Posted on Friday, 16th December 2011 by chris wignall

In conversations with a few charities this week there has been a repeated theme of how to engage and appreciate donors. It’s been encouraging that the ones I met with have moved beyond simply seeing their supporters as cash machines they can get funds out of if they push the right buttons. Still, there does [...]

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Posted on Thursday, 15th September 2011 by chris wignall

Earlier this week the Toronto Star reported that former US President George W. Bush would be speaking at an invitation only breakfast for donors to Tyndale University, one of Canada’s most prominent Christian post-secondary schools and probably North America’s most diverse. Not surprisingly, this generated some strong responses. Yesterday Tyndale announced that the event has [...]

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Posted on Tuesday, 13th September 2011 by chris wignall

For me one of the most difficult, and often frustrating, aspects of my role in funding and working with charities is dealing with inconsistency. Stated simply, I want to know what to expect.This is usually fairly straightforward in smaller organizations where the dominant influencers are just a couple people and there is general sameness in [...]

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Posted on Monday, 22nd August 2011 by chris wignall

About ten minutes ago the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation released this statement: NDP Leader Jack Layton has died at age 61 after a long battle with cancer, CBC News has learned. Layton died at his home in Toronto early Monday, surrounded by family, according to a statement from his wife, Olivia Chow, and his children, Sarah [...]

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Posted on Tuesday, 9th August 2011 by chris wignall

As I’ve been becoming more educated in the field of global relief and development I’ve started to form some reasonably strong opinions. The strongest is that I don’t know enough to support my strong opinions. I have become convinced by reading, site visits, and conversations with trusted, experienced professionals that effective long term improvement in [...]

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Posted on Monday, 8th August 2011 by chris wignall

If wordpress is correct, this is my 200th post on this blog. My hope is that somewhere along the way there has been some value in it for those who read here, I know there has been value for me in the process of writing. Today, a glimpse behind the curtain. As Catalyst has grown [...]

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Posted on Tuesday, 19th July 2011 by chris wignall

Two weeks ago I spent a few hours in a garbage dump outside the city of Sosua in the Dominican Republic helping illegal Haitian immigrants scavenge for recyclables, and food. I was there leading a group of young people who have been recipients of the Catalyst Award. Having been chosen for their demonstrated commitment to [...]

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Posted on Wednesday, 9th February 2011 by chris wignall

Today I read an article from Fast Company on how to decide if a conference is worth attending. I’m still in the review/recovery stage from our Catalyst Gather a couple weeks ago. It was the second time we’ve brought together leaders from many of the organizations we work with on an ongoing basis for some [...]

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Posted on Thursday, 23rd December 2010 by chris wignall

This is a time of year when rituals, traditions, and symbols are everywhere. Some represent family, others are seasonal or sacred. In fact, a lot of the things I do that make it feel like Christmas are meaningful in ways I can’t easily explain. Defining why it seems so wrong that my parents bought an [...]

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Posted on Thursday, 23rd September 2010 by chris wignall

Engage, Equip, Empower, Evaluate Engage: I still see organizations where staff, volunteers, clients, board, and donors are lacking commitment and energy. They don’t see how their involvement matters, give less than their best, and simply don’t truly believe in what they’re doing. High staff turnover and limited productivity are indicators that there are engagement issues. [...]

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