by Vantage Point

Our current Strategic Plan set a course for Vantage Point (VP) as one of its strategic goals to strive to be a leading contributor to equitable, inclusive, and sustainable practices in the not-for-profit sector, especially in lifting and strengthening Indigenous, underrepresented, and emerging not-for-profit leaders in BC.  

While our internal journey to learn and grow in the areas of equitable, inclusive, and sustainable practices started well before the current strategic plan, naming this aspiration explicitly has given the team clarity and purpose to invest as individuals and as an organization. We participate in a range of internal learning opportunities and initiatives that support our operational objective to build policies, practices, and resources that support and solidify our commitment to inclusion and decolonization within our Vantage Point community. 

Our impacts in this area can be hard to pin down. How do we know we’re making progress? Or that we’re having a positive impact rather than unknowingly reinforcing existing systems, behaviours, and unjust results?  

In pursuit of a practical, immediately applicable solution, the team recently convened to talk about how we can leverage something that we know is making a difference and that we have the power to influence – bursary supports to leaders to access Vantage Point open enrolment workshops and labs.  

For over 10 years now, the City of Vancouver Social Policy and Cultural Services have made VP bursary supports available to their grantees. We have added Vancouver Coastal Health – Population Health Initiatives – and the City of New Westminster as partners in providing further bursaries. We also established a more formal VP bursary fund in 2018 to provide more flexible access to bursaries for those not eligible through current partner bursaries.  

Given how the pandemic continues to impact not-for-profit budgets, and staff and volunteer needs for governance, management, and leadership training supports have increased, our bursary requests are mounting. Yet, we have lots to do to both reach and adequately resource supports to Indigenous, underrepresented, and emerging not-for-profit leaders in BC. 

In light of this gap, we are announcing a call to action to our community: Join us in building a Vantage Point Bursary Fund that enhances accessibility of our programs and supports to the whole of our diverse community of not-for-profit leaders across BC. We are committed to assuring clear eligibility criteria that prioritizes: 

• Indigenous people, Black people, and people of colour 
• Youth building careers in the not-for-profit sector 
• Leaders from equity-seeking organizations  
• Leaders from organizations addressing the climate change crisis 
• Leaders from organizations with operating budgets less than $250k and/or outside the Metro Vancouver area 

We have established the Vantage Point Bursary as a distinct fund, to which you can donate now through Canada Helps. Your contribution will help us reach under-funded and often overlooked groups in the sector. And as always, we are so grateful for your support.

October 29, 2021 – Vantage Point is pleased to announce the selection of Zahra Esmail as its new Chief Executive Officer. Zahra steps into the role following the outstanding interim leadership of Maria Turnbull, Associate Executive Director, who continues to be an incredible advocate for the organization and membership. The hire was made after a comprehensive search process, in collaboration with the Search Committee and Harbour West Consulting, and with the approval of the Board of Directors.

“The Board of Directors of the Vantage Point Society is extremely excited to announce Zahra as our new CEO. Zahra is a well-known and respected leader in the not-for-profit sector.  Her strong professional presence and community-based leadership ensures a strong advocate and strategic leader for the organization. We look forward to collaborating with Zahra; we know she is going to make a mark in our sector and organization.” – Gordon Matchett, Board Chair, Vantage Point

Zahra Esmail is joining Vantage Point after having been the Executive Director of the South Vancouver Neighbourhood House since 2016 and the first Executive Director of the Marpole Neighbourhood House, which opened under her leadership in 2019. During this time, Zahra worked with her diverse teams to build community connections and strengthen the neighbourhoods of Killarney, Victoria-Fraserview, Sunset and Marpole in Vancouver. With a background in community development, her current portfolio includes food security, settlement and integration services, licensed childcare, children and family development, youth leadership, seniors’ wellness, and Adult Day Programs. Prior to her work with the Neighbourhood Houses, Zahra was the General Manager of Eva’s Phoenix, a transitional shelter and training program in Toronto. She has also worked in international development with Street Kids International, Haven Haiti and BRAC, with responsibility for programs in Haiti, India, the Philippines, Colombia, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia. Zahra has a Masters in Globalization and International Development from the University of Ottawa, a Bachelor’s in History from UBC, and an Associate Certificate in Fundraising Management from BCIT. She is an active member of the Poverty Reduction Advisory Committee, an independent committee that advises government on policy developments related to poverty reduction and prevention. Zahra was recognized as one of Business in Vancouver’s Forty Under 40 in 2019. Zahra will begin her new role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Vantage Point on December 13, 2021.

