Non-profit organizations serve people with a range of needs from housing, mental health to sports and cultural activities.
After surviving pandemic lockdowns and continuing to face financial uncertainty, the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) is touring different regions of the province to learn what's been working, what hasn't and what local organizations currently need.
"What are they experiencing, what are their issues, what are their opportunities for working together,” said ONN’s executive director Cathy Taylor, of the questions she wants answers to.
“So that we have a strong non-profit sector that can support our communities."
Taylor said soaring demand for services amid shortages of staff, volunteers and money has the network looking for local perspectives, starting with the northeast region on Tuesday.
Held in partnership with the Timmins Economic Development Corporation (TEDC), community economic development director Noella Rinaldo said northern non-profits have unique perspectives to draw from.
"We have some different concerns and different voices,” said Rinaldo.
“It's wonderful that [the ONN is] recognizing that and have taken that effort out of COVID to be the first place that they come to, to meet the not-for-profits in northern Ontario.”
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The executive director of Timmins and Area Women in Crisis, Julie Nobert-Demarchi, said the conference was a chance to rebuild connections that had fallen aside over the course of the pandemic.
Also given the opportunity to raise local concerns, she said a major one for her is a lack of long-term funding to sustain new projects that are meant to help people.
Funding for human trafficking victim supports, as part of the province’s anti-human trafficking strategy, is set to expire next year.
Nobert-Demarchi said there should be more core funding to keep programs like this active.
"Extremely important work that we're doing with rural and remote reserves, and very important work that we're doing, even, locally,” she said.
“If that funding doesn't continue, that's a team of four staff, three and a half staff, that won't be able to continue doing the work that they're currently doing."
Raising these issues helps the ONN advocate higher levels of government, said Taylor.
Meantime, she said the conference also helps local non-profits form new partnerships.
Like the director of the local Youth Unlimited chapter (formerly Youth for Christ), Bruce Royal, who's now in talks with the local cross-country ski club to collaborate on new programming.
"Youth would love to go out and do something like that,” said Royal.
“So, we might be able to partner with them, to provide an activity that they would not normally be able to access."
The ONN said it wants to see more of that in the region, hoping the conference planted a seed for future regional non-profit networking.
Taylor said her organization has not been pleased with the level of funding for the sector, particularly after the release of the province’s 2023 budget.
With the number of provincial ministries the ONN works with, she said the dream would be to have a dedicated non-profit department in Queen’s Park, with an associate minister who can advocate the sector within government.
Until then, Taylor is hoping the rest of her tour will lead to a better case made for more support to help non-profits across Ontario, including the northeast, serve their clients.
"If we can make some of the changes at a system level, then it's easier for non-profits to do their jobs in a local community,” Taylor said.
