publication date: Oct 3, 2012
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author/source: Janet Gadeski
Cutting edge. Inspiring. Worth replicating. That's how
Ontario's diversity and inclusion efforts are viewed in other places, according
to
Krishan Mehta, VP of Inclusion
and Equity at the
Association of Fundraising
Professionals Greater Toronto Chapter.
That's why his chapter, the
AFP Foundation for Philanthropy Canada and
AFP Ottawa Chapter have launched a three-year project focused on
understanding philanthropic habits, customs and interests in several Ontario
communities.
"We have come to see that our community and province will
prosper when everyone has an opportunity to be secure, to be cared for and to demonstrate their care for others,"
he stated at the launch event October 1.
Citizenship and immigration minister Charles Sousa echoed Mehta's remarks. "People want to give when
they feel understood," Sousa noted. "The government is committed to seeing that
the not-for-profit sector gets the support it deserves." Through his ministry's
Partnership Project, the provincial government is helping to fund the project.
Ambitious title and
goals
The official title is a long one - From Diversity to Inclusion in Philanthropy: An Action Plan for
Ontario's Charitable and Not-for-Profit Sector.
Its goals are equally ambitious:
- Developing cultural competencies on
philanthropy;
- Refining identification, cultivation,
solicitation and stewardship tools;
- Learning about best practices in charity
promotion within diverse communities;
- Gaining better appreciation of the diversity
found within various groups; and
- Offering cross-cultural networking opportunities
and research development.
With administrative help from AFP
Toronto Chapter, the group will consult within twelve clusters, including South
Asians, Chinese, Jewish, African-Caribbean, Muslim, Hispanic and Indigenous
communities. They will also examine philanthropy with respect to women, queer
groups, people with disabilities, youth and Francophone-Ontarians.
An advisory panel within each
cluster will convene a conference, and AFP will collect and record the
resulting data and insights. By 2015, the group expects to have online
resources available and a manuscript in preparation.
The project's greatest hope,
Mehta explained, is to learn "how to strengthen our charities with a
distinct eye on inclusion."
