Our Mission and Story
About Us
Our vision is an inclusive community, where non-profits can achieve their fullest potential and drive sustainable change throughout the province and beyond.
We promote connected communities by nurturing a strong non-profit sector. We achieve this by delivering high-quality training, resources, and advocacy that builds connection, creativity, and impact in the sector.
Vantage Point is a British Columbia non-profit that serves other BC non-profits. With our main office on the unceded traditional lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, Vantage Point provides high quality, practical education, facilitation, and consulting support to BC’s non-profit sector as well as programs that support sector success through convening, facilitation, and advocacy. Vantage Point’s work spans throughout the province across the lands of over 200 distinct Indigenous communities.
Vantage Point plays an important role in lifting and amplifying the strengths of this dynamic, resilient, and innovative sector. By identifying the sector’s strengths and challenges through research, and engaging in collaborations and government relations, Vantage Point has emerged as a relevant voice for the sector in recent years.
Vantage Point provides training and capacity-building support in areas of governance, leadership, human resources, strategic planning, and other key topics that support non-profits to achieve greater impact.
Learn how we’re working toward a “Stronger, Brighter Future” for Vantage Point and non-profits across British Columbia in our 2024-2027 Strategic Plan.
Our Values
Collective Learning: Creating inclusive spaces to gather information from diverse perspectives and emphasize the importance of learning together as a team.
Relational Partnerships: This is a way of collaborating with others in a deep and meaningful manner that is grounded in building authentic, reciprocal, and transparent relationships.
Equity: Challenging systemic imbalances and addressing power dynamics.
Knowledge Connection: Sharing knowledge, connecting individuals with expertise, and promoting a culture of learning.
Responsive Service: Adaptable, listening to sector needs, and adjusting services accordingly. It’s seen as a way of being agile and flexible in supporting non-profit organizations.
Creativity: A way of thinking outside the box and finding innovative solutions.
Our Story
It is impossible to imagine British Columbia without not-for-profit organizations. Non-profits are our soccer teams and symphonies, hospitals and homeless shelters, foundations and food banks; they protect our environment and provide education; their work is international and local; and they are where we worship and work. Over 26,000 organizations build and shape our province every day and enable thousands of people to positively engage with their communities.
Vantage Point always has been, and remains today, an impact-driven and collaborative organization. It was founded as the Central Volunteer Bureau of Vancouver in 1943 to provide volunteer matching services throughout the city. We are proud of our heritage and our contribution to the amazing power volunteerism has in our community, but we needed to adapt to the changing times.
In 2002, we noticed two important changes. First, people were becoming less and less interested in fulfilling repetitive traditional volunteer roles. They wanted to contribute their knowledge in high-impact and meaningful ways. Secondly, the changing expectations of our sector required organizations to excel in governance, leadership planning, and people engagement. As a result, we questioned our role and value as a volunteer centre.
Vantage Point grew out of the desire to address the changing paradigm of volunteerism and our sector’s need to invest in capacity building. We believe that non-profits can achieve their goals – and long-term stability – by changing the way they view people engagement and by investing in their professional development. Transforming how the non-profit sector approaches governance, leadership, planning and people engagement can ultimately lead to greater impact and collaboration in the communities and causes they serve. We work with over 10,000 individuals from more than 1500 organizations every year delivering interactive learning that is readily put to use in the wide variety of organizations these people lead.
When non-profit leaders leave Vantage Point, they are confident in their abilities and empowered to lead their organization, support their team, deliver their mission and, ultimately, affect their communities in positive ways.