Let charities do more
Non-profits need a voice in government, Marc and Craig Kielburger write.
Canada is a caring country. Nearly 13 million Canadians volunteered two billion hours in 2013; 82 per cent donated to charity. With the consumer holiday frenzy — a time of giving and a time of great need — it’s the perfect chance to consider our donation habits. We can help charities do even more good simply by letting them. Recently, we caught up with Brian Emmett, chief economist for Imagine Canada, the umbrella organization representing Canadian charities. We got to talking about the hurdles that stop non-profits from innovating, advocating and navigating bureaucracy. Emmett offered three suggestions to help Canada’s non-profits (and Canadians) give back even better: “Financial sustainability, someone plugging for them in government and the ability to engage in political activity.”
First, we need a voice in government that speaks clearly for charities. It might come as a surprise, but no one in our government holds sole responsibility for the welfare of charities. Currently, this job is sprinkled among different departments, all hardworking and well intentioned, but none with full ownership.
It’s hard to imagine Canada without the Daily Bread Food Bank or local women’s shelters. These organizations tackle social problems, of course, but they also help drive our economy. Emmett points out that nonprofits employ some two million people, and generate 8.1 per cent of Canada’s GDP — more than the oil industry.
We’re not calling for a ministry of charities, but non-profits need specific representation with perhaps a parliamentary secretary or senior bureaucrat. A sector with this much social and economic impact should have a champion. Second, charities should be able to earn an income with products or services that further the social mission. Other countries are rapidly paving the way for their charities to get creative with business-style solutions. Australia, the U.K. and more than 35 U.S. states have all passed laws making it easier for charities to innovate and scale. Canada is still playing catch-up.
Old East Village Grocer is a London, Ont., store run by the charity ATN Access, which provides resources for people with disabilities. After three decades as a traditional non-profit, it launched a retail model in 2016. “The constant search for funding wasn’t allowing us to effectively deliver our services,” says Andrea Topham, ATN’s executive director. But setting up the retail model to provide a fiscal safety net was difficult, she adds, due to Canada’s strict laws. “Charities are becoming more like small businesses,” says Emmett, though they don’t benefit from the same government support programs. Finally, we need to lift the 10 per cent rule. In Canada, only 10 per cent of a charity’s proceeds can legally fund advocacy. So women’s shelters can help survivors of domestic abuse, but they can’t advocate for the things that would help stop the systemic issue, like increased funding for youth and prevention programs. The government is moving forward on this, but we can do more. If Canadians could do all our holiday shopping at stores that both meet our product needs and also fund charities, wouldn’t we? And if we knew that our donation dollars were going further, wouldn’t we open our wallets wider? This holiday season, help charities do more good.
Craig and Marc Kielburger are the cofounders of the WE movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and WE Day. For more dispatches from WE, check out WE Storiesatwe.org.