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Bring together dozens of BIPOC-led grassroots organizations from across BC and the Yukon, each one driving change in their communities against the odds, and you’ll witness something powerful: a room alive with vision, courage, and ideas that can reshape the future. 

We have been honoured to join DIVERSECity, AMSSA, and an incredible group of these organizations for the official launch of the BUILD (BIPOC Unified Inclusive Leadership Development) Program. This three-year initiative is designed to amplify the vital work these organizations are doing while addressing the structural barriers they face in areas such as funding, system navigation, and sustainability. The event marked the first time participants and service providers came together, opening a space to connect, share stories, and imagine what is possible when we put together our collective strengths. 

Indigenous Elder Stephen (Xem-Tu-Mus) Armstrong from Kwikwetlem First Nation shared the Hul’q’umin’um teaching of Naut’sa Mawt: Working Together as One. He reminded us that the heart of BUILD is about walking forward with one mind and one heart, rooted in collaboration, mutual respect, and the collective wisdom each organization carries. 

Participants highlighted both challenges and hopes.  

They spoke about systemic funding barriers, even when both their reach and impact are undeniable. 

They talked about on the exhausting work of operating without core staff support; and the need for resources that reflect the realities of immigrant and newcomer communities.  

Yet, they also emphasized a deep commitment to partnership:  

“We don’t need to do everything ourselves, and we don’t want to.”  

Many voiced their excitement about joining forces with each other, with companies, and with governments, to expand their reach and deepen their impact. 

The work these organizations are leading is extraordinary: creating culturally safe spaces for families of children with disabilities, guiding newcomers through Canadian systems in decolonized ways, offering food security for African diaspora communities, supporting immigrant and refugee youth in the North to connect and thrive, bringing BIPOC women together to build solidarity, and so much more. Their impact spans emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being, addressing needs that are too often overlooked elsewhere. 

We are proud to have been asked to work with DIVERSECity in delivering this program. Our role is to provide high-quality, practical training in governance, leadership, fund development, and organizational capacity—areas that strengthen and sustain organizations. 

With one mind and one heart, rooted in collaboration, mutual respect, and the collective wisdom each organization brings to the table, our goal is to “build” on the knowledge, connections, and strengths already within these communities—so their impact continues to grow and thrive, creating the brightest future for those they serve. 

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BUILD Cohort: Mainland Community Services, OCCA Communities Association, Beyond Borders Youth Network, BIPOC Women’s Society, Kingdom Acts Foundation, Great Zimbabwe Cultural Society of BC and Yukon, ACT by Vidal, Khaliyl’s Kids Family Care Foundation, Rise Above Reality Expectations, Senses and Me, International Refugees Support Foundation, BC Bereavement Helpline, Parents Against Racism Alliance, Community Development Society of Canada, Griottes Polyglottes 

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By Vantage Point 

Imagine you’re about to join a new board. You’re new to the role and the organization. You’re excited for the opportunity but feeling completely overwhelmed by the responsibilities.  

You're not alone—many new board members face this challenge. But what if there was a way to quickly get up to speed and make a meaningful impact from day one? 

Or maybe your board is feeling out of alignment or unclear on their role with the organization’s work. Your non-profit is suffering lack of direction because responsibilities and guiding practices are unclear. How could you get the team all on the same page in a quick, self-paced format that would provide them the essentials for their success as directors? 

In today's fast-paced world, effective governance is more crucial than ever for non-profit organizations. Understanding the roles and responsibilities of a board of directors can make a significant difference in how an organization operates and achieves its mission. With limited time, resources, and team members joining from various locations, flexible and virtual trainings are more and more necessary. 

That's where our Board Fundamentals: Roles and Responsibilities eLearning course comes in. 

Why Choose eLearning

Our eLearning course offers a flexible, self-paced learning experience that fits into the busy schedules of board members. Whether you're new to a board or looking to refresh your knowledge, this course provides a comprehensive introduction to the essentials of board governance.

Understand Your Role: Learn the specific duties and responsibilities of a board member, helping you to contribute effectively from day one.

Improve Board Meetings: Discover tools and practices, such as consent agendas and board calendars, that streamline meetings and make them more productive.

Build a Stronger Board: Gain insights into self-management practices that promote a cohesive and effective board, ultimately leading to better decision-making and organizational success.

For seasoned board members, the course offers a chance to revisit foundational concepts and stay updated on best practices. This continuous learning approach ensures that the board remains dynamic and capable of navigating the complexities of governance.

