Publications Archive
20/20 Vision: Twenty Conversations with Twenty-Somethings about Calgary
Author: Coleson Proudfoot, Ashleigh Metcs, James Stauch, & Julia Kaiser (2021)
How might Calgary adapt and evolve to become a place that twenty-somethings can see themselves living and thriving in, well into the future? Too often, the voice of youth and post-secondary students are not included in discussions on what the road ahead looks like for our city. 20/20 Vision takes a deeper dive into the perspectives of students and graduates. We spoke with 20 people in their 20s, and their perspectives are rich with insights about what's working, what's not, and what needs to change.
In Search of the Altruithm: AI and the Future of Social Good
Authors: James Stauch, Alina Turner, & Camilo Camacho Escamilla (2019)
Although the consequences of a world dominated by AI are difficult to predict, the rise of AI does not have to be a terrifying prospect. As this paper will argue, AI can be made to be generative, beautiful, and not merely ethical, but rationally compassionate and just, enriching our lives beyond what we can currently imagine. But it will only do so if civil society — including citizens living at the margins, and people involved in social good pursuits, from artists and teachers to health professionals and social workers — become much more interested and involved.
The Future is Made 2019: Environmental Scan
Author: James Stauch (2019)
Commissioned by the Calgary Foundation, the scan looks at a wide range of contemporary and emerging issues, locally, provincially, nationally, and beyond. From the oil and gas industry, food deserts, and the safety nets for poverty reduction to non-profit growth, the distrust of tech and ethical AI, and how philanthropy is changing in a technology fueled world.
Training the Archer: Accelerating Student Changemaking Through Testing Assumptions
Authors: Alexandra Daignault; Advisors: Dan Overall & James Stauch (n.d.)
The Trico Charitable Foundation, Mount Royal University's Institute for Community Prosperity, and RECODE have produced a new report that looks into one way in which post-secondary institutions can better support students to be changemakers. This report sets out to understand how Canadian post-secondary students are inquiring, reflecting on, and examining assumptions in learning about and advancing a social or environmental cause they are passionate about. It challenges students and educators to apply more critical ‘scientific’ mindsets and methods in changemaker learning. Testing, experimentation and effective learning are necessary to avoid path-dependent, solution-specific learning journeys, which may not only be ineffective, but in their worst forms can bring harm to people and communities
One Big Experiment: Chronicling a Nonprofit Merger in Action (Full Report)
Authors: James Stauch & Cordelia Snowdon (August, 2020)
This interim report captures early stage insights from a merger process currently underway between Aspen Family & Community Network (Aspen) and Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary (BGCC). The Institute for Community Prosperity was asked by BGCC and Aspen to a) document this journey process, looking at questions of strategic fit and process, as well as the governance, financial, HR, communications and cultural aspects of the merger; and b) offer up a framework, based on these insights, surfacing key questions for other non-profit and human service organizations considering deeper forms of collaboration. This report draws on conversations with a selection of 25 key stakeholders, as well as from the literature on nonprofit mergers.
Executive Summary also available.
Kenney’s “green-left war room” could waken a sleeping dragon
Author: James Stauch (April, 2019)
There is concern from environmental non-profit and non-governmental organizations who oppose the plan to further expand Alberta's Oil sands and pipelines. Civil Society is at risk, despite Kenney's claims that it should come before the state. However, he declares war against his selected enemies, Alberta and Canada's environmental charities. Should Kenney be elected, the dragon may awaken.
Terra Cognito: 2018 Environmental Scan
Author: James Stauch (2018)
This 2018 Environmental Scan plays on the term terra incognita, first employed by the Greco-Roman geographer Ptolemy to refer to regions that have not been mapped or documented. It is an apt phrase to describe the Twenty-first Century, and particularly this past year: The theme of last year’s Scan, written on the heels of the Trump presidential victory, was Into the Unknown. Some of the earliest cartographers illustrated the terra incognita regions with fierce, serpentine mythological figures. “Here be dragons” is how many, many people see not merely the future, but the present. Climate change has pushed Earth into “uncharted territory”, opines one recent article, terrifyingly called 11 Terrifying Climate Change Facts.
Into the Unknown: 2017 Environmental Scan
Author: James Stauch (2017)
This scan entirely replaces the previous scan with new themes, information and citations - yet most of the trends covered in the more elaborate 2015 scan are still very much in play – so it is best to consider this a companion piece. The scan focuses on phenomena that directly impact the Calgary Foundation’s interests in stewarding its financial and community investments and in nurturing a community where all belong.
