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2012: What’s Changing for Good

The chance to reflect and begin anew is essential for making change. In 2011 there was a shift in attitude. Maybe it started with Occupy, maybe with the Arab Spring – but somehow, awakening is in the air. Change is happening fast. For the public benefit sector, the guiding question for 2012 is clear: can we take this change, and make it good?

Ontario at the Crossroads

Our province is undergoing a transformational shift in its economy and social fabric. Moody’s threatens to downgrade Ontario’s debt rating, and Canadian households carry a debt-to-income ratio of 144% (the highest of all 20 OECD countries). The disparity between rich and poor continues to widen, well-paid manufacturing jobs are disappearing and many entrepreneurs are moving away. All provincial parties are challenged by these trends to find a better way forward for Ontarians. Deep cuts loom, and it is imperative to find ways to build a stronger Ontario for the short and the long-term. Lacking confidence in the system, large sections of the population have become disillusioned and disengaged.

Indicators like these are often portrayed as steps to collapse, but failure is not inevitable. As we take the first steps forward in 2012, Ontario is at a fork in the road. The mandates of the government, non-profit and for-profit sector have shifted, and they will continue to shift as Ontarians question the fundamental values of our society. While governments struggle to redefine their roles and responsibilities, nonprofits and for-profits have the chance to alter how they work as well. There is no going back. The challenge is to build a positive way forward.

In 2011, a new discourse emerged. More and more people are engaged in how we can move forward for good. From Avaaz to Occupy to Attawapiskat, from LeadNow to the Emerging Leaders Network, communities are coming together to build new ways of getting good work done. These and thousands of others are driving change, engaging diverse stakeholders to move in a new direction. Above all, these conversations are about owning the change that is happening around us, for better or worse, and making it good.

Making Change Good

Community leaders and organizations – community creating organizations – have a fundamental role to play in seizing this opportunity to make change good. The public benefit “sector” or “network”  form Ontario’s lifelines, driving and supporting individuals to build civil society. Networked groups and public benefit organizations are taking the stage to making positive, lasting, inclusive change, around the world and in this province.

The nonprofit sector is beginning to draw on our collective strengths, pulling together to meet Ontario’s changing needs. As individuals in government and for-profits re-position to play stronger roles in meeting those needs, it is an essential and exciting time to re-assess how we are connected, who we are connected to, and how can we bring people together to change what is broken and sustain what is essential.

Sector Trends for 2012

Structural Shifts & Opportunities

The challenge to make change good is especially strong where developments are moving at warp speed. Here are some teasing notes on a few key themes. Links go more in-depth, and so will ONN over the course of the year. If you are interested in deeper work in these areas, watch for our upcoming bulletins or get in touch with ONN.

• Measuring Social Impact.  We know current ways of assessing value are broken and mistrusted. Both funded and funding organizations are looking for new ways to guide their decision making and evaluate their work. Assessing the value of public benefit work could put nonprofits on track for simplified, outcome-based reporting and decision making; or new metrics could become another distraction from real problem solving. Using this tool well will make all the difference. Here’s a peek into one perspective on trends in impact measurement.

• Vision and Leadership.  The private sector is now driven to engage in social reform, and government is charged with redefining its role. The nonprofit sector sits at the fulcrum, positioned to be a leader and connector in new developments. Keep your eyes on the Drummond Commission, which is currently developing suggestions for public service reform in Ontario. That means reform for other sectors as well, including cuts and re-allocations of funding. If you have ideas for what Ontario should look like, let ONN know.

• Doing Good and Doing Good Business.  As Ontario works to figure out what the “good” in “good business” looks like (good money? good mission? good blend?) there is an opportunity for the community sector to build on its long history of social enterprise – earning income to meet mission, whether as “entrepreneur” or “charities.” A few new developments to be aware of include the Pan Am Games’ procurement policies to support social enterprise, and the work of the new Centre for Impact Investing at MaRS.

• Less Bureaucracy, More Respect.  Funders’ attitudes towards bureaucracy are changing, and efforts to streamline processes are taking place. On the government side, the sector’s inclusion in Open for Business, its continued work with Infrastructure Ontario, and the work of Partnership Project, including a grants portal, all point to progress in this area. Similar work is happening across the country, so stay tuned for more developments.

• Making It Work.  Younger generations are less concerned with institutional or sector affiliation. They are knee-deep in careers, work expectations and labour market shifts undreamable by older generations. Boundaries are blurring and changing the labour force for better and for worse. How do we match labour needs to human needs and societal needs, and what’s the role of the nonprofit sector in the process? Contact ONN to get involved in addressing labour force issues in the nonprofit sector.