Key Benefits

Accessibility and Convenience: Available online, this course allows you to learn at your own pace, anytime and anywhere. No need to coordinate schedules or travel to a workshop.

Comprehensive Content: The course covers critical topics such as the five governance responsibilities, board self-management, and practices that build effective boards. This ensures that you gain a well-rounded understanding of what it means to be a board member.

Interactive Learning: With a mix of videos, transcripts, text, additional resources, and reflection questions, the course is designed to engage different learning styles. Participants are encouraged to take notes and discuss their learnings with other board members, fostering a collaborative learning environment.

Group Learning Options

Our eLearning course isn't just for individuals. We offer group pricing and custom training sessions to support entire boards. This approach ensures that all members are on the same page, fostering a unified vision and strategy for the organization.

Get Started Today

Investing in board education is investing in the future of your organization. Our Board Fundamentals: Roles and Responsibilities eLearning course is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to enhance their governance skills and contribute to their organization's success.

By providing a flexible, comprehensive, and engaging learning experience, our eLearning course empowers board members to excel in their roles and drive their organizations forward. Don't miss out on this opportunity to strengthen your board and, ultimately, your organization.

Ready to take the next step? Register today and unlock the full potential of your board!

Use the discount VPTHINK15 to receive 15% off before August 31, 2025!

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By Vantage Point 

Non-profits play a vital role in our communities, offering essential services and support to those in need. However, these organizations often face significant challenges, especially when it comes to leadership stability. According to Vantage Point’s 2024 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector Survey, nearly half of the respondents reported increasing resources spent on staff recruitment and retention. Key challenges include board recruitment, board retention, and succession planning.

The Need for Strong Leadership

Strong leadership is crucial for the sustainability and success of non-profits. Clear roles and responsibilities, effective succession and recruitment practices, inclusive board cultures, and strong financial governance are essential. Addressing these challenges ensures continuity and effectiveness in non-profit leadership, which in turn supports the broader community.

To tackle these challenges, Vantage Point offers Bursary Programs that provide flexible access to essential educational offerings and customized support for non-profit boards and key leaders.

Thanks to partnerships, like those we currently hold with the City of Vancouver, City of New Westminster, and Vancouver Coastal Health, these programs benefit organizations across British Columbia.

Bursary Programs allow even the smallest and most financially challenged non-profits to access valuable resources and support.

Through bursary support, South Vancouver Family Place was able to access support for strategic planning. Executive Director Kimberley Berger shared, “The Vantage Point Strategic Planning session was very well organized, thorough and presented in a manner that both staff and board could easily understand. Being a new ED, it helped provide clarity and vision for me to move forward with the Board and Staff. This was less daunting than we expected. We are super energized and happy to have been able to participate.”

Aliya Amarshi, Managing Director at Carousel Theatre for Young People added, “[With bursary funding received,] Vantage Point provided us an opportunity to have open discussions and make strategic decisions. We now have the structure in place to effectively grow. We have tools to draw from to continue actualizing our plan. It’s early days yet, but we are confidently making sometimes difficult decisions to realize our mission".

Join us in supporting BC’s non-profit leaders! Your financial contribution will help build a stronger sector and create a lasting impact.

Vantage Point's Bursary Programs

How It Works 

• Annual Fund: Funders or capacity builders provide Vantage Point with an annual fund (ranging from $5K to $50K) to support eligible non-profits.
• Eligibility and Administration: The funder determines eligibility, and Vantage Point administers the fund. Non-profits can then register for programs or services, with fees covered by the bursary fund.
• Approval Process: Funders can choose a high-touch approach (requiring approval before registration) or a low-touch approach (pre-approved list of eligible organizations and services).

Impact and Reach

The impact of Vantage Point's Bursary Program is significant:

• $5,000 Investment: 5-10 organizations served through 9 engagements (workshops and labs).
• $10,000 Investment: 40 organizations served through 50-60 engagements (workshops).
• $50,000 Investment: 50+ organizations served through 80-90 engagements (workshops, labs, and consulting).

Services and Costs

Vantage Point offers a range of services to meet the diverse needs of non-profits:

• Workshops and Multi-Day Labs: Pre-scheduled virtual or in-person sessions open to all ($139/workshop – $599-$2999/lab).
• Standard Training: Facilitated workshops for specific organizations or groups (from $900).
• Custom Training: Tailored programs for boards or staff teams (from $1200).
• Facilitation: Strategic and planning facilitation (from $1200).
• Consulting Services: Organizational assessment, lifecycle and capacity planning, ED transition supports, governance restructuring (fee based on project scope).
• Membership: Access to discounts and sector development initiatives (1-year organizational membership $100).