Author: James Stauch (2016)
The paper summarizes the results of a year‐long inquiry into the landscape of leadership learning in Canada, with a focus on the social innovation milieu. A wide array of leadership programs were examined across Canada, each focusing on the fostering of individual leadership skill sets within a context of civic engagement, community development, public policy, social responsibility and/or sustainability, and social innovation. Each program employs distinct learning approaches, core assumptions, and theories of change, with most tending to be heuristic in their design, and surprisingly few engaged in formalized efforts to understand impact.
The Future of Social Innovation Alberta 2016
Authors: Kate Letizia, Aleeya Velji, and Lesley Cornelisse (2016)
For this report, the Fellows and their partners set out on a seven-month inquiry to explore what innovative actions and activities are already underway, setting new precedents and pathways for impactful social and environmental change.
Authors: James Stauch and Lesley Cornelisse (2018)
This report describes the results of a Canada-wide research project on leadership learning for social change. It is based on nearly thirty interviews, over ninety program alumni surveys, an inventory of Canadian programs and a literature review. This report provides a framework for discussion about how to strengthen community leadership development in Canada.
Canada Next: Learning for Youth Leadership and Innovation
Authors: James Stauch and Devon Cornelisse (2016)
This discussion paper and literature review serves to deepen understanding of the ecology of youth leadership and innovation across Canada. It was commissioned by MaRS Studio Y, and authored by James Stauch and Devon Cornelisse of the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University in preparation for the National Youth Leadership and Innovation Summit to be held in Toronto in April, 2016.
Author: Zak Ismail (2015)
This paper takes a comprehensive look at the various dynamics by which socially purposed breweries create social value in a traditionally capitalist market. Taking into account these and other dynamics by which breweries can generate community prosperity, a model is developed identifying key areas where breweries have found opportunities to employ social innovation.
Presentation: Demystifying Social Innovation
Authors: James Stauch and Jill Andres (2015)
Social innovation can be an esoteric subject, cloaked in a mysterious language that excludes as many as it includes. This learning session, delivered as part of the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organization’s Connections 2015 conference, is designed to help participants a better understanding of the concepts themselves, as well as how these social innovation tools can enhance efforts to build stronger communities.
Report: If You Don’t Like the Weather: 2015 Environmental Scan
Authors: James Stauch, Jill Andres, Lesley Cornelisse and Pat Letizia (2015)
This scan serves as an overview of the major current socio-economic trends and developments, at local provincial, national and international scales, focusing on phenomena that directly impact one community foundation’s (The Calgary Foundation) interests in stewarding its financial and community investments and in nurturing a healthy, vibrant, giving and caring community. Includes sections on social innovation, social finance and related trends.
Case Studies: Three Social Enterprises in Western Canada
Authors: Jill Andres, Peter Elson and Peter Hall
Mount Royal University and Simon Fraser University are among a group of Canadian post‐secondary institutions working together to classify social enterprise models in Canada. This work is a sub set of a broader initiative, International Comparative Social Enterprise Models (ICSEM), based in Liege, Belgium.
The case studies profiled here are the Namgis First Nation, Seniors Assocation of Greater Edmonton and Vecova Centre for Disability Services and Research.
Research Report: Social Enterprise Legal Structure: Options and Prospects for a ‘Made in Canada’ Solution
Authors: Sean Markey, Stacey Corriveau, Michael Cody and Brendan Bonfield (2011)
Canvasses social entrepreneurs and social economy experts with respect to the prospects and potential drawbacks associated with pursuing a separate legal structure for social enterprise in Canada.
Author: Alda Garunia (2016)
With the election of a new political party in Canada in 2015, a promise was kept to reverse the changes made to the Interim Federal Health Plan (IFHP)m. The question stemming from this health issue is: what can leaders in health and social care do to address the inequities posed to the refugee population by the changes to the IFHP, and have the gaps in access to health and social programs been addressed by the current policy change? The following report highlights the history of refugees in Canada and the IFHP, as well as a literature review of research regarding access to health care and social programming within Canada for refugees.
