Author: Peter Cantelon, Executive Director Jubilee Fund is Manitoba’s only non-profit charitable social finance impact investment fund. But what does that mean? What is social finance? Why do we care and how do we transform donations and investments into fuel for poverty reduction initiatives? Put simply, social finance is the use of assets, typically money,… Read more →
The Curse of Abundance
Author: Peter Cantelon, Executive Director It’s an odd thing to say there can be a curse to abundance, particularly when you hear it coming from the Executive Director of a non-profit focused on poverty reduction. Shouldn’t we seek as much abundance as we can? Absolutely – but there is a right way and a wrong… Read more →
Trickle-Down Housing
Author: Peter Cantelon, Executive Director In the 1980s during the Reagan administration of the United States the theory of trickle-down economics was popularized and widely embraced by many at the top end of the economic pyramid. The theory, which in one form or another has been around for as long as wealth, proposes the following… Read more →
The Importance of Showing Up
Author: Peter Cantelon, Executive Director Have you ever been invited to a wedding or birthday and found yourself in a circumstance where the best you could do is send a gift? We’ve all been there to one degree or another and typically we don’t feel great about it. Sometimes life and circumstance get in the… Read more →
Social Finance: What is it and why do I Care?
Author: Peter Cantelon, Executive Director Have you heard? The Social Finance Fund has finally begun flowing thanks to the federal government moving ahead on an announcement made five years ago. You haven’t? That’s ok. For those of us steeped in the space it seems like you cannot throw a metaphorical rock these days without hitting… Read more →
Nothing About Us Without Us
Author: Peter Cantelon, Executive Director I love the phrase “nothing about us, without us.” As a concept it expresses a simple, elegant idea of involvement – no one gets to have a conversation about us, without us. No one gets to advocate for us, no one gets to propose solutions or develop policies on our… Read more →
The Value of a Distributed Social Infrastructure
Author: Peter Cantelon, Executive Director Over the years, particularly when we approach municipal and provincial elections, the calls for dramatically increased spending on social infrastructure in Winnipeg get louder. Honestly who can blame people? The evidence of need for a massively expanded inventory of safe, accessible, affordable housing is obvious. There are clear signs that… Read more →
Boards and Governance in Non-Profits
Author: Peter Cantelon, Executive Director How important are boards to the average non-profit? I have been involved in many non-profit organizations and invariably someone asks this question, usually out of frustration. “I mean, why do we need a board?” the person wonders aloud. “They don’t do anything and usually obstruct all of our good ideas…”… Read more →
Membership Has Its Privileges
Author: Peter Cantelon, Executive Director The old, oft-repeated phrase “membership has its privileges” rears up from time to time in different places and in different ways but what does it really mean? Incorporated non-profits like Jubilee Fund are membership-driven organizations. Structurally our members are the ultimate authority, as is the case with any member-driven body…. Read more →
A Moral Compass in the Non-profit Sector
Author: Peter Cantelon, Executive Director A lot of wise, probably somewhat life-worn folks over the years have said a variation of the following sentiment: “Knowledge is a burden.” In the non-profit sector this can be felt when attempting to navigate the often rough seas on ethics and morality, particularly in governance and decision making. Now… Read more →