Partner with Us

We invite funders and capacity builders to partner with Vantage Point to support non-profits in BC. By establishing a bursary fund, you can empower organizations to overcome capacity challenges and thrive in their missions. Together, we can ensure that non-profits have the knowledge, resources, and support they need to lead effectively and sustainably.

For more information or to discuss partnership opportunities, please contact us. We look forward to working together to strengthen the non-profit sector and create lasting impact in our communities.

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One of our most popular blogs to date describes governance vs. operational boards. So we decided to revisit this topic.

Close to half of all not-for-profit organizations in BC consist of teams that are not compensated financially; all activities are carried out by board members and/or volunteers. When this is the case, board members will have a direct role to play in supporting the work of the organization. Since a large number of community groups are structured this way, statistically speaking, if you’re on the board of a not-for-profit in BC, chances are it’s a working board.

And if you are, in fact, part of a working board, you may be perpetually daunted and overwhelmed by the number of responsibilities expected of you.

Some of our previous blogs outline tips and tricks for working boards to balance service delivery together with the core functions of organizational governance. However, these tools do not always alleviate the significant time pressures facing volunteers on boards where there are no paid staff. There is simply too much to do. In the face of colossal responsibility lists for board members, many find themselves hyper focused on program delivery, event planning, or setting up a Facebook page. Governance becomes neglected altogether.

But maybe that’s okay. The Nonprofit Lifecycles approach to capacity building articulates distinct stages that every organization will go through. A key distinction that can provide enormous clarity, and shorter task lists, is being clear on whether your organization has a working board because you are a startup, or whether, in fact, your organization is not intended to ever have paid staff members.

In other words, are you building an organization with the hopes of someday having paid staff? (= startup). Or does your operating model comprise 100% volunteers for the foreseeable future? (= volunteer operating model/grassroots organization)

The answer to this question has implications for where a working board can focus, and how to avoid being overwhelmed. Here are some key areas of governance where working boards can be confident focusing their efforts. You’ll note they are very different depending on your answer to the question above:

1) Startup Boards:

Accurate budget/financial forecasting. If you are aspiring to have paid staff at some point, spend time setting up a way to forecast revenues and expenses, and to identify new potential sources of funding. What will be the first paid staff position? When do you hope to have sufficient revenues to pay a salary?

Spread the word. A key challenge for a startup organization is building awareness/interest and community support. Board members of startups can be great champions to draw support, building excitement, and get volunteers and funders interested in your organization.

Set up a tool for quick group decision-making. Startup Boards don’t usually have committees or defined roles and make decisions as a group. However, there are a lot of decisions to make. Figure out how you will make group decisions in a way that is timely, that doesn’t require in-person meetings. Google Drive? Slack channel? Weekly Zoom calls? Or is everyone comfortable making decisions by email?

Support the founder. Startups are typically led by a founder who, frankly, is leading the governance of the organization. That’s fine. Find out what they need from you and support them.

2) Volunteer Operating Model:

Outline board member role descriptions. In this model, it’s likely that each board member may be responsible for leading/running certain programs. Write down these responsibilities, so that board members can maintain their sanity, and also so they can recruit successors to take over when they’re ready to move on.

Set up a Board Calendar. Chart out the entire year and plot out key “governance” functions that need to happen, so they don’t get forgotten. When does the budget need to be created and approved? When is the AGM? When will you meet to set up a team workplan for the year?

Keep track of “governance” decisions. Figure out some way to record decisions at ‘official’ meetings. Yes, all boards should do this. But working Boards are oftentimes making many decisions, and having many conversations, on a weekly basis. Not all of this has to be recorded. However, you should have some kind of official ‘board’ meetings where key decisions are minuted/recorded.

Set up accessible/easy to use financial controls. Working boards can easily fall into the trap of using bank statements for financial decisions and tracking. If it’s unlikely you’re going to have a paid bookkeeper at any point, get some kind of program/software that is easy to use for people without an accounting background, and make sure that every transaction requires at least two people to complete. This protects everyone involved, and supports many board members to be involved in financial oversight without an accounting designation.

In celebration of National Indigenous History Month, Vantage Point reached out to a governance expert, Kinwa Bluesky, for her thoughts about not-for-profits and Indigenous governance.

Kinwa works as a consultant to organizations and leaders in the areas of strategic planning, organizational development, fundraising, and project management. She is also a legal researcher, policy advisor, human resource consultant, and contract manager. Kinwa is a doctoral student at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law. It is an honour to have her share her thoughts with us.

