to youth homelessness through research and knowledge mobilization.

In this session, originally recorded on June 1, 2022, we asked Katharine Coons, National Senior Manager, Workplace Mental Health at Canadian Mental Health Association, to share her five good ideas on how create a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. Read the full transcript. Download the session handout. Five Good Ideas Reduce stigma Normalize the conversation Use appropriate language Hold space to check in Prioritize flexibility Involve your employees in decision-making Remain agile and flexible Get comfortable with the accommodation process Lean on the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace Tools not rules Explore how it can work for your organization Bring in an expert Review policies and procedures Psychological health and safety policy Periodically review Share, update, and reshare Provide training, programs, and benefits Leadership training Evaluate EAP programs and benefits Consider additional programs (e.g., Not Myself Today) Resources Reducing stigma and building empathy Flexibility and accommodation: Ontario Human Rights Commission policy and procedure National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace Example of a psychical and psychological health, safety, and wellness policy statement by the mental health commission of Canada CMHA’s workplace mental health training and programs About the presenter Katharine Coons, M.Sc National Senior Manager, Workplace Mental Health at Canadian Mental Health Association Katharine is the National Senior Manager, Workplace Mental Health at Canadian Mental Health Association. She has over ten years experience working in mental health and holds a M.Sc. in Occupational Psychology focusing her thesis on Workplace Well-being. She has worked in a variety of industries across Canada and the U.K. and brings a diverse understanding of employee and organizational needs. Katharine is an expert columnist at Benefits Canada, has written for The Toronto Star and has been interviewed by the CBC, CPA Canada and Retail Insider. Katharine was also an expert judge of the 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards. She currently serves as the in-house expert and trainer for Not Myself Today and the workplace mental health program at CMHA National.