PEOPLE

When our friend Mike Kaumeyer introduced us to Irfhan Rawji last year, we couldn’t have guessed just how fortunate we were. As this profile on his recent UBC award highlights, Irfhan has a seemingly insatiable appetite for big ideas, collaboration and making a difference.

“It turns out, if you volunteer and work hard, you get asked to volunteer more and more until you say no. But I never said no.” – Irfhan Rawji

PLACE

As Earth Day approaches on April 22, we here on Vancouver Island have been gifted a few remarkable natural sights recently – including a rare herring spawn off Port McNeil, a sea wolf swimming near Kyoquot, and transient Orcas swimming past a ferry off Galiano Island.

“California sea lions… Steller sea lions… a cacophony coming from gulls to diving birds to the eagles that are swooping down. It’s a front-row seat to the importance of herring.”

PURPOSE

This Globe and Mail opinion piece by our funding partner and president of The Philanthropy Workshop, Lisa Wolverton, asks foundations to consider investing in charities with a renewed sense of urgency.

“We need to move toward a mindset of strength and abundance rather than a mindset of fear – of not having enough or holding on to resources forever.” – Lisa Wolverton

IMPACT

• Trails Youth Initiatives looks back at 30 years of working with at-risk youth
• QQs Projects Society’s Jess Housty published the inaugural Right Relations Collaborative “Reciprocity Report” on Indigenous funding approaches
• Sustainable soap that helps change lives (an idea with roots at our Tofino Impact Summit).
• Working with Shorefast, Power To Give is leading a group on a field trip to Fogo Island April 13-17. A prime example of a resilient remote community, the location will support conversations around sustainable community development and food security.

UPCOMING

• April 20 Virtual Café will focus on Elevating Governance, providing online learning for our Social Impact Community.
• May 4 Virtual Café will focus on HR Trends, providing online learning for our Social Impact Community.
• May 9 Culinary Experience in Calgary benefiting Wild First and their work to protect the future of wild salmon. Thanks to Mike Kaumeyer/Grayhawk and Irfhan Rawji/MobSquad for their generous support.
• June 18-22 Social Impact Summit at Arowhon Pines brings our social impact organizations together for leadership training, connection… and a much-deserved recharge.
• November dates TBD Arctic Immersion in Churchill, Manitoba
• Our friend Dan Pallotta’s powerful new documentary, “Uncharitable”, will be released shortly. Stay tuned for information on our private screenings across Canada.

AS ALWAYS

If you have:

• Ideas… we are always looking for high-impact organizations and leaders
• Intros… we are always excited to meet other active or aspiring philanthropists
• Interest… we would be honoured to assist with your philanthropic journey

INSPIRATION

The most generous town in Canada.

If you found this informative and useful, please forward to a friend.

www.powertogive.ca

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“The next time you’re looking at a charity, don’t ask about the rate of their overhead. Ask about the scale of their dreams.” – Dan Pallotta

LISA WOLVERTON

CONTRIBUTED TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL

PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 17, 2023

Lisa Wolverton is president of The Philanthropy Workshop Canada.

The Ivey Foundation, Canada’s sixth-oldest private family foundation, announced late last year that it would be distributing its full $100-million endowment over the next five years and winding up operations. The foundation’s board of directors recognized that “foundations need not continue in perpetuity,” and that philanthropic resources “can, and in some cases should, be fully utilized for the most critical issues we face today.”

In other words, they are maximizing their impact on society’s seemingly intractable issues by spending big, right now, instead of holding on to their resources for some distant charitable future.

They don’t use the term themselves, but in philanthropic circles the push for charities to give big in the present and save less for later is called “spending down,” and it’s gaining traction in the U.S. and Canada – for good reason.

No one can dispute that there’s a solid case for urgency.

Humanity faces an unprecedented combination of critical challenges, including climate change, racial and gender inequity, and income inequality. And hard-working and dedicated charities have billions of dollars in resources to tackle these issues.

Unfortunately, undue caution is getting in the way.

Our charitable sector in Canada, including public and private foundations, held about $123-billion in assets but only awarded about $8-billion in grants in 2020. Our charities are hanging on to the bulk of their fortunes to spend another day. But why?

Most of our largest charities hang on to their resources as long-term investments. It’s not to be miserly, but instead ensures the charity’s longevity and future spending ability. While this approach may have been prudent in the past, such extreme caution has turned some charities away from their main purpose: actually deploying capital in pursuit of their missions to those who need it most, today.