Please tell me about your work within governance as it applies within organizations with a social mandate.

I am an Indigenous consultant – working with Indigenous communities, Nations and with local, provincial, and federal government. This is one way that I can be more engaged and more connected to the people. My background is in law, and I use it in terms of understanding legislation and policy, and then how these create impact. I try to work from the top-down and bottom-up -- hopefully we’ll end up creating change somewhere along the middle for everyone involved.

Everybody is committed in some way to have Indigenous peoples be more self-determining, working towards more self-governing structures & frameworks in all areas of governance. Everyone is working towards what reconciliation means and how institutions can be more proactive in trying to implement various different tools and frameworks, such as UNDRIP as well as the call to action through TRC. Most recently, I’ve been working in the province implementing Jordan’s Principle, ensuring First Nations children and youth have access to social, education, and health services when they need them.

What have been the greatest influence(s) to governance as you practice it?

The ideal is that people have self-governing bodies, so then they are able to make laws and policies based on their own self-determining desires. Because I work a lot with governments, I feel like funding impacts significantly the kinds of opportunities that can be achieved moving forward. This can sometimes be a blessing and also something that has to be reckoned with as well, as funding seemingly comes and goes. For all First Nations organizations and societies, funding is very unstable, but I’m hoping in the future we can look at various different funding models that allow our peoples to become more financially secure in being able to offer the kinds of services and programming to fully meet the needs of their communities --- as they should be met.

What are some key steps not-for-profit boards can take to implement more diverse and particularly more Indigenized representation? And what about governance approaches?

Representation is a very interesting topic. I end up going to a number of Indigenous events and conferences, and still there are high numbers of male chiefs present. Women are not fully representative in a 50/50 -- the numbers are very high in terms of male leadership, and if we look at business,the trend would likely the same. In human resources, health and social services, women appear to be more dominant within those areas of leadership, which is refreshing and nice to see. I would like to see diversity flipping so there are more Indigenous female Chiefs, CEOs, Founders and Operators, and Chairmen of Boards – because we are present, doing good work, and we are rising through the ranks.

As for Indigenizing approaches, that’s part of the work that I do in my academic research looking at how Indigenous law can become more active– not just on an individual level, but guiding the laws of our communities, our governments, organizations, societies, and programs. So that our laws are being more fully reflected in our policies and not something we think about as, “Oh right, traditionally this is what we used to do!” It’s active and present and we are all agents of legal change, fully enacting and being our Indigenous laws. I’m constantly looking for ways to do that – and we are doing it! It’s in how our relations are built, how we conduct business, how we provide services, and most recently, how we prioritize our children and youth and women. We are creating ways of change.

What is your biggest hope for your broader work in 2018?

There are areas that are building up momentum locally with Chief Ian running for mayor – that’s exciting and might change some of the work that I’ve done in the past for City of Vancouver, recognizing Indigenous women and being proactive to create spaces for missing and murdered Indigenous women girls and their families while the Inquiry was going on here. We’ve done some work with the Mayor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Addiction by taking into account the needs of our members in the Downtown Eastside. There’s been quite a lot of reconciliation work, led at the time by Ginger Gosnell-Myers. It’s nice to see the steps taken for reconciliation – the work is now opening up space for leadership. I think even provincially, various ministries are open to creating change, specifically around First Nations children and youth and around mental health, with the creation of the new ministry (Mental Health and Addiction).

“Abundance” is a principle value at Vantage Point. How do you bring an abundant viewpoint to your day-to-day work?

When I was in Ottawa working at the archives on my dissertation research recently, I came across something that my great-grandmother Angenik Kaponicin had written. This was captured in the early 1900s. She said that when it came to our territory -- I’m Anishinaabe, from around the Ottawa region-- “we were just free, to go wherever we wanted,” and then she talked about how there was enough food to feed everyone. And I just thought, “that’s such a wonderful mindset to have been living in.” She acknowledged that this had changed. She was born in 1880s and had seen the transition of being able to roam free to living on reserves. Initially the environment there was able to provide for the health, wellness, and food security for everyone involved. That’s not the case now. What an empowering view to behold – and how can we maintain that today? How can we build towards this abundance for everyone and all who roam freely across these territories?

Serving on a board should be fun and engaging. At Vantage Point we’re passionate advocates for governance that goes beyond oversight. With a focus on impact, there are some great practices organizations can use to support meaningful governance In our work we often come across organizations that have developed or adopted unique governance practices that are aligned with their values.