"I am thrilled to be joining the incredible Vantage Point team as the organization's new CEO! After spending the past 15+ years working in a variety of roles and contexts with a social purpose focus, I am grateful for the opportunity to join a long-standing organization that builds the capacity of the not-for-profit sector in unique and impactful ways. I look forward to learning and growing in this exciting role!"

 – Zahra Esmail, Chief Executive Officer, Vantage Point

About Vantage Point

Founded in 1943, Vantage Point was originally known as the Central Volunteer Bureau of Vancouver; its mission was to provide volunteer matching services throughout the city. Today, Vantage Point is known as a leader for the not-for-profit sector by offering convening opportunities and sector advocacy support, as well as education and consulting on board governance, leadership, performance management, and recruitment. Committed to empowering the not-for-profit sector, Vantage Point serves as an important resource and advocate for Executive Directors, board members, senior leaders, managers, staff, and volunteers in the Lower Mainland and province.

For more information on Vantage Point’s services, please visit: https://thevantagepoint.ca/

Like most children growing up on the Canadian prairie in the 1980s, I always dreamed of being a planning consultant in the not-for-profit sector. Kidding, of course. This is the kind of work that people tend to fall into because they have an interest in social impact, in how people organize in groups to make that impact, and in how groups articulate what they want to achieve so that they can convince others (funders, partners, volunteers) to get on board.

My route to Vantage Point is rather circuitous. In my youth, I spent a lot of time travelling the country, working at jobs ranging from blueberry picker to industrial recycling waste sorter. Ever the pragmatist, I eventually went to university to study literature and languages. Simply put, I was interested in humans and their words. I parlayed that education into a career in adult language education and freelance writing. In South Korea, I spent several years in teaching, management, and corporate communications. Back in Canada, I applied my entrepreneurial spirit to establish two businesses, one bricks and mortar (a language school) and one virtual (a consultancy in language education).

However, as I started freelance writing for not-for-profit organizations and volunteering on boards, and then facilitating community planning processes, I found something I needed more of: meaning and connection. The meaning came through social impact, in making changes in the community and the broader world. It somehow felt like an extension of the political and cultural activism of my youth. The connection came through working with groups of others – staff, leaders, community organizers, boards – to make that impact. I also discovered sticky notes.

Fast forward to January of 2020, when I sat down to make annual goals for my independent consulting business. By that time, I’d been working for several years in the greater Kamloops region supporting not-for-profits with strategy and governance, talking about how clarity and cohesion can lead to greater impact. At a time when “social distancing” wasn’t yet entrenched in our lexicon, I decided that in 2020 I wanted to a) expand my geographical reach throughout BC, and b) collaborate with others more fully and intentionally. Oddly enough, the pandemic – and widespread adoption of tools for virtual work – helped make those goals a reality.

In October of 2020, I excitedly joined the Vantage Point team. It wasn’t the first time meeting several team members. I’d discussed governance and provincial outreach over Zoom with some of them (yes: Vantage Point was using Zoom in the Before Times!). And I’d worked with Maria Turnbull to submit a joint proposal for a large strategic planning engagement. I had a sense of how the team worked, with each other and with people outside the organization. So, when the opportunity arose, I decided to leave 15 years of self-employment behind.

At Vantage Point I’ve found the same spirit of abundance that guided my independent work for years. I’ve found an amazing and diverse team of people from whom I learn new things every single day. And I’ve been able not only to collaborate more fully and completely, but also to serve new client organizations throughout the province (and country), of all sizes and stages, doing truly impactful work. Besides helping our client organizations plan, articulate, and activate ideas for change and impact, I play a role at Vantage Point in sector development. I convene and connect organizations, bringing not-for-profit leaders together to formulate sector-wide aspirations.