Posts Tagged: Volunteer Alberta

Is the New Era Already Here?

The emergence of a new era is arriving in the form what some are calling the “fourth sector”. Entrepreneurs, driven by a desire to contribute to the social good, are ushering in the arrival of this era by developing sustainable, social purpose business models or as referred to in the Harvard Business Review, For-Benefit Enterprises….

Rebranding: Hard work. Big results.

Guest Post from The Met Agency  The Met Agency Advertising and Design Studio has had the opportunity to work with some pretty remarkable people in equally remarkable companies. From helping launch the Jiffy Lube oil change chain in Canada to helping redefine human service organizations like Terra Centre or Compass Centre for Sexual Wellness, each…

Working together to co-create a better future

This September, Volunteer Alberta is hosting interCHANGE, a multi-sector event bringing together leaders from all sectors – government, business, nonprofit, and community – to collectively make a positive impact in Alberta communities. We know collaborating is difficult. We know working together poses challenges. We also know that our communities are complex, and that we are…

Six Insights for Systems Leadership

In the Winter 2015 edition of the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) Peter Senge, Hal Hamilton, and John Kania co-authored an incredibly valuable article: “The Dawn of System Leadership”. Leading up to Volunteer Alberta’s collective impact event, interCHANGE 2015, I have been reflecting on this article and, more generally, the world of systems thinking and…

Working to create vibrant communities is complex work

People working across the province in government, business, nonprofit, and community all face Alberta’s 21st century reality. When looking forward to the future, we’re asking ourselves, what relationships need to exist to create the conditions to collectively make a positive impact in Alberta’s communities? To begin to answer this question is no simple feat. It…

Our Rebrand Journey

There are many journeys in life, but none quite like a rebrand journey. Over the last four years Volunteer Alberta, our staff and board have been on the long and winding rebrand-road with our 25 year-old organization. Typically a rebrand adventure like ours can take between 3-5 years from start to finish. And there are…

Nonprofits + Students = Great Success!

The Serving Communities Internship Program (SCiP) was launched by Volunteer Alberta in partnership with the Government of Alberta in 2011. The goal – connect Alberta’s post-secondary students and organizations to create great results for participants and communities. The concept is simple: Nonprofit organizations register for the program at www.joinscip.ca, then post a meaningful, skill-based, part-time…

Building Up Alberta’s Nonprofit Sector

Last month at the Volunteer Alberta Open House, we invited our guests to help Build Up Alberta’s Nonprofit Sector by building a skyline of well-wishes and gratitude. The instructions were simple: write a thank-you or a wish for the sector on a ‘brick’ and add it to our wall. The result was a lot of…

Recognize your Volunteers: Enter to Win!

National Volunteer Week is quickly approaching, and it’s all about volunteer recognition! National Volunteer Week runs April 12-18, 2015 and is a wonderful celebration of the AMAZING volunteers we have in Canada.  After all, here in Alberta more than 50% of Albertans volunteer their time and skills to nonprofit organizations in their communities! So, during…

Get Up and Move: The Value of Changing Spaces

Volunteer Alberta is beginning a new chapter, we’ve moved! After about 10 years in a downtown Edmonton heritage building overlooking Jasper Ave we have moved four blocks east to a different downtown Edmonton heritage building overlooking Jasper Ave. So I guess you could say not much has changed. However, I believe our move has shifted…