Student Report: Fire that Talks
Author: Timothy Lipp (2016)
The 4.3 million deaths that occur annually because of smoke from open cooking fires has inspired a wide variety of cookstove initiatives. These projects often come from an external mindset that doesn’t incorporate the local community’s unique cultural, social and even spiritual context. Yet the communities in which these initiatives occur have robust language and identity systems that can provide valuable insights to how cookstoves could be adopted. Identity Based Community Development (IBCD) is an approach that provides helpful context to enable this possibility. This paper proposes that when a community’s identity is correctly integrated into the cookstove introduction process, it can enable community-driven large scale adoption of the cookstove.
Author: Angie Tucker (2016)
Drawing on Indigenous feminism and postcolonial theories, this paper analyzes how media portrayals of cases involving murdered Indigenous and non-Indigenous women perpetuate bias, and fail to educate the public about the legacy of colonialism, including systemic poverty and sociopolitical constraints on a marginalized group. By examining government involvement and the manifestation of structural racism in policy, law enforcement, and social biases, this paper will design the framework for a discussion of those murdered and missing Aboriginal women in Canada.
Student Report: Project Stoke Needs Assessment and Market Report
Author: Paisley Dressler (2016)
There is a growing movement to find a solution to the global issue of adverse health effects of cooking smoke, including introducing smoke reduced cooking technology. Project Stoke is an organization working in Kenya to create a social enterprise that is building and selling such stoves. This paper explores the way that cooking smoke affects people through different phases of human development; this is important for Project Stoke because it provides evidence that there are better options than open flame cooking that are both culturally relevant and produce better health outcomes, contributing to the business case.
Author: Lauren L. Cross (2015)
This paper examines the services and support available (or unavailable) to migrants in the Calgary area, analyzing the discourses and practices of existing governmental and non-governmental (im)migrant-serving organizations, and identify any ways in which they exclude migrants with precarious status.
Student Report: Immigrant Women Finding Meaningful Employment in Calgary
Author: Paisley Dressler (2015)
This paper seeks to understand the barriers faced by immigrant women to Calgary seeking employment that goes beyond subsistence and is meaningful to the individual, as well as the role social programs play in their journey to achieving meaningful employment.
Community Investment Profiles
Author: Alexandra Preddy (2015). This is a series of "caselets" profiling the unique approaches of Canadian companies to investing in community. Please note: If printing, please choose "Fit to page" under options/preferences.
- Assiniboine Credit Union
- ATB Financial
- Bell
- Canadian Oil Sands
- Canadian Tire
- Enmax
- Green Shield Canada
- Mountain Equipment Co-op
- Sponsor Energy
- Tentree
- Vancity
- Vancity Community Foundation
- Village Brewery
Blog: Fox in the Henhouse
Author: James Stauch (2015)
Thoughts on shared value, corporate philanthropy, and corporate community investment prepared for The Soul of the Next Economy Forum 2015.
Student Report: Plummeting Oil and the Potential for a Prosperous Community
Author: Lindsay Johnson (2015)
When companies are fixated on short-term financial goals they may fail to notice the needs of their customers, the depletion of resources that are crucial to their operations, and the declining economy in the communities where they do business. Through a case study of the extractives sector, this paper explores where Creating Shared Value (CSV) goes beyond traditional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in building community through business.
Student Report: Authenticity: The Lifeline of Organizational Corporate Social Responsibility
Author: Megan Schimpf (2015)
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is no longer a differentiating factor for organizations; its usage has increased and become widespread across diverse sectors, growing into a standard organizational expectation that has resulted in a growing number of organizations seeking to reap the benefits that come from CSR without actually doing the work CSR was intended to do. This paper provides a distinctive contribution to present-day literatures by highlighting the pertinent role authenticity in CSR has in shaping today’s business climate.
Report: Corporate Community Investment in Canada: Understanding the Field (Fall 2015)
Authors: James Stauch and Zoë Anderson, 2015
This paper explores the literature surrounding corporate community investment and what education options exist for professionals in the field.
Author: Dr. Olaf Weber
Examines how different social finance institutions in Canada – impact investors, credit unions, and others – finance the work of nonprofits and social enterprises.
Research Partnership: Social Innovation, Societal Change and Canada's Grant-making Foundations
The Institute is partnering with L'Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) looking into the role of philanthropic (i.e. grant-making) foundations in Canada – past, present and future. Senior Researcher Peter Elson is also serving as collaborator (co-investigator) for the project. Other partners include Community Foundations Canada and Philanthropic Foundations Canada, two key umbrella organizations in Canadian philanthropy.
