Fresh Thinking: The SVP Team’s Top Reads & Resources

Looking for your next great read or listen before summer comes to an end? The SVP Vancouver team has curated an assortment of articles, reports, books, and more. We’re always looking for learning opportunities as part of our commitment to being a well-informed, effective, and engaged community who advocates for the kind of unearmarked, operational funding that gives organizations the flexibility to care for their people.

We hope you discover something that challenges your thinking, sparks a conversation, or deepens your connection to this work.

Articles 

Joint Statement on WAGE’s Budget: Dear Prime Minister, Gender Equality is not Optional
After learning the Department for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) is facing budget cuts of 80% in their recently released departmental plan, a call for an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister and his office has been put forward in a joint statement signed by over 300 organizations dedicated to advancing gender equality including BC Society of Transition Houses (BCSTH) and Pacific Immigrant Resources Society (PIRS), both SVP Investees.

Funders, Do Your !!@%@#! Job.
Author Kevin Staff, Director of the Mulago Foundation and the Rainer Arnhold Fellows Program, details how many nonprofits fail or are unable to measure real outcomes, and unknowingly, funders may back organizations that deliver little to no value to those they intend to help. It’s a call to action to be a real advocate for those you’re trying to serve with active due diligence and support for grantees who effectively measure or aim to build measures to improve their impact. 

Plotting Impact Beyond Simple Metrics: For nonprofits, impact comes in different forms, and to track the cycles of social change work, we must adopt a systems-conscious, multi-method approach. Author Natasha Joshi argues that social impact isn’t captured by simplistic metrics alone—the true value of interventions can include intangible shifts like reduced fear or increased agency, which emerge over time and across systems. 

Recombination as Rebirth: Jacob Harold argues that in today’s financial and political crisis, nonprofit mergers, acquisitions, and even sunsets can serve as strategic tools—not last-resort tactics—for strengthening mission impact, consolidating resources, and unlocking creative new pathways for sustainable change. A few principles may help leaders make the most of a difficult moment.

Industry Reports 

The First Future of Good Wellbeing Index Report: The most comprehensive and representative research on the wellbeing of nonprofit workers ever conducted in Canada to answer the question, “How are nonprofit workers in Canada really doing?” In the nonprofit sector, 93% of workers believe their work positively impacts the community. Despite this, one-third struggle with food insecurity and burnout, and are considering quitting. The Changemaker Wellbeing Index enables everyone—from leadership teams and funders to frontline workers and board directors—to leverage its key insights and implications.

People First: A Portrait of Canada’s Nonprofit Workforce by Imagine Canada
What do we know about the millions of people working in Canada’s nonprofit sector? This report provides a detailed profile of these workers, including demographic and salary information, and uncovers how the nonprofit workforce differs significantly from the broader Canadian labour force.

Transforming One Million Lives: Why Canada Needs Market-Driven Philanthropy
Over this past year, GeShiDo Foundation and Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement met with family foundations and philanthropists alongside industry experts in food security, mental health, and housing to explore what a public venture philanthropy fund could look like. The goal is to stop funding symptoms and start investing in root-cause solutions that move communities from crisis to stability.

Books

The Big We, by Hali Lee
Through compelling and diverse stories about the power of giving circles, Hali Lee demonstrates that true philanthropic impact comes from collective action and community engagement…she fosters deeper connections and paves the way for a more equitable future for all.” —Jamia Wilson, award-winning author of Young, Gifted and Black and coauthor of Road Map for Revolutionaries and Together We Rise

For audio and shorter snippets, check our Hali’s podcast Move Over, Mega-Donor the Power of Collective Giving

The Weaver’s Way, by Corrina Grace
Strategies for shaping social change, told largely through stories of the author’s own experience as cofounder of Seres, a UNESCO award-winning organization.

For the Serious Bookworm
The Philanthropist Journal’s Book Review Library: The Philanthropist Journal’s robust collection of book reviews is a treasure trove for anyone interested in the ideas shaping social impact, leadership, and philanthropy today. Explore their archive, and if you’re not already on their newsletter list, now’s the time to sign up!

Upcoming Webinar

Co-Leadership Deep Dive: Benefits, Challenges, and How to Make it Work by Stanford Social Innovation Review
Co-leadership has become increasingly popular in the social sector. SSIR’s live webinar program on September 4, 2025, will equip nonprofit and philanthropic leaders with the knowledge, tools, and practical insights for navigating shared leadership models.

If you had a read through some of these and discovered something that challenges your thinking, or deepens your connection to this work, we’d love to hear from you! Connect with [email protected] or [email protected] anytime.