Originally published in the Globe & Mail December 11, 2020

By W. Matthew Chater, Owen Charters, Dan Clement, Peter Dinsdale, and Maya Roy

One thing is true of our organizations: We exist because communities need us.

More than eight million Canadians rely on us every year. And when times are especially tough, like now, even more turn to us, Canada’s essential network of community services. We offer spaces where children safely learn and play while their parents work, a hot meal and a place to rest for the night, a first job or resources during periods of unemployment, the support people need to break through barriers and so much more. We are the heart of Canadian communities, helping those living in vulnerable situations, and right now we are struggling.

As front-line charities and non-profits, we provide programs and services critical to Canada’s social safety net. Across all provinces and territories, people turn to us as trusted community service providers to cope, connect and recover – and they need us now more than ever.

Federal pandemic relief programs, including the Emergency Community Support Fund and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, enabled us to provide emergency child care, food programs, virtual services, shelters for people experiencing homelessness and women fleeing domestic violence, mental-health check-ins, personal protective equipment, critical care packages and more. But despite these measures, we continue to be negatively affected by rising costs and diminishing revenues. Canadians are generous, but the economic effects of COVID-19 are affecting many of our supporters, with 37 per cent reporting a reduction in their charitable contributions. As a result, our capacity to serve communities in the future is uncertain.

This is why we are turning to the Government of Canada to implement a Community Services COVID-19 Relief Fund immediately to protect the essential community services Canadians depend on, encourage future philanthropic giving and help us build back better. It is the only way the services that support millions of people in need will survive the pandemic. A program like the new, temporary Veterans Organizations Emergency Support Fund, which helps charities experiencing financial hardship to continue to serve veterans, would go a long way for service charities and non-profits in all sectors.

With the second wave of COVID-19 upon us, our communities are in crisis, especially those that were struggling before the pandemic. Job loss, isolation, stress and other factors have resulted in unprecedented challenges affecting the health and well-being of the people we serve.

Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities have been hit hardest. Women, especially those who are newcomers, are on the front lines providing essential care and services. Women are also taking on the lion’s share of responsibilities at home and are strained as a result, while child care remains unaffordable and in short supply, compounding the “she-cession.”

We are seeing a spike in requests for support, but are struggling to keep afloat. Funding sources are significantly limited or have dried up. Costs have increased while revenues have decreased dramatically because of cancelled in-person programming and fundraising events. Tens of thousands of employees have been laid off. And we’ve experienced permanent closings of long-standing services, with many more at risk, leaving communities without much-needed resources.

We have adapted, but we are stretched thin – and when we struggle, Canadians struggle.

National service charities and non-profits are on the ground in thousands of communities across Canada, with infrastructure, physical locations and a direct line to respond to the needs of Canadians. Governments rely on us to implement or facilitate social COVID-19 response and recovery programs. What will society lose if we are unable to operate?

Without urgent financial support from the government to help us survive the next 12 to 18 months and make it to the other side of the pandemic, a gap in essential services will be created that will be difficult and far more costly to replace.

Support from the federal government is not just an investment in us. It is an investment in emergency response today, recovery tomorrow and the future resiliency of communities.

Put simply, an investment in national service charities is an investment in Canada.

W. Matthew Chater is the national president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. Owen Charters is the president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. Dan Clement is the president and CEO of United Way Centraide Canada. Peter Dinsdale is the president and CEO of YMCA Canada. Maya Roy is the CEO of YWCA Canada.

By Jully Black (published in The Toronto Star on November 30, 2020)
 
Opportunity changes everything.

If this sentence doesn’t resonate with you, then maybe opportunity wasn’t something you had to think about. Or maybe you had to create your own opportunities — but doors were still open to you and so “changes everything” doesn’t hit the same.

When I first heard this, I liked it. It rang true because it moves from the usual debates about policing and gun control and other short-term solutions and looks to the long game: if we create opportunities, especially for young people, we change lives, we change communities, we change our country.

For me, opportunity is when those who are invisible or excluded are given a chance to show their abilities to others who have the resources to take them to the next level. I often say give me the interview and I will get the job. I’m not looking for you to give me the job — I’m looking for a safe and brave space to present the greatness that I have manifested.

Playing organized basketball at the Boys and Girls Club was my opportunity. It kept me focused and off the streets. I always did well academically and clearly music was a given, but it was when I got deep into organized sports that I realized sport imitates society. If you can contribute to a team and you know that the success of that team is dependent on your commitment and focus, it will transfer into other areas of your life. I fundamentally believe that I’ve had success in the music business because I know how to play on a team.

I know people will read this and say I am an exception — but I shouldn’t be. For too many Canadians, opportunity is not available. How do you realize your potential when you can’t even find the doors in the first place, let alone open them?

We are lucky in Canada to have organizations out there doing what they can to level the playing field, like Boys & Girls Clubs. Across the country, they remove barriers and create opportunities for thousands and thousands of kids and teens. Most importantly, they help kids develop the talents and skills they need so that when a door opens, a young person can take advantage of that moment.

That’s why I’m happy to champion their new Systemic Opportunity campaign, which reinforces the role Boys & Girls Clubs play in building social safety nets for so many young Canadians.