It’s time we had faith in the next generation of business leaders and owners to raise future philanthropic capital. We need to move toward a mindset of strength and abundance rather than a mindset of fear – of not having enough or holding on to resources forever.

Today, wealth accumulation is happening at a staggering pace. According to research by Oxfam, in 2021 a new billionaire was created every 30 hours. Wealthy individuals in the U.S. have seen their net worth increase by 60 to 70 per cent since the start of the pandemic, while Canadian billionaires saw a 51-per-cent increase in their wealth.

There’s also the biggest wealth transfer in history soon to take place: consulting firm Cerulli Associates estimates that US$72.6-trillion of wealth will be inherited by younger hands by 2045.

An ongoing challenge for charities is how to get more wealth holders off the sidelines and engaged in philanthropy sooner. And we need to challenge philanthropic organizations, individuals and families to put more resources to work today – give now, give more and give alongside other philanthropists.

If charities want to have a real impact – or if they want there to be a vibrant tomorrow – they need to spend today.

As Chuck Feeney, a philanthropist pioneer of the “spend-down” movement put it: “If your house is on fire, you need more than one bucket of water a day to put it out.”

The good news is that many large North American charities have recently committed to maximizing their impact through spending down, including the Tara Health Foundation, Shockwave and the Stupski Foundation. These organizations work on a range of pressing issues, including food justice, health equity and postsecondary success.

“Philanthropy should be in the business of putting dollars and decisions back into communities where they belong. They know better than we do about the opportunities and needs in their communities,” says Glen Galaich, CEO of the Stupski Foundation and a board member of The Philanthropy Workshop.

Far from being an outlier, the Ivey Foundation is leading the way with a new mindset for its charitable impact, backed up by its actions. More of Canada’s big charities should follow suit.

We are delighted to introduce what will become a regular update from our team, plus inspiration from the impact world. 2022 was an incredible year of building connections and we are looking forward to an equally amazing 2023. We could not do the work we do without you, and we are so grateful to have you in the Power To Give community.

PEOPLE

We loved this 60 Minutes piece on an entrepreneur’s long-term approach to conservation in Gorongosa National Park.

“Why not enjoy the joy of philanthropy?” – Greg Carr

PLACE*

A peek inside the business model – and the heart – of the Fogo Island Inn and Shorefast.

“Many luxury hotels have a charitable foundation. Our charitable foundation has a luxury hotel.” – Zita Cobb

(* See below for details on our April Fogo Field Trip.)

PURPOSE

The Center for Effective Philanthropy digs into the impact of MacKenzie Scott’s unrestricted grants.

“We can now support the growth of our organization and concentrate on our work… not the fundraising needed.” – Non-profit leader

IMPACT

In 2022, our team:

• Deployed $21 Million in unrestricted grants to 50 social impact organizations
• Leveraged an additional $3.5 Million for these groups from other philanthropic partners
• Created a community of nearly 300 changemaker organizations and difference-maker philanthropists
• Curated immersive experiences to take giving “beyond the cheque”:
  • Conversations on Philanthropy on Fogo Island, Nfld.
  • Social Impact Summit at Arowhon Pines, Ont.
  • Impact Field Trip at Nimmo Bay in the Great Bear Rainforest, BC
• Hosted an evening of food, music and connection with The Lumineers & Sarah McLachlan
• Introduced NHL star Tyson Barrie and friends to the remote communities we work in through a unique post-concert field trip

UPCOMING

We believe that connection inspires trust – and trust inspires generosity – so we are obsessed with bringing People, Place and Purpose together. Our exclusive, immersive trips bring philanthropists and social impact leaders together to see the impact in action… and share experiences and insights. Here’s what on tap for 2024 so far:

• Shorefast @ Fogo Island (April 13-17) explores the concept of resilient remote communities and food security. We are accepting registration for this trip now; please contact us.
• Social Impact Summit at Arowhon Pines, (June 18-22) brings our social impact organizations together for leadership training, connection… and a much-deserved recharge.
• West Coast Conservation at Nimmo Bay (October – dates and details coming soon)
• Arctic Immersion at Churchill Wild (November– dates and details coming soon)

AS ALWAYS

If you have:

• Ideas… we are always looking for high-impact organizations and leaders
• Intros… we are always excited to meet other active or aspiring philanthropists
• Interest… we would be honoured to assist with your philanthropic journey

INSPIRATION

Enjoy this video from the remarkable youth of the ‘Namgis Nation.

If you found this informative and useful, please forward to a friend.

www.powertogive.ca

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“It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.” – Tom Brokow