Many of these practices also foster a board dynamic that is engaging, fun and grounded in community impact. Two great examples are Exchange Innercity and HUB Cycling.

Here are some of the practices these two organizations have in place to make their governance awesome!

1. Make information accessible before the meeting

Exchange Innercity is a community economic development organization comprised of individuals and community groups in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The organization prides itself on taking direction and leadership from the membership as a whole. All members are invited to attend committee meetings. However, with a diverse and broad membership, ensuring meeting attendees have sufficient information to participate effectively is no small task. In order to achieve this, the coordinator makes herself available for 3 hours per month (1.5 hours on the second and third Wednesday of every month) at a local community centre where she provides printed meeting packages. Participants who don’t have access to a computer or email can get the information they need prior to any of the meetings.

HUB Cycling, uses a consent agenda. This tool requires a reading package to be sent out at least one week in advance, so that key information items are not reviewed at the meeting itself. Board members arrive prepared to delve into discussion.

2. Define “consensus decision-making” and dedicate time to “discursive” items

HUB Cycling has identified that board meetings are most effective when they allow for discussion and dialogue (instead of using meeting time to share information). To ensure this happens, the meeting agendas include a standing ‘discursive’ topic section, where rotating board members bring forward innovative, generative and diverse topics for dialogue at the board level. These items are for discussion only - decisions are not typically required - which opens up the meetings to generative reflection, discussion, and engaging new ideas at board meetings.

When it does come to making decisions, some groups use a ‘consensus-based’ decision making model. However, trouble arises when this is not defined; consensus means very different things to different people. To mitigate this challenge, Exchange Innercity proactively created a governing document that defines precisely how they can achieve a decision and the procedures to follow in order to empower members to raise and deal with conflicting viewpoints.

3. Mission first

For both organizations, keeping mission top of mind is a key feature of how they’ve structured governance practices. At the beginning of HUB board meetings a rotating board member will outline the mission and priorities of the organization, as they understand them. This grounds the subsequent discussions in what the board is there to achieve.

At Exchange Innercity, a key part of their mission is empowering individuals and organizations in the Downtown Eastside. They’ve given much thought to meeting processes as well as clear definitions to the roles of the staff, the executive committee, and committee members to ensure members have ample opportunities to contribute in different ways - which is a critical part of their mission.

How do your governance practices reflect the values of your organization, or the mission? Are there governance practices unique to your organization?

For those of us who work with not-for-profit sector organizations and their governing bodies, the same issues in not-for-profit governance seem to keep coming up year after year. That insight has caused a thoughtful sector leader to ask: “why are we doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?”

We hear these types of stories all the time:

“My board blurs the lines between operations and governance.”

“The executive director expects the board to fundraise, that’s not what I signed up for!”

“Nobody told me we’d spend so much time looking at boring financial statements.”

“We elected a chartered accountant to the board, and now he’s refusing to act as Treasurer!”

“We’ve tried to recruit for diversity on our board, but we don’t know any qualified candidates from minority communities.”

Reimagining Governance

On March 12, Vantage Point partnered with Ignite NPS to start conversations on how we can shift our perspective and do governance differently. Executive directors, board members and consultants met with Linda Mollenhauer to explore how not-for-profit governance structures, processes and practices should and could be adapted to meet the challenges of today’s complex environment.

Linda is a cofounder and the Board Chair Ignite NPS, where she volunteers her time and expertise to support development and distribution of practical research, resources and tools designed for board members and staff of non-profit organizations across the sector. Her goal is to foster new ways of working and support leaders to adapt to the complex and competitive not-for-profit landscape.

The questions Linda posed on March 12 certainly ignited my thinking! Here are three of the many insights raised in the three-hour facilitated conversation:

1. Governance is a team sport. All too often, we think of governance as the board’s work, but in fact, it involves the collaboration of the chief executive, staff, and stakeholders in the community served by a not-for-profit organization.

2. Successful governance requires a shared understanding. How often do we stop and explore what we mean by “successful governance”? Some people hear that word and think “govern”, focusing on the fiduciary. Others think “vision” or “leadership”. It’s time to get on the same page, to achieve clarity through an explicit conversation that leads to a shared understanding of what we mean by “successful governance”.

3. Each of us has a role in finding a new model. If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always got. Everyone working in the sector can shift our energy, from focusing on the challenges, to imagining how we could make it better.

Thanks, Vantage Point, for making space to encourage thought leadership and reimagine governance. It’s a conversation whose time has come!