Five Good Ideas
Given the current situation around COVID-19, the Five Good Ideas sessions in March (Five Good Ideas about advancing racial justice) and April (Five Good Ideas about preparing for emergency situations) have been cancelled. We will post in April to let you know about the next sessions.
Five Good Ideas is a lunch-and-learn program where industry and issue experts discuss powerful yet practical ideas on key management issues facing non-profit organizations. The sessions are most useful for management staff and board members at small and mid-sized non-profits.
Each expert presents five concise ideas and explores with the audience how these ideas can be translated into action. During each session, participants organize into small groups and continue the discussion to generate the best and most relevant of all ideas.
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The Five Good Ideas Book
Previous Five Good Ideas sessions
Published on 22/01/2019
Life’s too short for boring, unproductive meetings.
Life’s too short for boring, unproductive meetings. Yet that’s precisely where many of us spend too much of our time. We know that working together is a good and necessary thing, but we also know that getting the right combination of people in a room together (or in a virtual space – even worse…) is […]
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Published on 27/11/2018
In this Five Good Ideas session, Maya Roy drew on her own frontline experience to talk about the benefits of addressing diversity in smaller, grassroots non-profits.
In this Five Good Ideas session, Maya Roy drew on her own frontline experience to talk about the benefits of addressing diversity in smaller, grassroots non-profits. She offered five practical ideas around: 1) Participatory community development as a solid human resources strategy; 2) Online tools that can help upskill your team; 3) Intergenerational job sharing […]
Published on 25/10/2018
It’s not just about who you know – but about the meaningful ways you can exchange value with others.
It’s not just about who you know – but about the meaningful ways you can exchange value with others. That’s the key to effective networking, and the cornerstone for connections that last. In this Five Good Ideas session, Emily Mills, founder of How She Hustles, shared networking techniques that helped her build a virtual village […]
Published on 02/10/2018
Across Canada, cities are at the forefront in dealing with today’s complex issues such as income disparity, affordable housing, mental health, and reconciliation.
Across Canada, cities are at the forefront in dealing with today’s complex issues such as income disparity, affordable housing, mental health, and reconciliation. Newer urban challenges, such as extreme weather events due to climate change and the growing digital divide pose further threats to the social, economic, and physical fabric of our urban communities. None […]
Published on 18/09/2018
In this session, Karen Pitre presented her five good ideas on how we can support local champions and break down the silos and barriers that get in the way of local initiatives.
The most successful solutions for building stronger communities have strong local support and are driven by local champions. Nonprofits, school boards, libraries, municipalities, community health centres, and many others understand that. They see the value in local and are not afraid of the challenges in developing local solutions with multiple partners. In this session, Karen […]
Published on 23/05/2018
In this Five Good Ideas, Ravi Jain and Dan Watson helped us to think about a few ways we can create the circumstances for us to feel comfortable when speaking to large groups.
Why are people so afraid of public speaking? What is it about standing in front of a group of people that terrifies some and excites others? In this Five Good Ideas, Ravi Jain, artistic director of Why Not Theatre, and Dan Watson, artistic producer of Ahuri Theatre, helped us to think about a few ways we […]
Published on 30/04/2018
Discussing ways to move forward with human rights in the era of reconciliation and nation-to-nation relationship building.
Commissioners Karen Drake (citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario) and Maurice Switzer (citizen of the Mississaugas of Alderville First Nation) of the Ontario Human Rights Commission joined Chief Commissioner Renu Mandhane to discuss ways to move forward with human rights in the era of reconciliation and nation-to-nation relationship building. The ideas presented can help organizations […]
Published on 27/03/2018
In 2012, Kofi Hope was hired to re-start a failed initiative intended to support economic development for Black youth.
In 2012, Kofi Hope was hired to re-start a failed initiative intended to support economic development for Black youth. Over the next six years, he and his team reconstituted the project as the CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals. At the heart of the initiative was a focus on reaching youth who could be labelled […]
Published on 28/02/2018
In this session, Robin shared her ideas for how non-profits can achieve greater clarity and alignment to feel better positioned to answer challenging questions. She also provoked ideas for how leaders can fight the “starvation cycle” in which many Canadian non-profits find themselves.
Non-profit leaders constantly face these types of complex strategic questions: There’s an exciting new funding opportunity, should we pursue it? Our programs are all important, but are they in the right combination or frequency? Some of my board members are passionate about a new idea for growth, should we explore it? In this session, Robin […]