The COVID-19 pandemic has widened the gap across Canada, especially for BIPOC communities. Over the summer, Black people and other people of colour made up 83 per cent of COVID cases in Toronto. StatsCan data shows that workers of colour are hit harder by job loss, Indigenous communities are experiencing worsening mental health, and newcomers are struggling with increased anxiety.

In general, racial inequities are on the rise. And research shows that children who face racism are more likely to be victims of poverty and abuse, have more interactions with child welfare and the justice system, and experience challenges at school.

The new Boys & Girls Clubs campaign contrasts these systemic issues with the systemic solutions that Clubs offer — equity, acceptance, support, opportunity. And these are not just words. This way of thinking structures all their programs and services, with one goal: provide young people with what they need to be their best selves.

I have seen this firsthand. I have witnessed how club staff and participants have formed unique connections that are tied to their humanity, not what could be happening outside the club’s door. I have spoken to club members and heard the excitement about their future, despite their current circumstances. It’s clear they are supported and encouraged.

But Boys & Girls Clubs and other charitable organizations shouldn’t be doing this work alone. If opportunity is giving those who are invisible and excluded a chance to showcase their abilities, then it’s clear we need to create favourable conditions — and that means investing in young people and the communities where they live.

Many of us are born with what people call “raw talent.” And when I hear the word raw, I think of what is needed to shape that talent. It’s not just money. Youth need to know that they are being heard and respected and taken seriously enough to be invested in. It’s a beautiful thing to receive a financial boost, but it’s even more important to see the proud and present heart behind the donation. That’s what will propel Black youth and others who need opportunity to truly soar into their purpose.

Opportunity changes everything.

Dubbed Canada’s Queen of R&B, Jully Black is a platinum-selling, award-winning recording artist, actress in film, theatre, and television, and a major presence in the Canadian media and entertainment industry.

By Owen Charters (CEO, BGC Canada) and Peter Dinsdale (CEO, YMCA Canada).

*originally published in The Hill Times

Charitable organizations in Canada have always been front-line workers, helping the country’s most vulnerable populations. Our role in the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t changed—except that those vulnerable populations have grown exponentially.

The federal government is helping. Wage subsidies and a recently announced $350-million emergency fund are helping nonprofits meet increased demands today. But the economic downturn we are experiencing requires a long-term solution.

A stabilization fund for the non-profit sector is the answer.

Imagine Canada projects the pandemic will reduce charity and non-profit revenues by as much as $15-billion, with more than 100,000 layoffs. The statistics are grim. Approximately 70 per cent of charitable organizations are reporting a decline in revenues. Two-fifths have already laid off paid staff or reduced working hours. And Statistics Canada reported that job losses related to the non-profit sector are approximately 1.4 times higher than other sectors.

Emergency funding is helping non-profits function at limited capacity, but we are looking to the future. Our revenue is not dependent on the demands of clients—in fact, the more Canadians that show up at our doors, the more expenses we incur. Meanwhile, our revenue streams—individual donors, major gifts, fee-for-service programs, corporate partners—have turned to a trickle in reaction to plummeting profits.

As physical distancing measures relax, the demands will be greater—more people will be out of work and more will be looking for the programs and services offered by organizations like YMCAs and Boys and Girls Clubs. And when that happens, we will need support.

YMCAs deliver services and programs to more than two million Canadians. This support will play a crucial role in the country’s economic and social recovery, including employment and training, immigration and settlement services, youth programs, housing, programs for healthy living and well-being, and early learning and childcare. The organization is projecting a loss of more than $42-million over the next three months.

In 700 communities across Canada, Boys and Girls Clubs serve 200,000 young people and their families with a range of community-based services, accessible and affordable childcare, and out-of-school programs for kids and teens that promote positive outcomes in education, healthy living, physical activity, mental health, leadership, self-expression, and more. Over the next three months, the predicted shortfall will be over $6-million.

Despite this financial forecast, despite layoffs and limited resources, these two organizations are still on the front lines helping Canadians.

Boys and Girls Clubs from coast to coast are tackling food insecurity by delivering food and critical care packages to families, providing childcare for essential workers, running virtual activities for kids and teens, and operating crisis hotlines.

YMCAs, meanwhile, are also opening their facilities to protect the homeless, providing childcare for essential workers, connecting with seniors and other isolated populations, delivering employment and immigration and settlement programs by phone and online, and running virtual workshops to promote physical and mental health and wellness.

Emergency funding from the government, corporate partners, and major donors is helping these two organizations and other non-profits adapt their services to meet the rise in demand. But the sector needs more support to ensure we can be there for vulnerable populations—today and tomorrow.

Along with Imagine Canada, we continue to advocate for a Sector Resilience Grant Program—a stabilization fund of $7-billion dollars to buttress the $2.8-billion already provided by the federal government.

This stabilization fund is the only way charities across Canada will be able to keep their doors open and provide the critical services and support that help our most vulnerable—and our nation as a whole.

Charities are vital to the well-being of millions of Canadians. We are vital to the economy, accounting for 8.5 per cent of GDP and employing 2.4 million Canadians.

We are too vital to fail.

If you’d like to help, please add your voice to our advocacy efforts.