Presentation: Futurecasting Canada: Anticipating the Role of Community Foundations in 2025 and Beyond
Presenters: Pat Letizia, James Stauch and Lesley Cornelisse (2015)
This session was an interactive exploration of themes that will impact philanthropic work in Canada in the coming decade. Frames meta-trends in social organization, demographics, environmental sustainability, economics and finance, and serves as a tool to reimagine the role of community foundations within this evolving context, enabling a discussion of new approaches that will enable communities to thrive in changing times.
Report: If You Don’t Like the Weather: 2015 Environmental Scan
Authors: James Stauch, Jill Andres, Lesley Cornelisse and Pat Letizia (2015)
This scan serves as an overview of the major current socio-economic trends and developments, at local provincial, national and international scales, relevant to the work of The Calgary Foundation. It focuses, in particular, on phenomena that directly impact the Foundation’s interests in stewarding its financial and community investments and in nurturing a healthy, vibrant, giving and caring community.
Article: Fostering Sustainable Futures for Rural Community and Regions through Philanthropy
Authors: Ryan Gibson, Joshua Barrett, Kelly Vodden, 2014
Looks at how community foundations can influence and participate in regional development in rural areas to support revitalization and sustainability.
Corporate Community Investment
Community Investment Profiles
Author: Alexandra Preddy (2015)
This is a series of "caselets" profiling the unique approaches of Canadian companies to investing in community. Please note: If printing, please choose "Fit to page" under options/preferences.
- Assiniboine Credit Union
- ATB Financial
- Bell
- Canadian Oil Sands
- Canadian Tire
- Enmax
- Green Shield Canada
- Mountain Equipment Co-op
- Sponsor Energy
- Tentree
- Vancity
- Vancity Community Foundation
- Village Brewery
Blog: Fox in the Henhouse
Author: James Stauch (2015)
Thoughts on shared value, corporate philanthropy, and corporate community investment prepared for The Soul of the Next Economy Forum 2015.
Student Report: Plummeting Oil and the Potential for a Prosperous Community
Author: Lindsay Johnson (2015)
When companies are fixated on short-term financial goals they may fail to notice the needs of their customers, the depletion of resources that are crucial to their operations, and the declining economy in the communities where they do business. Through a case study of the extractives sector, this paper explores where Creating Shared Value (CSV) goes beyond traditional Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in building community through business.
Student Report: Authenticity: The Lifeline of Organizational Corporate Social Responsibility
Author: Megan Schimpf (2015)
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is no longer a differentiating factor for organizations; its usage has increased and become widespread across diverse sectors, growing into a standard organizational expectation that has resulted in a growing number of organizations seeking to reap the benefits that come from CSR without actually doing the work CSR was intended to do. This paper provides a distinctive contribution to present-day literatures by highlighting the pertinent role authenticity in CSR has in shaping today’s business climate.
Report: Corporate Community Investment in Canada: Understanding the Field (Fall 2015)
Authors: James Stauch and Zoë Anderson, 2015
This paper explores the literature surrounding corporate community investment and what education options exist for professionals in the field.
Social Finance
Author: Dr. Olaf Weber
Examines how different social finance institutions in Canada – impact investors, credit unions, and others – finance the work of nonprofits and social enterprises.
Article: Assessing the Benefits of Community Human Services
Authors: Anne Makhoul and Sherri Torjman, Caledon Institute for Social Policy (2012)
The study reveals that there is a lack of evaluative literature that clearly identifies the benefits of human service interventions by nonprofit organizations.
Discussion Paper: Nonprofit Pension Plans in Canada
In the spring of 2012 the Institute for Nonprofit Studies was asked by La Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse (FANE), to undertake a study of dedicated nonprofit pension plans in Canada and to prepare a discussion for use by the nonprofit sector in Nova Scotia. It has been posted here with their permission and with the desire that it will stimulate a vigorous discussion about nonprofit sector pensions, not only in Nova Scotia, but elsewhere.
Working Paper: Interagency, Network and Co-governance in the Child Care Sector
Authors: Guy Bellemare, Marcos Barros, and Louise Briand, université du Québec en Outaouais (2014)
Working Paper: Identifying Determinants of Implementation Success in a Program Adoption-based Sustainability Strategy - A case study of a small Alberta-based international development organization
Authors: Sid Frankel and Harvy Frankel, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba (2011)
Working Paper: Building a Sustainable Culture in the Social Economy
Authors: Travis Gliedt and Paul Parker, University of Waterloo (2010)